Webinar and Resources:
Workers’ Rights: Critical Labor Protections for Immigrant Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The National Immigration Law Center hosted this webinar on April 15, 2020.
TOPICS COVERED
- Safety and Health on the Job
- Using Collective Action to Improve Workplace Safety and Health
- Unemployment Insurance
- Paid and Unpaid Time Off from Work
- State/local responses springing up to address gaps left by federal response
- Q&A and Resources
Go here to watch the video, download the powerpoint or read the resources
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
National Immigrant Law Center COVID Resources for Immigrant Communities
CA Department of Social Services: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Disaster Relief Assistance for Immigrants
CA Immigrant Policy Center: COVID-19 Resource Guide for Immigrants in California
Dolores Huerta Foundation: COVID-19 Resource Guide
CA Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance: COVID-19 Resources for Undocumented People
In partnership with North Bay Organizing Project, we are proud to announce the formation of a 13-point policy agenda for the County of Sonoma that will ensure an equitable response to the COVID-19 crisis that puts the collective needs of our community first.
Just as our fires brought to the surface the vast inequalities in Sonoma County, so too has the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than corporate bailouts and commitments to simply not evict families ‘for now’ we need a real community bailout. One in five Sonoma County residents are living in poverty1 and hundreds of thousands are now out of work. Members of our community need to know they will not lose work permanently only to come out of this pandemic owing thousands of dollars to landlords and banks.
We need paid sick leave for workers, we need to ensure laid off workers are guaranteed their jobs back when re-hiring begins again, and workers need real assurances from our elected leaders that they will not be put into enormous debt while billionaire corporations get bailed out. To accomplish this, we must work together. With NBOP we brought 10 organizations together to build this platform and we ask you to join us in passing these policies.
Go to our website at www.SoCoUnitedinCrisis.org to read our full platform and sign the petition!
COVID-19 Support for Workers
We hope you are all safe and staying as healthy as possible. It’s a scary time right now but less so if you stay informed and aware. We wanted to let you know that we are staying on top of the impacts COVID-19 is having on workers and we wanted to share some resources and information for anyone that may be impacted or know someone who is. We are working to spread information about Governor Newsom's expansion of unemployment insurance for workers, identify any employers who aren't following the law on paid sick time, and help provide support for undocumented workers who may be losing wages and aren't eligible for unemployment.
Please download this pdf with resources for sharing widely.
In addition, we thank UNITE HERE for sharing the following fact sheets on the Emergency Relief for both workers and businesses. Feel free to download and share:
Emergency Relief Available to Workers
Emergency Relief Available to Businesses
This info will also be posted on our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/nbjwj. Please note that our office will be closed but you can still reach us at 707-293-2863 or [email protected]
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Raise the Wage! Campaign Update April 2020:
Like everything else, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a huge interruption in our Minimum Wage Campaign. However, the work continues, to the extent possible, as workers will need this raise more than ever, once workers are back in the workplace, with much ground to make up in terms of lost wages.
Using our report from the UC Berekely Labor Center that we commissioned in 2018, ("The State of Working Sonoma 2018") four North Bay cities have passed minimum wage ordinances: Sonoma, Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Novato. We still hope to pass such ordinances in Sebastopol, Cotati and for the County of Sonoma in 2020. The Good News: In July 2020, thousands of North Bay workers will be due for a raise!
Click HERE to visit our Raise the Wage Campaign page for petitions and more information.
SANTA ROSA CITY COUNCIL PASSES OUR $15 MINIMUM WAGE ORDINANCE IN A UNANIMOUS VOTE!
See photos HERE!
Thank you Santa Rosa City Council for taking a bold and principled stand for the most vulnerable workers in our community!
Blazing a Trail for the Green New Deal in the North Bay
One of the best ways to ensure the labor standards of the Green New Deal come alive in the North Bay is to:
- Support our local pre-apprenticeship program and construction apprenticeship programs. These FREE schools provide the highest level of training to any construction worker, and provide a direct pathway into a career with $25+ an hour wages, workman's comp protections, access to healthcare, and upward mobility. But...
- 70% of our local construction workers are commuting out of Sonoma County every day because our local elected officials are not asking any of our local developers to be using local workers. So the second best thing you can do is call/email your city council-members and ask that all public projects, retail and commercial, schools, and most importantly affordable housing only be built with a Project Labor Agreement (PLA)!! PLA's are the ONLY way that we can ensure local workers are rebuilding in the North Bay, and are guaranteed livable wages and safety standards. The Pre-Apprenticeship program will soon offer all-female cohorts and Spanish co-horts, because a pathway to the middle class needs to prioritize folks of color, immigrant workers and women who are often exploited by bad developers.
- Check out our report: Apprenticeship Programs are Building Career Opportunities for Women and People of Color. CLICK HERE TO READ THE REPORT
The UndocuFund for Disaster Relief in Sonoma County, was founded in October 2017, in response to the Tubbs wildfire. It was launched by a coalition of immigrant service providers and advocates to provide direct assistance to undocumented victims of the Northern California fires. The fund ceased operations December 31, 2018; it was re-activated in October 26, 2019 in response to the Kincade Fire. We are now activating the fund again in March of 2020; the fund seeks to support undocumented children, families, and communities in Sonoma County affected by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
Donate here online: UndocuFund.org or send a check to: UndocuFund c/o GCIR, P.O. Box 1100, Sebastopol, California 95473-1100
If you or someone you know could benefit from this fund, please go to Undocufund.org for information. Or contact: Omar Medina at [email protected]