Labor
After a 12-hour bargaining session Tuesday, United Teachers of Richmond reached a tentative agreement early Wednesday with the West Contra Costa Unified School District, ending a weeklong strike. Teachers will return to the classroom on Thursday. Union President Francisco Ortiz said in a news release that the agreement “lays a foundation for the safe and stable schools our students deserve.” The next step is for the union to take the contract to its members for a vote, ratifying it. According…
Last in a two-part series on Richmond’s exploration into wind turbine manufacturing. This series is part of “The Stakes,” a UC Berkeley Journalism project on executive orders and actions affecting Californians and their communities. The Trump Administration is putting a dent in Richmond’s plans to assemble offshore wind turbines, following an onslaught of actions against clean energy. Richmond has hoped to assemble turbines for the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation & Conservation District in Eureka. The district is building an offshore…
First in a two-part series on Richmond’s exploration into wind turbine manufacturing. This series is part of “The Stakes,” a UC Berkeley Journalism project on executive orders and actions affecting Californians and their communities. After decades of manufacturing declines, Richmond leaders have a new pitch: retool the city’s industrial legacy for clean energy. In October, California placed a bet on that vision. The California Energy Commission awarded Richmond a $750,000 grant to study the feasibility of bringing wind turbine manufacturing…
Some Richmond Uber and Lyft drivers are cautiously optimistic about a new California law granting them union rights, but many question if it will reverse their deteriorating earnings in an industry where the average driver makes less than minimum wage after accounting for vehicle expenses. Assembly Bill 1340, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October, allows app-based ride-hail drivers to form unions and collectively bargain with Uber and Lyft for the first time. Assemblymembers Buffy Wicks, who represents West Contra…
This story was co-published with KQED. Bundled against the morning cold, teachers marched outside the Nystrom Elementary School entrance in Richmond early Thursday, cheering as passing cars honked, and carrying yellow and red picket signs reading “We Can’t Wait.” Educators at all 56 West Contra Costa Unified School District sites picketed before and during school drop-off on the first day of an open-ended strike, marching for higher pay, smaller class sizes and a reduction of the use of long-term substitute teachers and outside…
Teachers will go on strike Thursday in the West Contra Costa Unified School District, but the superintendent says schools will remain open. United Teachers of Richmond announced at 7 p.m. Monday that it had rejected the district’s latest offer of a 3% salary increase, and 90% coverage of health care benefits beginning in 2027 “Striking is the last resort — we want to teach,” UTR President Francisco Ortiz said in an email to members. “But we know this truth: The status quo…
Leaders from United Teachers of Richmond updated parents and community members Tuesday evening on contract negotiations between the union and the West Contra Costa Unified School District. WCCUSD and UTR have been negotiating a new three-year teaching contract since January and declared an impasse on Aug. 19, triggering third-party mediation and a fact-finding process. “This is more than just a contract fight for us,” UTR President Francisco Ortiz told an audience of about 50 people at CoBiz Richmond. “We’re in…
When Richmond resident Lejon “Fahim” Reese was transferred to Vacaville’s Solano State Prison in December 1993, he was just beginning to serve his time for a gang-related homicide. Then he was told how to spend that time. The Unit Classification Committee, the state body in charge of inmate work assignments, assigned him the role of prison porter, a janitor-like position cleaning floors, hallways, and stairs. Reese refused, hoping to receive specialized vocational training. The UCC did not oblige this request….
Former Fire Chief Angel Montoya has filed a discrimination case against Richmond, claiming the city fired him in October because of his Hispanic ethnicity and his age. The lawsuit, filed in Contra Costa County Superior Court on Nov. 28 and uploaded to the public portal Monday, alleges that two years after hiring Montoya, city officials found him too “old,” at 61, to lead the Fire Department. Montoya was terminated on Oct. 26 after an impromptu meeting with City Manager Shasa…