“When workers have low trust in their own organization and are invited to take part in the very process at the heart of every union—contract negotiations—they often shift to having immense trust,” wrote the late union activist and organizer Jane McAlevey in a report adapted from her and Abby Lawlor’s book on high-participation negotiation as a powerful organizing tool.

Brenda Muñoz asked, “How do you boast about your company doing well if workers are being left behind, and not keeping up with the pace of that growth from the company?”

“Workers, especially younger workers or people who weren’t knowledgeable about unions, are seeing the unions being the first ones to fight against the administration,” said Brenda Muñoz, executive director of the UC Berkeley Labor Center.

A new report shows that 25 years after the Oakland Army base’s decommissioning, community benefits agreements for the base redevelopment have been largely successful — potentially offering a model for how the planned redevelopment of the Oakland Coliseum can be a boon for the community.

A report by the UC Berkeley Labor Center last year found that ride-hail drivers in the San Francisco Bay and four other metro areas made less than minimum wage after taking into account expenses and wait times