Our path forward from the pandemic must be shaped and led by working people, not big corporations.
When the pandemic started, we finally acknowledged that the work of keeping our society running is essential.
But even as the mostly Black and Brown people doing this work put their lives at risk — dying at disproportionately higher rates — too many corporate executives and elected leaders have ignored their needs and their voices. They call this work essential, but not the people or their families and communities.
The needs and voices of working people are essential too.
Together with our partners in the labor and workers’ rights movement, we’ve identified people who are leaders in their jobs and champions for their communities.
Together, the council represents thousands of people in the south bay — from grocery clerks and restaurant workers keeping us fed, to teachers and caregivers looking after our kids and our elders, to nurses and emergency coordinators on the front lines of our pandemic response.
Already, these leaders have been winning things like hazard pay, protective gear, and emergency paid sick days.
Now they’re joining together across industries to set the agenda for our recovery and our future, paving a path forward where everyone has the things we all need: jobs that pay enough to meet our needs, homes we can afford, and the power to shape decisions in our workplaces and democracy.
Daniel Torres
Deo Agustin
Hector Heredia
Jude Carpio
Kevin Gaytan
