Labor, Economic Justice and Poverty Elimination

California Democrats believe that workers are the backbone of the economic prosperity of our State.  We are strong supporters of workers’ rights and continue to be close partners of organized labor.  We support all efforts to strengthen worker power, promote economic and social justice and build a better California by advocating for fair wages, equity, safe working conditions, and secure retirements. We believe in equality for all working Californians.

We believe economic justice is rooted in robust basic human rights including access to healthy food, adequate shelter, clothing, healthcare, and education.  California Democrats are committed to safeguarding these rights and strongly supporting public services designed to eliminate poverty, hunger, and homelessness, and assist youth, seniors, and people with disabilities. 

Labor

To support organized labor and stand up for workers’ rights, California Democrats will:

1. Support collective bargaining and the right to organize; support enforceable organizing agreements that include employer neutrality, recognition of card check, and binding arbitration for first-time contract disputes, particularly when industries request governmental approval and/or taxpayer subsidies to expand;
2. Support “Fair Share” fees which cover the costs of union representation for bargaining and enforcing workers’ contracts with employers;
3. Oppose so called “Right to Work” laws;
4. Boycott employers who have permanently replaced striking workers;
5. Protect the collective bargaining rights of both public and private sector workers and support binding arbitration for police and firefighters and other workers not allowed to strike;
6. Challenge any anti-worker initiatives that undermine the ability of union leaders to carry out the will of their members and to engage in political activities;
7. Support raising statewide minimum wage indexed to consumer price index;
8. Support creating and maintaining public and private sector jobs that permanently lift the working poor out of poverty to achieve self-sufficiency and a secure retirement, including an employer-provided defined benefit pensions as an essential part of retirement security;
9. Encourage the use of firms that employ skilled and trained California workers on publicly funded public works construction projects;
10. Oppose attempts to roll back the payment of prevailing wage on publicly funded projects;
11. Promote Project Labor Agreements for private and public sector infrastructure projects that provide employment for local hires and returning veterans and that partner with viable state-approved apprenticeship and other training programs for the community;
12. Support the 8-hour workday and daily overtime and fight any efforts to repeal the 40-hour workweek; advocate for paid sick days and vacation days for all workers; and protect California’s Paid Family Leave law;
13. Work to increase enforcement of worker rights and safety laws with adequate and appropriate penalties;
14. Advocate for full rights for workers employed in subcontracted or temporary work; work to end the misclassification of employees; and work to ensure that companies that subcontract are held to high standards by holding those companies jointly liable with subcontracting firms when workers’ rights are violated;
15. Oppose wages set below the minimum wage for workers with disabilities; 
16. Advocate for policies on A.I. and other new and emerging technologies to ensure that workers are protected through measured and orderly transitions, guaranteeing that all benefits are shared.  Support the banning of union-busting tactics, including the use of captive audience meetings used by employers to compel employees to attend meetings containing anti-union propaganda, under threat of punitive action;
17. Oppose public spending that leads to poverty wages or exploitative and unfair employment practices;
18. Support public spending that creates good, union jobs, raises standards for contracting out, reduces the misuse of temporary work status, and promotes timely hiring to ensure that workers can provide quality public services;
19. Support the efforts of both academic and non-academic student workers to form unions and negotiate living wages and benefits; 
20. Ensure that every California worker knows their employment rights, has the support of a union or other worker organization, and is able to participate in a democratic process to raise standards in either their individual workplace or in their industry; and,
21. Support equal pay for equal or comparable work and equal opportunity for advancement for all workers. 

Economic Justice and Poverty Elimination

To meet the basic economic needs and strengthen all California communities, California Democrats will:

1. Fight for public assistance programs;
2. Support policies that ensure that the working poor have equitable access to services such as health care, food stamps, and rent subsidies;
3. Support the continuation of programs and services for people transitioning from unemployment or underemployment to financial stability;
4. Support the pursuit of the American Dream and economic security through jobs that lead to strong economic standing;
5. Support efforts to regulate, break up and reverse mergers and corporate consolidation by strengthening California’s anti-monopoly laws to outlaw anticompetitive acts by a single dominant monopoly in order to lower prices, raise wages and benefits, narrow the wealth gap, and reduce the political power of billionaires and large corporations;
6. Push for tax policies to benefit Californians across the income spectrum, fund expanded child and family tax benefits, and eliminate ethno-racial income and wealth inequality; 
7. Work to guarantee Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) for CalWORKs and Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Program (SSI/SSP) recipients in state and federal budgets;
8. Support fully funding food stamp programs;
9. Promote expansion of emergency food networks and senior and school meal programs to end chronic hunger;
10. Support fully funding integrated employment programs designed to transition people with disabilities into workplaces that do not segregate people based on disability;
11. Support the use of technology to enhance working conditions and to improve workplace safety and efficiency; oppose efforts to replace workers with technology or any other efforts that cause economic instability for working people;
12. Support establishing local banks and credit unions and limit check cashing businesses, pawnshops, or other regressive financial operations; and,
13. Encourage an increase in unemployment insurance benefits for workers and fight for solvency of the unemployment insurance program.