“The average rank-and-file warehouse worker in the Inland Empire earns 75% of what other Inland workers make, according to a report that lauds what it calls “historic gains” those in the logistic industry made last year. The report, “State of the Unions: California Labor in 2024,” includes a chapter on efforts in recent years to protect workers from extreme heat and to unionize employees at Amazon’s San Bernardino air hub.

As of 2024, just 17.5% of workers in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville-Salinas metropolitan area were represented by a union, according to a report published last month by UC Berkeley’s Labor Center.

Union participation has held steady for the past 20 years in the Golden State, according to a new report by UCLA and UC Berkeley, despite a national decline since the 1980s.

“Digital technologies are not inherently harmful, but without the establishment of clear guardrails — rules of the road — they can have profoundly negative impacts on workers,” Mishal Khan said.

“I think the totality of our report is about how hard these unions continue to work to organize and provide benefits to their workers,” Lopezlira said. “Given all these headwinds — housing, health care affordability, technology, AI — the resiliency of California unions to look for innovative ways to help workers is critically important.”