Image: Weekly Saturday protest at Tesla showroom (noon–2 pm); Matilda P./SFist

• Trump is demanding that Netflix eliminate Democratic foreign policy expert Susan Rice from its board or “face the consequences” after he previously promised not to get involved in Netflix and Paramount’s attempted takeover of Warner Bros Discovery. [Guardian]
• The Oakland Zoo is celebrating the arrival of its first baby red-tailed monkey after two of its red-tailed guenons Nonami and Marley delivered a baby boy Friday. [NBC Bay Area]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

San Francisco Unified School District officials announced Sunday evening that teachers will go on strike Monday after their demands weren't met and city leaders unsuccessfully pleaded for a 72-hour pause, with negotiations starting back up at noon on Monday.

As the Chronicle reports, no agreement was made between the United Educators of San Francisco and the San Francisco Unified School District over the weekend, aside from a tentative concession protecting undocumented students. As Mission Local reports, the agreement wasn’t enough to call off the strike for Monday, as the union’s demands for pay increases, full health care, and improved special education services still weren't met.

“We have made it very clear that our demands are for fully-funded family healthcare, for educators improvements to special education, and salary increases that do not come at the cost of concessions or takeaways,” said Cassondra Curiel, president of the United Educators of San Francisco, per Mission Local.

As 48 Hills reports, the union’s demands amount to a budget of around $35 million — about half of what the city budgeted for the San Francisco Police Department this year, in spite of the city’s plummeting crime rate. Additionally, teachers earn an average starting salary of $79,000 per year, compared to $119,000 a year for a beginning SFPD officer. Police officers also get full health-care coverage while teachers pay about five percent of their income for health insurance.

Per Mission Local, negotiations between the two parties went on for nearly 12 hours Saturday, with the union making an offer at 2 pm, then receiving a counter-offer around 8 pm. Per Mission Local, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie released a statement at 1 pm Sunday requesting that the teachers' union postpone the strike during negotiations so school could remain in session. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi reinforced Lurie’s statement.

As Mission Local reported Friday, the principals' and administrators' unions, as well as custodians and other school employees, will also be taking part in the strike Monday, keeping schools entirely closed.

“A single administrator alone in a school building does not constitute a functioning or safe school environment. Under these conditions, keeping schools open puts students at risk,” wrote United Administrators of San Francisco president Anna Klafter.

Per Mission Local, teachers and principals received a confusing email from the district over the weekend, assigning staff to various district sites Monday, which many viewed as an attempt to undermine the strike.

“Staff were given work assignments to ensure that anyone who reports to work during a strike has a designated location and can support with district operations,” the message said. Per Mission Local, workers can’t be mandated to report to work, but the school district must provide work to any employees who decline to strike.

Per Mission Local, none of the staff had plans to cross the picket line, and they considered the move an insult. “It is absolutely embarrassing,” said one school principal, per Mission Local. “I am embarrassed on their behalf.”

SFGate has a comprehensive list of resources for families during the strike. The school district will be offering free breakfast and lunch for students, childcare for younger children, and independent study packets. The San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families will also be providing meals to students during the strike, and local churches are working with Superintendent Maria Su to provide academic and recreational support, per SFGate.

Image: United Educators of San Francisco/Facebook

Previously: SF Teachers Union Announces Strike for Monday, But 11th-Hour Bargaining Continues

In a surprising deal that was somewhat brokered by Gavin Newsom, Uber and Lyft are going to let their 800,000 California rideshare drivers unionize and get collective bargaining rights, though drivers can still refuse to join the union.

According to the union group SEIU California, there are now 800,000 rideshare drivers in the state, and that’s one out every 24 California workers who are at least sometimes gig drivers. And Uber and Lyft have traditionally been notoriously resistant to giving them minimum wage guarantees or any form of job benefits.

You may recall the 2019 political battles over the gig worker benefits bill AB5, which Lyft and Uber fought against tooth and nail. And they effectively got AB5 overturned, for their companies, at least, with that Prop 22 measure in 2020 that let the rideshare companies classify their drivers as independent contractors who are exempt from any requirements for employee benefits.

So it’s kind of a shock to see the Friday breaking news that both Lyft and Uber are allowing their California drivers to unionize, according to the Chronicle. While the idea comes from a state Assembly bill called AB1340 that Uber and Lyft both initially opposed, Governor Gavin Newsom managed to negotiate some concessions to get the two companies on board.

“This is a historic agreement between workers and business that only California could deliver,” Newsom said in a Friday morning statement. “Labor and industry sat down together, worked through their differences, and found common ground that will empower hundreds of thousands of drivers while making rideshare more affordable for millions of Californians.”

But notably, food delivery drivers for apps like Doordash and Instacart are not included in the new arrangement. And it appears one of Newsom’s concessions he offered Lyft and Uber was to lower the insurance requirements that rideshare drivers have to carry.

Uber’s California head of public policy Ramona Prieto said in the same statement that the deal is “a compromise that lowers costs for riders while creating stronger voices for drivers — demonstrating how industry, labor, and lawmakers can work together to deliver real solutions that reflect how people live, work, and move today.”

It is fair to be cynical when an Uber executive tells you that any move the company made is going to “lower costs.” On top of that, drivers are allowed to refuse joining the union. So it’s also fair to be cynical whether these unionized drivers would have much power, because Uber and Lyft could simply hand more gigs to the non-unionized drivers, and replace the drivers cheaply if faced with the threat of any kind of strike.

“Anything that effectively promotes the right to organize for ride share workers is good public policy,” Stanford Law professor and former National Labor Relations Board chair William Gould told the Chronicle. But he added, “The fact that they have fought tooth and nail against protection for their own workers and now support this makes me have more than a measure of skepticism.”

It’s also unclear how benefits would be applied across a gig driver workforce where some are in the union and others are not. And who knows what kinds of benefits these drivers would ask for in collective bargaining. This is a different kind of unionization than we are generally used to seeing.

But it’s still something of a win for drivers. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas chimed in on the press release, declaring “While Trump is stripping workers of bargaining rights and rolling-back protections, California is fighting for lower prices and empowering working families. What a way to celebrate Labor Day weekend.”

Related: Uber Actually Turned a Profit For the First Time Since Going Public Five Years Ago [SFist]

Image: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 27: A sign in favor of a union for rideshare drivers sits on a car's windshield during a protest outside of Uber headquarters on August 27, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Dozens of Uber and Lyft drivers staged a protest outside of Uber headquarters in support of California assembly bill 5 and to organize a union for rideshare drivers. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

• Three asylum-seekers were arrested by ICE at San Francisco immigration court Friday, moments after hearings in which DHS attorneys moved to dismiss their asylum petitions. In at least two cases, judges declined the motion and gave the individuals time to respond in writing, which should have protected them from removal, but ICE agents arrested them anyway in the hallway. [Mission Local]
• A Sonoma County public defender was hospitalized after being beaten and robbed outside the courthouse Thursday by a former client, 44-year-old Leon Simms, who also allegedly made violent threats before fleeing. Simms was arrested Friday after a traffic stop, and police say a search of his home recovered the stolen property; he faces charges including robbery, attempted kidnapping, and battery causing serious injury. [KRON4]
• SF Sheriff Paul Miyamoto refused the DOJ's request to hand over a list of noncitizen inmates, citing the city’s sanctuary laws and saying his office “will not foster fear in immigrant communities.” [NBC Bay Area]
• San Francisco Immigration Judge Ila Deiss and Concord Immigration Judge Kyra Lilien were among the 18 judges fired by the Trump administration over the past week. [NBC Bay Area]
• In response to ICE raids, LA therapists have formed discreet “whisper networks” — password-protected referral systems helping immigrant clients access mental health care while minimizing risk. [LA Public Press]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

500 workers at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis Hotel are now on strike, according to social media posts released by union Unite Here Local 2.

They join 2,000 other San Francisco hotel workers already striking since late September, demanding better healthcare, inflation-matched wage increases, and the reversal of post-pandemic staffing cuts. The strike includes housekeepers, bellhops, cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders, and other workers from hotels across the city as the holiday season comes into full swing.

"I’ve sacrificed so much for this job over the years. I had to have four surgeries in my hand and shoulder. But in return, the hotel has only made my job harder," said Mariott Marquis Lobby Attendant Consuelo Escorcia in an August statement.

The Marquis Hotel, however, appears undeterred.

“The hotel remains open, and we have well-established protocols in place to operate and take care of guests in the event of any impact to staffing,” a Marriott spokesperson said to the Chronicle. “We remain available to meet with the local union negotiating committee to reach an agreement that is fair to all parties.”

It is unclear how much longer the strike will go on, but union officials indicate the walkout will last as long as it takes to see their demands accepted.

"Hotel workers aren’t giving up, because we’re fighting for our families,” said Gwen Mills, International President of Unite Here, in a statement from earlier this year.

Image: Unite Here Local 2 via Instagram

Related: 1,500 S.F. Hotel Workers Have Gone on Strike in Union Square

More than 100 workers at Amazon’s Toland Street warehouse in SF’s Bayview District have voted to unionize, though the hard part will be getting Amazon to recognize or negotiate with the union.

If you’ve ever been down to the Amazon warehouse at 749 Toland Street, it is one of the most Charles Dickens “Best of times, worst of times” scenes of income inequality you will see anywhere in San Francisco. In front of the warehouse, you will behold a string of RVs housing unsheltered people, or makeshift tents and tarps turned into encampments. But right behind that image, you will see the blue smiley-face logo and moniker of Amazon, whose tech stock is currently at $175 a share, and whose market capitalization is nearly $2 trillion.

The workers at that warehouse are determined to see less income inequality around those parts. The Chronicle reports that the 100+ Amazon workers at that Toland Street warehouse, known as “DCK6 Amazon,” have voted to unionize and have joined the 1.3 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters union.

“Amazon workers at DCK6 handle thousands of packages every day. We are essential to making sure that parents receive their baby formula on time and families get their gifts by the holidays,” DCK6 warehouse worker Jocelyn Vargas said in a Teamsters press release. “We need good pay and benefits to take care of our families too. That’s why we formed a union with the Teamsters. We are essential workers, and it’s time Amazon treats us that way.”

As KQED explains, Amazon has faced many unionization efforts thanks to their minimum wage pay rates and highest employee injury rates in their industry. The company routinely keeps warehouse workers just barely below full-time employment, so as to classify workers as part-timers with little or no benefits. A 2022 effort to unionize Staten Island Amazon employees in New York was successful, but Amazon has kept the matter tied up in court ever since.  

And Amazon would have to recognize the union, which they have been loath to do anywhere else in the US. KQED points out that this unionization effort is “unlikely to yield a contract deal without additional government or community pressure.”

Will there be government or community pressure? It’s San Francisco, so of course there will be. Amazon’s proposed $200 million fulfillment center at Seventh and Berry Street was sidelined by SF supervisors with an 18-month moratorium in 2022 for its lack of union jobs. Amazon has only recently restarted their plans for that facility.  

And considering the investment they’ve put into that Mission Creek facility on Seventh Street, you would expect that Amazon will be highly unfriendly toward the Toland Street warehouse union plans, lest the workers at the upcoming Seventh Street warehouse get any funny ideas about living wages and employment benefits.

Related: Amazon Submits Their Plans for That Mission Bay Delivery Warehouse They Had to Put On Ice [SFist]

Images via Google Street View

The artisan chocolatier’s unionization vote passed in a 20-19 squeaker, but does it matter, since half of the ‘Yes’ voters have since been shown the door?

When SFist broke the June news of layoffs at Dandelion Chocolate, the Dandelion Chocolate Union said in a statement to us that “All 9 of these [dismissed] employees were outspoken supporters of the Dandelion Chocolate Union. All 9 of these employees were part of Dandelion Union’s Organizing Committee.”

But the Dandelion Chocolate Union was not, at that point, an actual union. Their April unionization vote had been challenged by both the chocolate retailer and the would-be unionizers, leaving the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to sort out which ballots would count, and which would not. Mission Local reported at the time this was a “process that could take months,” which it did.

But the NLRB has handed down their verdict, and as the Chronicle reports, the union won the vote narrowly — that is, by literally one vote. While April’s vote was 18-16 in favor of the union, nine ballots were challenged by both parties combined. The NLRB ruled that five of those votes should be counted, but four others would not, and as seen in the screenshot below, the final vote was 20-19 to unionize.

Though if it’s true, as the union claims, that nine of those ‘yes’ votes are now no longer employees, what does it mean for the union that most of the remaining staff are against unionizing?

“The work environment there is not one that’s super conducive to union building or the union bargaining process,” Ryan Dowling, organizing director of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6 (ILWU) that the Dandelion employees had aspired to join, told the Chron. “What we’re trying to do right now is assess how the workers are doing, what their priorities are and then make a plan that’s best for them.”

Dandelion Chocolate ownership did not respond to requests for comment from the Chronicle or Mission Local.  

So where does this end? Probably in court! Dandelion does have five days to object to the ruling, and the union says they’re meeting tomorrow to discuss next steps. Per the Chronicle, those next steps are to “start requesting detailed information from Dandelion in advance of contract negotiations, including raises and benefits from the last 12 to 18 months, health insurance and how the company used federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds. They also plan to reach out to all current employees — both established union supporters and ones who voted against it — to seek input.”

Related: Dandelion Chocolate Lays Off Staff, Union Effort Vows Legal Challenge [SFist]

Image: Elizabeth L. via Yelp

In an effort to quiet union tinkering by Apple store employees, something that almost happened earlier this year, all new Apple store managers must take "union awareness" classes starting today. In a company document obtained by CNET, the Cupertino, California-based company posted curious information about a training course that reeks of anti-unionization. Behold:

"This course is intended to provide managers with a practical understanding of how unions affect the workplace, how and why employees organize, and the legal do's and don'ts of dealing with unions," the training description reads. "This is a mandatory class for all new managers, and is required biannually for all managers."

The posting adds that the course "is a great opportunity to meet our legal team and ask any questions you may have."

The company's slick retail stores have become an important part of the company's success, not to mention the Apple buying experience. Getting an iPhone 4S at Best Buy just isn't the same as buying it at a glistening yet sterile Apple store. CNET goes on to point out, "In Apple's fiscal 2011, which wrapped up in September, Apple posted net sales of $14.12 billion from its stores, a 44 percent increase from the year before."

Unionization of their 350 stores around the world could result in a decreased bottom line. We should point out, however, that Apple stores ranked in the top 50 best places to work by Glassdoor for the last three years. Better to sell Apple products than have to make them, right?

Horrors! In addition to privacy erosion, Facebook stopped using union drivers to shuttle their geek-chic brethren to and fro the Palo Alto office. SFist's contributor Cedric sent us this flyer he picked up from a former Facebook shuttle driver at the Palo Alto Caltrain station this morning.

Also, the non-union company, as seen by the shuttle in the background, is Bauer's.

Norma Rae would not be pleased.

The looming BART strike, which has been a verbal threat every since union negotiations crumbled, might be a distinct possibility. More of a distinct possibility, that is, than we thought earlier. This afternoon, the BART board voted to implement "terms and conditions," which means they basically forced a contract on the Amalgamated Transit Union. But just this morning, Jessee Hunt, the head of the union (a union filled with BART train operators), had said if the board decided to force a contract, then they would strike. So, while an official announcement has not been made, they're having a press conference at 4 p.m. today. Also. although the other unions agreed to the contract, they can't picket; but they won't cross the picket lines, so... no one will go to work. And the strike will cripple Bay Area transportation as you know it. A 72-hour warning will go into effect, which could mean--at last--a BART strike would rain down on Monday. (Gulp.)

Update: After speaking at this afternoon's press conference, ATU union head Jesse Hunt announced that there will be a strike "Sunday evening at the close of business...in approximately 72 hours." It is done. It is official. If you take BART, you will need to find an alternative route come Monday morning. If you take Muni, expect a jam-packed ride. This strike will affect most of our lives next week. Get ready.

According to a CBS 5/KCBS/AP report, "Union leaders at the San Francisco Chronicle said they were drafting a compromise to a management proposal that offers severe job cuts that officials indicated were imperative to keeping the newspaper open for business." This adds weight to the argument that the Hearst Corporation is strongarming the union via a threat of a shutdown. The cuts, the press release-ish news report, goes on to say that job cuts could "include more than 50 employees." If it takes a mere 50+ job cuts to save a paper, it seems like the choice is clear.

However, as Reflections of a Newsosaur reports:

Management did not reveal the precise number of jobs targeted for elimination, according to sources familiar with the discussions with the California Media Workers Guild and the local Teamsters chapter. In keeping the with the federal law that requires employers to alert workers to any plans to reduce the force by more than 50 employees, the unions were told only that “more than 50 positions” would be scrapped.

As reported here, it would require the elimination of nearly half of the 1,500 employees of the newspaper to wipe out the operating deficit.

Read more about SF Chron's plan for Web fees (oy), job cuts, givebacks and more at Reflections of a Newsosaur.

Around 70 Muni buses serving more than two dozen biodiesel buses were delayed this morning after a union steward with Transport Workers Union Local 250-A blocked the gate and prevented the buses from leaving the Muni facility in the Dogpatch neighborhood. According to Muni officials the upset union steward disrupted service due to a dispute with management "over whether or not a personnel assignment was decided on the basis of seniority." The incident occurred between 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.

"We have a zero tolerance policy for this sort of behavior, which negatively impacted our customers who we are all working to serve," fumed Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., SFMTA Executive Director/CEO. "As we address this issue with the union, we will take all available legal steps to prevent such an incident from happening again."

Muni goes on to say that "state law prevents the SFMTA from publicly discussing individual disciplinary processes." But we have a hint that said disciplinary action involves a feather on the wrist.

Muni has since returned to "normal" operating service.

College students, when will you ever learn? Never--never!-- try to to do the right thing by organizing a worker's union at your job. This is the quickest way to get wrongfully terminated. Case in point: Mountain View-based Uloop.com, a start-up online company that bills itself as "a marketplace for college students" (see also: Craigslist), fired two of their Cal Poly student workers allegedly for trying to unionize the company.

Oops.

According to Indybay:

After being subjected an unannounced pay cut from $10/hr to $8/hr, Cal Poly student marketing representatives Austin Garrido and Sarah Doolittle were fired by their employer, Mountain View-based Uloop.com, for attempting to organize a worker's union. The students were fired from their part-time jobs 20 minutes after posting a message in an online inter-company form announcing their intention to form a union. Doolittle and Garrido have filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board.

Since the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 rendered it illegal to can an employee for trying to organize a union, we feel bad for these two. Especially if they were in fact fired for being shit-stirrers. But then again, using the inter-company form to announce their plans for unionization? That is, for lack of a better word, adorable. It's always cute to hear about dewy-fresh-out-college types whose souls have yet to be pulverized by the reality of the workplace.

Anyway, according to Poly Post, Uloop.com has yet to comment on the two, possibly illegal firings.