As Teamsters, we utilize all of the tools at our disposal: fighting for stronger contracts, teaming up with our fellow Unions, and passing laws that benefit workers or address issues workers are unable to solve through our Union contract.
Here are a few of the legislative worker protections Teamsters have won:
FINANCIAL PENALTIES FOR UNION-BUSTING:
SB 931, sponsored by the Cal Teamsters PAC and first introduced by Senator Connie Leyva, significantly beefs up legal protections for UC and CSU workers against employer Union-busting. The new law imposes hefty penalties on public employers who unlawfully attempt to discourage employees from joining or participating in a union, including $1,000 per affected employee and up to $100,000 in fines per complaint.
UC PATH WAGE THEFT ACCOUNTABILITY:
Thanks to SB 698, a 2019 bill co-sponsored by Teamsters Local 2010, workers may now file complaints to hold the University of California accountable through penalties for any late or incomplete wages payments. You may file claims up to three years, and sometimes four, after wages were lost.
PROTECTED BREAKS & MEAL PERIODS:
SB 1334 came into force on January 1, 2023, and grants all public sector healthcare workers, including UC Health Teamsters, legal protection for the same rest and meal breaks given to private sector healthcare workers: one 30-minute meal break for shifts over five hours (and a second 30-minute break for shifts over ten hours) plus two 10-minute rest breaks per eight-hour shift. For each day that a meal or rest period are missed, the employer must pay an additional hour of pay to the employee at their regular rate of pay.
WORKPLACE BULLYING PREVENTION:
Due to our members’ significant issues with abusive conduct by managers and supervisors, Teamsters supported passage of AB 2053 in 2014, which requires employers to include training for supervisors every two years on preventing “abusive conduct.” Abusive conduct is conduct of an employer or employee in the workplace, with malice, that a reasonable person would find hostile, offensive, and unrelated to an employer’s legitimate business interests.
Because Teamsters member dues are spent mostly on member representation, our political program is funded through donations to Democratic Republican Independent Voter Education (DRIVE).