Gov. Gavin Newsom signs legislation raising fast food workers minimum wage to $20 an hour at SEIU Local 721 in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 28, 2023. Newsom gave Anneisha Williams, who works at Jack in the Box and is a mother of six, a copy of the bill.
Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union International, said the law capped 10 years of work — including 450 strikes across the state in the past two years.
Victor Cuevas, a spokesperson for SEIU 721, said he couldn’t speak to the past, but in this situation, city workers had reached out to his union — not the other way around. “Workers saw the power after the strike. They want to be a part of that,” Cuevas said. “They came to us.”
The panel discussion will feature Simboa Wright, SEIU 721 vice president.
Coming just a week after a one-day strike in Los Angeles, these California actions may signal the start of a new era.
“It’s a new generation. We were not seeing this in the ’80s. We were not seeing this in the ’90s. But we are seeing it now, and it appears to be growing,” said Roxane Marquez, with SEIU Local 721, the union representing municipal workers.
University employees organized in droves, advocating for higher wages, improved benefits and fair treatment.
The city of Los Angeles is on strike.
Thousands of municipal workers in Los Angeles walked off the job for one day on Tuesday.