A record number of Southern Californians were working in November, despite a hiring pace that was three-quarters what’s normal for the month. My trusty spreadsheet, filled with state job figures released Friday, Dec. 22, found a record 8.17 million at work in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. That’s a gain of 47,400 … Read more
California’s economy could use some holiday cheer. Yes, like the nation, the state avoided a recession in 2023 despite numerous challenges, including a Federal Reserve throttling business opportunities with high interest rates to chill a nasty bout of inflation. In fact, the state economy’s 3.4% growth, as measured by Gross Domestic Product for 2023’s first … Read more
A strike by county-employed doctors, dentists, psychiatrists and veterinarians in Los Angeles was averted Friday, Dec. 22 when the two sides agreed to have third-party experts intervene. The employees, who are represented by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, say their current benefits plan, Choices, is the same one provided to rank-and-file county workers. … Read more
Striking workers at St. Francis Medical Center who have openly complained of understaffing and inadequate patient care were fired Wednesday, Dec. 20, just five days before Christmas. The seven employees who were terminated at the Prime Healthcare-owned hospital in Lynwood include the entire five-member bargaining team with SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, which represents healthcare employees … Read more
By Levi Sumagaysay and Shreya Agrawal | CalMatters Californians in two industries are set to get new minimum wages just for them next year, and that could lead to pay bumps for other workers, too. Gov. Gavin Newsom this year signed two union-backed bills that will boost fast-food and health care workers’ minimum wages. California-based … Read more
Nurses, medical assistants, ER techs and others at four Prime Healthcare hospitals launched their second strike of the year Wednesday, Dec. 20, claiming severe understaffing and high turnover have undermined patient care. The 1,800 workers represented by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West also say Prime management has tried to prevent them from participating in union activities. … Read more
Southern California lost 37,149 residents in the past year, a drop one-third of what was seen in the previous two years. The six-county region had 21.7 million residents, according to the state Department of Finance tally as of July 1. The past year’s population decline was 68% less than the average 115,187 yearly loss in … Read more
Alaska Airlines flight attendants picketed John Wayne Airport and LAX on Tuesday, Dec. 19, saying they’re underpaid and not being compensated for the time they spend boarding, deplaning and waiting between flights. The employees, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, announced they will begin gathering strike authorization votes on Jan. 8 amid stalled contract … Read more
Southern California’s massive hotel strike reignited Sunday, Dec. 17 as hundreds of workers from Santa Monica, Los Angeles and Pasadena walked off the job for higher wages and better working conditions. The walkout continued Monday at the Pasadena Hilton, Courtyard Santa Monica, Doubletree Los Angeles, Doubletree San Pedro, Hampton Inn Santa Monica and Holiday Inn … Read more
Five weeks after a Missouri jury issued a $1.78 billion judgment finding that Realtors charge anticompetitive commission rates, a “copycat” lawsuit has been filed in the Bay Area making similar claims. A Marin County home seller filed the antitrust complaint in federal court this month seeking unspecified damages from the National Association of Realtors, several … Read more
