CCWP Worker Power Assembly
Tuesday May 14th
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Check-in & Register for Workshops at UC Davis
11:00 AM – 1:15 PM
Plenary Speakers and Lunch at UCD Law School
1:30 PM – 2:45 PM
3:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 6:00 PM
Shuttle to Holiday Inn for hotel check in
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Reception at Elks Tower
Wednesday May 15th
7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Breakfast at Holiday Inn Sacramento
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Lobby training & head to Capitol
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Lobby visits at State Capitol [lobby materials]
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Rally / press conference at State Capitol Lawn
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Debrief & close
Sponsors
Plenary Speakers
Welcome
- Sheheryar Kaoosji, Warehouse Workers Resource Center, co-President, California Coalition for Worker Power
- Leticia Saucedo, UC Davis Labor Center
- Kevin Johnson, UC Davis Law School
Workers Stepping into Power
- Robyn Rodriguez, UC Davis Labor Center (moderator)
- Felipe Ramos, Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy
- Michael Lee-Chang, California State University Employees Union
- Eun Ae Park, Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance / California Retail and Restaurant Union
- Nallely Gomez, Unite Here Local 11
Growing & Strengthening California’s Worker Movement
- Kyra Greene, Center on Policy Initiatives (moderator)
- Lorena Gonzalez, California Labor Federation
- Tia Orr, Service Employees International Union – California
- Alexandra Suh, California Coalition for Worker Power
1:30 PM – 2:45 PM
From Service to Solidarity: Building Power Through Organizing
Learn about the power of unions and how to organize one; and how nonprofits and community organizations can support unionization, develop labor organizing skills, and build worker organizing programs.
JR Hernandez (KIWA), Marcos Escobar (California Labor Fed), Sofia Cardenas (Sacramento Central Labor Council)
Room 1001 (Kalmanovitz)
In English
Present and future of enforcing worker rights: Partnering with Government to Fight Wage Theft and Support Worker Organizing
Reflect on learnings from strategic enforcement campaigns and share vision for the future of strategic enforcement partnerships.
Cassie Peabody (NELP), Alexandra Suh (KIWA), Aquilina Soriano (PWC), Annelisa Luong (CPA), Hannah Zucherman (EBASE), and Daniel Yu (Labor Commissioner’s Office).
Room 1301
In English and Spanish
Fear Itself: An introduction to organizing
Use 1-1 conversations to lead people through fear into action.
Manuel Villanueva (ROC-LA), Samuel Romero Barrón (TUWU)
Room 1303
In Spanish. Offered during Workshop 2 in other languages.
Experiments in Changing Low-wage Sectors
Learn from the worker leaders who created and are frontline implementers of the The Janitor Survivor Empowerment Act (2019) and the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Act (2023), first-in-the-nation laws to raise standards and create power across fast food and custodial workplaces statewide.
Tia Koonse (UCLA Labor Center), Anneisha Williams (California Fast Food Workers Union), Maria Maldonado (California Fast Food Workers Union), Anabella Aguirre (Ya Basta Center), Julia Cepeda Martinez (Ya Basta Center)
Room 2302
In English, Spanish, Korean, and Chinese
¿Como Podemos Combatir las Represalias?
Understand when the law protects workers from retaliation, how SB 497 will shift the power imbalance with employers, and learn strategies for resolving retaliation cases through worksite organizing.
Maria Moreno (Jobs with Justice SF), Andrea Gonzalez (CLEAN), Kim Ouillette (Legal Aid at Work)
Room 2306
In Spanish. If you are interested in this workshop in English on Zoom, email jorge@californiaworkerpower.org with the subject “retaliation training”
Partnering for Change: Unions & Community
Learn to forge effective alliances between unions and community organizations to build worker-centered power and drive tangible change in their communities.
Alma Soto (Jobs with Justice SF), Diamond Brandon (California Labor Federation), Lupe Larios (UC Merced Community Labor Center)
Room 2304
In English
Deferred Action: Winning Work Permits for Immigrant Leaders in Organizing Campaigns
Learn about Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement (DALE) as essential tools in immigrant worker organizing campaigns and build tools to tackle the challenges that can arise in this area of work.
Marisa Díaz (NELP), Salvador Sarmiento (NDLON), David Abud (KIWA)
Room 2320
In English and Spanish
CCWP’s 2024 Worker Power Agenda
Discuss CCWP’s priority campaigns and prepare to lobby on May 15 to empower workers and ensure strong enforcement of workplace rights! We will learn about the campaign for Permanent CWOP, protecting PAGA, Safety Net for All, and strengthening protections against discrimination.
Rachel Deutsch (CCWP), Ofelia Flores (MICOP), Armando Santiago (MICOP), Elda Solomon (SoCal Black Worker Hub), Sarait Martinez (CBDIO)
Room 2303
In English, Spanish, and Tagalog
3:00 PM – 4:15 PM
From Service to Solidarity: Building Power Through Organizing
Learn about the power of unions and how to organize one; and how nonprofits and community organizations can support unionization, develop labor organizing skills, and build worker organizing programs.
David Abud (KIWA), Marcos Escobar (California Labor Fed), Sofia Cardenas (Sacramento Central Labor Council)
Room 1001 (Kalmanovitz)
In Spanish
Strengthening Rural Worker Organizing in California
Worker organizations in rural areas of the state will discuss our landscape and how to leverage our collective power to build a stronger voice for rural workers. We will highlight active campaigns, discuss shifts in legislation and enforcement impacting farmworkers, and build solidarity.
Hazel Davalos (CAUSE), Ana Padilla (UC Merced Community Labor Center), Armando Elenes (UFW)
Room 1301
In English and Spanish
Fear Itself: Introduction to Organizing
Use 1-1 conversations to lead people through fear into action
Facilitators: Manny Villanueva (Restaurant Opportunities Center – Los Angeles) and Samuel Romero Barrón (Trabajadores Unidos Workers United)
Room 1303
In English, Chinese, and Tagalog
When Workers Lead on Climate: Winning Safe Workplaces in the Era of Climate Change
Understand how climate change is impacting our workplaces and our organizing; learn about models and explore strategies for climate related health and safety workplace organizing campaigns.
Alma Soto, Julia Sebastian, Mateo Rebecchi (Jobs with Justice – San Francisco); Olivia Lopez (CAUSE); Brianna McGuire (California Labor for Climate Jobs); Victor Ramirez, Hector Flores (WWRC)
Room 2302
In English and Spanish
Fighting Retaliation: A Five-year Vision
Building on CCWP’s recent victory passing California’s Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Protection Act (SB 497), learn about and share ideas for policy & enforcement strategies that would encourage workers to speak up without fear of retaliation!
Minsu Longiaru (PowerSwitch Action); Andrea Gonzalez, Carmen Gutierrez (CLEAN); Sasha Feldstein (CIPC)
Room 2304
In English
Workers in the Lead: Leadership Development & Moving Workers to Action
Participants will learn about different leadership development models and have the opportunity to share about how these strategies may be applied in their own organizations.
Megan Whelan, Claudia Palacios, Vanessa Barba, Alex Early (CA Domestic Worker Coalition)
Room 2303
In English, Spanish, and Korean
Organizing with Black Communities & Introduction to Racial Capitalism
We will discuss the root causes of economic inequality: structural racism and capitalism are integrated and operate together to keep Black and brown workers from thriving. We will explore a framework for building long-term solidarity for the success of our multi-racial working class movement.
Kathy Hoang (PowerSwitch Action), Dawn Modkins and Elda Solomon (Southern California Black Worker Center Hub)
Room 2306
In English
Reception
May 14, 6 pm
A celebration of California workers hosted by UC Merced Community Labor Center, UC Berkeley Labor Center, and UC Los Angeles Labor Center.
Speakers:
- Ana Padilla, UC Merced Community Labor Center
- Brenda Munoz, UC Berkeley Labor Center
- Saba Waheed, UC Los Angeles Labor Center
- Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
- Eder Juarez, Trabajadores Unidos Workers United
- Megan Vanderwalle, United Food & Commercial Workers Local 5
- Guadalupe Luna, United Farm Workers
Note: Minors are not permitted at the reception.
The California Coalition for Worker Power (CCWP) is a group of worker centers, worker advocates, labor policy experts, legal advocates, and labor unions dedicated to ensuring that every worker in California has the power to come together and improve their working conditions and their communities. We believe that all work is valuable and that all working people must have a voice in order for California to succeed in creating a more just and equitable society. We sponsored SB 497 (Smallwood-Cuevas) to strengthen retaliation protections and championed investment in the California Workplace Outreach Program to reach workers with lifesaving information about Covid-19 safety and workplace rights.
CCWP is governed by a Coordinating Committee of nineteen organizations, with a majority of base-building organizations. Four standing committees carry out coalition work under the strategic leadership of the coordinating committee: the base-building committee, policy committee, communications committee, and fundraising committee. Organizations join CCWP by taking an active role in one or more committees – reach out to rachel@californiaworkerpower.org if your organization is interested in joining.
The CCWP leadership team is composed of two coalition Co-Presidents: Sheheryar Kaoosji (WWRC) and Alexandra Suh (KIWA), and two Co-Managing Directors: Kathy Hoang (PowerSwitch Action) and Tia Koonse (UCLA Labor Center). CCWP staff are Campaign Director Rachel Deutsch and Coalition Coordinator Jorge Plascencia.
Generously supported by:
