workers

In this impact issue, we examine the rights and realities of employees in the university and city, especially in light of an ongoing pandemic.

Unfortunately, the LWO and the labor laws that govern the treatment of hourly workers affect the people who can least afford legal counsel or the time and effort it takes to follow through on a complaint of this type. As Taylor herself noted, although she sorely needs the money to which she is probably entitled, she lacks the time and knowledge necessary to secure it. The result is a general squeezing of the permanent underclass in Berkeley. It does no good to raise minimum wage or to require a living wage if the city itself takes every opportunity to deny payment to the most vulnerable class of workers in this city.

Telegraph Avenue is historic, colorful and homely. The city of Berkeley has mounted several efforts to clean it, light it and attract business to it. No small effort with balloons tied to it is going to be enough to improve the image of a street that is still dotted with burned-out buildings and darkened storefronts. The initial period of construction will be noisy and ugly, but these are only the growing pains of improvement. For this trouble, local businesses can expect improved foot traffic and better curb appeal in the neighborhood.

The record shows that the better route for working people and their allies is the initiative. Minimum wage activists won an annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, in 11 states. Significantly, only in Vermont was a COLA achieved by a legislative body. The other 10 were won via the initiative. The reason is that legislators tend to be more conservative than the voters who elected them. It is not surprising because the business community generally finances electoral campaigns, and furthermore, once in office, the pressure to cater to business interests is enormous. That is the case even at the local level, including the City of Berkeley.