From the Bay to L.A., Teachers Rally for Pay, Staffing, and Respect

Energized by a recent strike victory in the Bay Area and growing momentum statewide, teachers’ unions across California are mobilizing for higher pay, stronger benefits, and better learning conditions, according to an extensive report in nonprofit education news outlet EdSource.

In the Bay, educators working for the West Contra Costa Unified School District recently secured an 8% pay raise over two years as well as full district-paid healthcare after a six-day strike — an outcome union leaders say has emboldened teachers elsewhere. San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley teachers are now among those at an impasse as of press time, with many members signaling readiness to strike should negotiations stall.

In Sacramento County, tensions are rising in Twin Rivers and Natomas unified school districts, where union teachers are demanding meaningful salary increases, reduced healthcare costs, and more support in the classroom. Union leaders say coordinated bargaining through the California Teachers Association’s “We Can’t Wait” campaign is finally chipping away at years of stalled negotiations.

Meanwhile, down south, United Teachers of Los Angeles members are preparing for a possible strike vote next month. Their demands include a higher starting salary, smaller class sizes, and more counselors and special education staff.

Statewide, at least 14 districts are currently facing labor stalemates.

Teamsters Win: Union Parking Returns to 1910 Union Street Garage

After more than two months of picketing and community pressure, Teamsters Local 665 secured a major victory at San Francisco’s 1910 Union Street garage this month: The facility will return to union operation on February 1.

“This victory shows exactly what happens when workers refuse to back down,” said Tony Delorio, principal officer of Teamsters Local 665. “Our members stood in the rain, in the cold, and in the face of disrespect — and they won.”

Ballot Drive to Tax Overpaid CEOs, Fund City Services

The San Francisco labor movement and community groups have launched a signature drive to place the proposed Overpaid CEO Act on the June primary ballot, CBS News reports. The measure would levy a modest tax on the City’s largest and most profitable corporations — specifically, those whose top executives earn more than 100 times the median worker’s pay — to help protect vital public services.

Supporters say the tax could generate more than $200 million annually as San Francisco faces trying economic times.

California Steps Up to Protect Workers as Federal Labor Board Stalls

The Golden State has once again stepped into the breach in an attempt to defend workers’ rights. In September, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 288, landmark legislation that expands the authority of California’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) to protect private-sector workers when the federal National Labor Relations Board is unable — or unwilling — to act.

With the NLRB effectively paralyzed by a lack of quorum, AB 288 ensures workers are not left without a forum to resolve unfair labor practices, organize, or bargain collectively. The law allows PERB to conduct union elections, enforce labor laws, impose penalties on employers who violate workers’ rights, and require arbitration when companies stall contract negotiations.

Of course, the feds are suing.

Grand Theft Auto Studio Accused of Union-Busting

If management shows up carrying a lead pipe, be wary.

Former staff at Rockstar North, the U.K.-headquartered video game studio behind the highly popular Grand Theft Auto, say a mass dismissal last October that they characterized as “devastating” was retaliation for attempts to unionize. Thirty-one British employees were fired for what the firm described as “gross misconduct.” Former workers claim they were punished for discussing working conditions in a private online forum.

The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain called the firings a “ruthless act of union-busting.” Several dismissed employees told the BBC they were organizing to improve workplace conditions, not discussing projects. Long-serving staff described the firings as shocking and destabilizing, but said the incident underscored the need for unions in the industry.

Even U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer weighed in.

“It’s a deeply concerning case,” he was quoted as saying in a recent BBC article. “Every worker has the right to join a trade union, and we’re determined to strengthen workers’ rights and ensure they don’t face unfair consequences for being part of a union.”

The news also spurred action stateside. About 50 protesters gathered outside Rockstar’s Manhattan office to oppose the firings. Organized by the international Tech Workers Coalition union, the rally drew tech employees, student workers, and members of multiple unions, all of whom framed the firings as part of broader industry-wide retaliation against labor organizing.

Trump Administration Again Moves to Crush TSA Bargaining Rights

The Trump administration is once again attempting to dismantle collective bargaining rights for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, targeting the union contract that covers roughly 47,000 front-line workers responsible for security in our airports nationwide.

The decision, announced by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, would rescind a seven-year agreement reached in 2024 — despite an ongoing court case and a federal judge’s injunction that blocked a previous attempt to do the same thing.

This is also known as union-busting.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents TSA officers, has condemned the move as retaliatory and unlawful. The union has argued that the administration is deliberately ignoring the courts while pressing ahead with a policy designed to strip workers of representation and silence their collective voice.

A federal judge has already warned that earlier efforts to dissolve the contract appeared designed to punish the union for challenging broader attacks on federal workers’ rights.

“Secretary Noem’s decision to rip up the union contract for 47,000 TSA officers is an illegal act of retaliatory union-busting that should cause concern for every person who steps foot in an airport,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley in a statement.

… On the Other Hand, a Bipartisan Victory?

Momentum is building in Congress to restore collective bargaining rights for more than 1 million federal workers after a bipartisan majority in the U.S. House approved the Protect America’s Workforce Act, with a 231–195 vote. The legislation now moves to the Senate.

The act would reverse executive orders that stripped collective bargaining rights from large portions of the civil service, including workers who protect public safety, serve veterans, process Social Security benefits, respond to disasters, and keep critical government functions running.

“We need to build on this seismic victory in the House and get immediate action in the Senate — and also ensure that any future budget bills similarly protect collective bargaining rights for the largely unseen civil servants who keep our government running,” said AFGE President Kelley in a statement.

Utah Repeals Sweeping Ban on Public-Sector Collective Bargaining

The Beehive State has reversed a newly enacted ban on collective bargaining for teachers, firefighters, police, and other public employees.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox approved the repeal after sustained pushback from unions and public workers. The reversal follows weeks of protests and marks a rare rollback of one of the nation’s most restrictive labor laws.

In the American West and Across the Globe, Workers Are Fighting Back Against Egregious Abuses