SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
U.S. President Joe Biden and Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom enter the stage at Long Beach City College on September 13,2021 (Photo: Brittany Murray/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images)
Biden Adds Pressure on Newsom With 'Powerful' Backing of California Farmworkers Bill
"In the state with the largest population of farmworkers," said the president, "the least we owe them is an easier path to make a free and fair choice to organize a union."
Sep 05, 2022
Labor organizers in California and across the country welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden's "unexpected and powerful" endorsement of the state's pending legislation to make it easier for farmworkers to unionize--a bill that's sitting on Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.
While Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year and a spokesperson recently suggested he may do the same with Assembly Bill 2183, Biden's statement on the eve of Labor Day increases pressure on the governor--whom the president supported during a failed 2021 recall attempt.
"I strongly support California's Agricultural Labor Relations Voting Choice Act (A.B. 2183), which will give California's agricultural workers greater opportunity to organize and collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions," Biden said.
"Farmworkers worked tirelessly and at great personal risk to keep food on America's tables during the pandemic," he continued. "In the state with the largest population of farmworkers, the least we owe them is an easier path to make a free and fair choice to organize a union. I am grateful to California's elected officials and union leaders for leading the way."
While the California Chamber of Commerce and agriculture industry groups oppose A.B. 2183, the bill is backed by the United Farm Workers (UFW), which says the measure is intended to protect farmworkers from supervisor intimidation during union elections.
"Farmworkers are grateful," UFW president Teresa Romero said of Biden's endorsement. "!Si se puede!"
Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, who left the state Assembly earlier this year to serve as chief officer of the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, declared Sunday night that it is "time to sign the bill."
The push for the A.B. 2183 in California comes amid a unionization wave sweeping the country, with workers organizing at giant corporations including Amazon, Apple, Chipotle, Google, Starbucks, and Trader Joe's.
Biden--who's repeatedly vowed to be "the most pro-union president" in American history--argued Sunday that government should make it easier for workers who want to organize and highlighted the benefits of unionizing.
"Organizing or joining a union, that's democracy in action," he said. "And it's especially important today for Black and Brown workers whose voices have long been silenced through shameful race-based laws and policies."
According to the president, "It is long past time that we ensure America's farmworkers and other essential workers have the same right to join a union as other Americans."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Labor organizers in California and across the country welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden's "unexpected and powerful" endorsement of the state's pending legislation to make it easier for farmworkers to unionize--a bill that's sitting on Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.
While Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year and a spokesperson recently suggested he may do the same with Assembly Bill 2183, Biden's statement on the eve of Labor Day increases pressure on the governor--whom the president supported during a failed 2021 recall attempt.
"I strongly support California's Agricultural Labor Relations Voting Choice Act (A.B. 2183), which will give California's agricultural workers greater opportunity to organize and collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions," Biden said.
"Farmworkers worked tirelessly and at great personal risk to keep food on America's tables during the pandemic," he continued. "In the state with the largest population of farmworkers, the least we owe them is an easier path to make a free and fair choice to organize a union. I am grateful to California's elected officials and union leaders for leading the way."
While the California Chamber of Commerce and agriculture industry groups oppose A.B. 2183, the bill is backed by the United Farm Workers (UFW), which says the measure is intended to protect farmworkers from supervisor intimidation during union elections.
"Farmworkers are grateful," UFW president Teresa Romero said of Biden's endorsement. "!Si se puede!"
Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, who left the state Assembly earlier this year to serve as chief officer of the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, declared Sunday night that it is "time to sign the bill."
The push for the A.B. 2183 in California comes amid a unionization wave sweeping the country, with workers organizing at giant corporations including Amazon, Apple, Chipotle, Google, Starbucks, and Trader Joe's.
Biden--who's repeatedly vowed to be "the most pro-union president" in American history--argued Sunday that government should make it easier for workers who want to organize and highlighted the benefits of unionizing.
"Organizing or joining a union, that's democracy in action," he said. "And it's especially important today for Black and Brown workers whose voices have long been silenced through shameful race-based laws and policies."
According to the president, "It is long past time that we ensure America's farmworkers and other essential workers have the same right to join a union as other Americans."
From Your Site Articles
Labor organizers in California and across the country welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden's "unexpected and powerful" endorsement of the state's pending legislation to make it easier for farmworkers to unionize--a bill that's sitting on Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.
While Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year and a spokesperson recently suggested he may do the same with Assembly Bill 2183, Biden's statement on the eve of Labor Day increases pressure on the governor--whom the president supported during a failed 2021 recall attempt.
"I strongly support California's Agricultural Labor Relations Voting Choice Act (A.B. 2183), which will give California's agricultural workers greater opportunity to organize and collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions," Biden said.
"Farmworkers worked tirelessly and at great personal risk to keep food on America's tables during the pandemic," he continued. "In the state with the largest population of farmworkers, the least we owe them is an easier path to make a free and fair choice to organize a union. I am grateful to California's elected officials and union leaders for leading the way."
While the California Chamber of Commerce and agriculture industry groups oppose A.B. 2183, the bill is backed by the United Farm Workers (UFW), which says the measure is intended to protect farmworkers from supervisor intimidation during union elections.
"Farmworkers are grateful," UFW president Teresa Romero said of Biden's endorsement. "!Si se puede!"
Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, who left the state Assembly earlier this year to serve as chief officer of the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, declared Sunday night that it is "time to sign the bill."
The push for the A.B. 2183 in California comes amid a unionization wave sweeping the country, with workers organizing at giant corporations including Amazon, Apple, Chipotle, Google, Starbucks, and Trader Joe's.
Biden--who's repeatedly vowed to be "the most pro-union president" in American history--argued Sunday that government should make it easier for workers who want to organize and highlighted the benefits of unionizing.
"Organizing or joining a union, that's democracy in action," he said. "And it's especially important today for Black and Brown workers whose voices have long been silenced through shameful race-based laws and policies."
According to the president, "It is long past time that we ensure America's farmworkers and other essential workers have the same right to join a union as other Americans."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.