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Study Finds: Attacks on Public Sector Unions Put Black Community at Risk

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — A recent study indicates that Black workers stand to lose critical unionized public sector jobs from threats to unions in L.A. County.

Published

8 years ago

February 1, 2019

Oakland Post

By Charlene Muhammad

A recent study indicates that Black workers stand to lose critical unionized public sector jobs from threats to unions in L.A. County.

According to the report, “An Ongoing Demand for Los Angeles: A Bright Future Requires Organizing More Black Public Sector Union Workers,” public sector jobs and unions that represent such employees contribute to the economic and social stability of the Black middle class in Los Angeles.

The 730 Black workers surveyed by the Los Angeles Black Worker Center found that L.A. County Black public sector union workers earn more than their non-union counterparts, and report more stable communities and longer careers. In addition, higher wagers and better benefits allow them to care for their families, the workers reported.

The document was produced as collaborative of the Los Angeles Black Worker Center, the Advancement Project, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, and six members of the LA Fed whose members agreed to be surveyed (AFSCME 741, AFSCME 2325, AFSCME 3090, AFSCME 3947, SEIU 721, and SEIU 1000).

The unions presented the report to elected officials of the City of Los Angeles and the county via an open letter in the spirit of partnership. Their aim is to find public policy avenues to expand pathways for Black workers to good public sector jobs, jobs they hail as pillar of Black community health.

The feedback has all been positive, according to Michael Green, regional director for Service Employees International Union Local 721.

“I know right now that a pipeline to create more access for our Black community to gain employment in the public sector has not been as fruitful as it should be … One of the things that we wanted to talk about was to create more access to the pipeline and also the attacks on unions,” Green told the Sentinel.

Nationally, according to the open letter, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Janus v. AFSCME declared open season on public sector unions.

The case involves Mark Janus, who was the plaintiff and a a former child support specialist for state government in Illinois. The Supreme Court ruled June 27, 2018 that government employees like him could not be forced to pay a government union as a condition of working in public service. He stated in an online post that he briefly public sector work, and when he returned, even though he didn’t belong to the union for his field, it had power to exclusively represent over 90 percent of state workers in Illinois, and automatically deducted money from his paycheck, whether he supported the union’s politics and policies or not.

Janus called the ruling a tremendous victory for workers’ rights. Union representatives called it a decision that ended fair-share representation in government unions which pose an existential threat.

“Many understood it as part of a decades-long campaign against the public sector overall. It should also be understood as an attack on Black life,” the letter continued.

“That should be shocking, because most of the time 20 percent of Black working adults serving the public sector are working for state and federal or local government and historically, the public sector jobs have been critical in the formation of the Black middle class in America,” said Green.

In honor of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin, who’s birthday was commemorated worldwide on January 21, union representatives wanted to bring the issue to the forefront and rekindle the pipeline to get more community, local and state governments, and elected officials to work with them to create more opportunities for Black employment in the public sector, Green stated.

The workers surveyed further found the L.A. County Black public sector union workers have held their jobs much longer than Black private sector workers. For instance, 44 percent of Black public sector union workers had been in their jobs for more than 15 years, according to the report.

“Our communities aren’t very segregated by income, and when you hurt our middle-class, you hurt all of us,” said Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, founder of the Los Angeles Black Worker Center. “Generations of public service through unionized jobs have allowed families to buy homes and have kept communities together through hard times. By attacking that source of community stability, Janus was a straightforward attack on black life,” she added.

Other findings showed how vital unionized public sector jobs are to Black communities facing disproportionately high unemployment, underemployment and poverty rates. Numerous Black workers told surveyors that union employment helped them purchase or stay in their home and significantly more public sector union workers than non-public sector workers receive health, vision, dental and retirement benefits, according to a release issued by the union collaborative and its partners on January 11.

As well, unionized public sector benefits include education, paid family leave, licensing assistance and paid sick days, which are virtually non-existent among non-public sector workers, the report went on.

“I’ve been active in my union for 15 years,” says Collee Fields, raining and Services Coordinator for the City of Compton and the President of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3947.

“My mom was a steward, and my grandfather was in his union when he worked at the MTA. I grew up with the union. It’s been a blessing to have this job. It’s important for the Black community to have greater access to a public sector job like mine,” stated Fields, who credits her job’s benefits with allowing her to care for her daughter and grandson throughout her daughter’s kidney transplant.

This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Sentinel.

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Car Wash Workers Cope with Lingering Impacts of ICE Raids

WAVE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — Hundreds of car wash workers across Southern California have been detained in federal immigration raids, leaving lingering impacts on families and communities. Mario, a 33-year U.S. resident and father of three, was arrested at a Santa Ana car wash last August and held for two months.

Published

3 days ago

August 10, 2026

bpusa-syndication

LOS ANGELES — Mario relied on his job in the car wash industry to raise his three children. It was during a shift at a Santa Ana car wash last August that he was arrested by federal agents, taken to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center and held for two months.

“They made me sleep on the cold floor for a week without a blanket, a toothbrush or basic medical care for the injured man next to me,” Mario, a 33-year resident of the United States, said at a news conference earlier this summer at Inglewood’s Crenshaw Imperial Car Wash, which is now closed after being raided by federal agents.

Mario, who is being identified only by his first name for safety reasons, is among hundreds of car wash workers detained across Southern California in the year since the Trump administration began an aggressive immigration crackdown in the region, according to the CLEAN Carwash Worker Center.

News of raids by masked agents has faded from the headlines, but the effects still linger for those caught in the crosshairs. Family members have been deported or left to languish in detention, and many who remain live with the fear of being hunted down by immigration officers.

At least 373 car wash workers have been detained at car washes across Southern California since the raids began last summer, according to figures compiled by CLEAN. The group’s data also shows federal agents raided or attempted to raid at least 106 car washes in communities across Los Angeles, Orange County and surrounding areas, including Inglewood, Culver City, Westchester, Bell and Whittier.

CLEAN, an advocacy group founded in 2007, has been fighting to protect car wash workers from exploitation and unsafe conditions. When the raids began last year, the group sprang into action, working around the clock to help detained workers and provide their families with legal and financial support.

“We gathered our information from workers, managers, and owners of the car washes that were being raided,” CLEAN Deputy Director Andrea Gonzalez said. “We also gathered information from rapid response teams who were on the ground responding to the raids.”

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment on the group’s findings.

Mario said he was one of seven workers at the Harbor Blvd Car Wash detained on the same day last August, but the only one who has been released. He said he refused to sign deportation papers and is fighting to stay in the United States, a process that has drained his family emotionally and financially.

“Being released is not the same as being free,” he said.

During Mario’s detention at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, his wife and children struggled to cope with his sudden absence while fighting for his release, his wife Alejandra said.

“The employer gave us a video showing my husband being taken away under arrest, treated worse than a common criminal, with chains binding his legs, arms and waist,” Alejandra said. “It wasn’t right.”

The experience of a car wash worker named José was recounted at the news conference by the Rev. Andy Schwiebert of Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, who said agents “took him” from the La Cienega Car Wash last August.

José’s wife is a U.S. citizen, Schwiebert said, and José had a pathway to gaining citizenship before he was detained. By the time a judge ordered his release on bond, the car wash had shut down, Schwiebert said, leaving José without a job.

“These raids did not just target workers; they destabilized families, congregations, workplaces and entire communities,” Schwiebert said.

The administration’s aggressive enforcement operations have continued across the nation in the months since José’s and Mario’s detention, with ICE arrests in July surging to their highest rate so far under President Donald Trump.

Last month, ICE agents shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old father of three in Houston. Less than a week later, an immigration officer fatally shot 26-year-old Johan Sebastián Duran Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine.

Back in Inglewood, Mario said he was grateful to share his story and that, even though he was released, his experience in detention stays with him.

“I still feel frustrated and traumatized,” Mario said, “because my life is no longer the same as it used to be.”

Ernesto Ureño is a Loyola Marymount University journalism major and intern at Capital & Main, a nonprofit publication focused on inequality. It is published here with permission.

Based on reporting by Wave Community Newspapers.

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Black History

George Cook: The Inventor Who Made Fishing Smarter

Published

5 days ago

August 9, 2026

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A copy of the patent for George Cook’s Automatic Fishing Device. Public domain.

By Tamara Shiloh

George Cook was a Black American inventor from Louisville, Kentucky. He was born in 1863, during a time when Black Americans faced unfair laws, limited opportunities, and many barriers to education, jobs, and recognition. Even with these challenges, he became known for his intelligence, honesty, and ability to think in practical ways. Some records say he worked as a cook for Buffalo Bill Cody and later as a chef on a private dining car for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. He was even known by the nickname “Honest Mister Cook.”

As with many Black American inventors and scientists of that era, there is little biographical information about Mr. Cook.

Cook’s most famous invention was the Automatic Fishing Device. He received U.S. Patent No. 625,829 for it on May 30, 1899. His patent shows that he was not just someone with an idea, but someone who made it happen.

So, what did the Automatic Fishing Device do? Imagine fishing with a line in the water. Usually, you have to watch carefully and pull the line at just the right moment when a fish bites. Cook wanted to make that process easier. His device was designed to react when a fish pulled on the line. The tension from the fish would trigger a lever. That lever would release a spring-loaded part of the device, causing it to move quickly and help pull in the line. The device also had an alarm gong that would ring to let the fisher know something was happening.

This invention was important because it used simple mechanical ideas in a clever way. Springs, levers, rails, and alarms were not new by themselves, but Cook combined them to solve a real problem. His device showed how inventors often take familiar parts and arrange them in a new way to make life easier.

Cook looked at fishing and asked, “How can this be improved?” Then, he created a device that could respond automatically when a fish tugged on the line. His invention let fishermen relax instead of watching the line for hours, trusting the alarm to alert them.

Cook may not be as famous as some inventors, but his Automatic Fishing Device shows that creativity and innovation can be applied anywhere. His legacy lives on as part of the larger story of Black innovation in America.

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Gov. Newsom Announces $109.6 Million in Funding for 278 Supportive Homes in Bakersfield, Contra Costa, Sacramento and Fresno

POST NEWS GROUP — “Every Californian deserves a safe place to call home, particularly the veterans who bravely served our country,” said Newsom in a statement on July 23. “California voters approved Proposition 1 because they know we must do more to address homelessness and behavioral health challenges.”

Published

5 days ago

August 9, 2026

bpusa-syndication

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $109.6 million in Proposition 1 funding to create 278 permanent supportive homes in Bakersfield, Contra Costa County, Sacramento and Fresno, including 103 homes reserved for veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The funding, awarded through California’s Homekey+ program, is intended to expand permanent supportive housing and behavioral health services for veterans and other Californians experiencing or at risk of homelessness. State officials said the investment advances Proposition 1, the voter-approved measure aimed at increasing housing, treatment and support services for people with behavioral health needs.

“Every Californian deserves a safe place to call home, particularly the veterans who bravely served our country,” said Newsom in a statement on July 23. “California voters approved Proposition 1 because they know we must do more to address homelessness and behavioral health challenges.”

The largest award, nearly $32.6 million, will help the City of Fresno and Parkway Prime LLC convert an interim housing project into 84 permanent supportive homes at Parkway Terrace, including nine units reserved for veterans. The City of Sacramento and Urban Capital LLC will receive nearly $31.9 million to develop the Rio Linda Senior Housing Project, which will include 100 homes, 49 of them reserved for veterans.

Contra Costa County and Satellite Affordable Housing Associates will receive $28.8 million to develop an 82-unit senior housing community, with 62 units designated for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness who have behavioral health challenges, including 30 units for veterans. In Bakersfield, Community Action Partnership of Kern will receive nearly $14.1 million to convert a 38-room motel into 30 permanent supportive homes, with 15 units reserved for veterans.

State officials also announced an additional $2.3 million for three previously awarded Homekey+ projects in Olivehurst, Sanger and Stockton, primarily to support operating costs and increase veteran housing.

Since its launch, Homekey+ has awarded $968.4 million to 54 permanent supportive housing projects expected to create 2,749 affordable homes statewide, including 723 homes reserved for veterans. Officials said Proposition 1 is expected to expand California’s behavioral health system by funding additional supportive housing, treatment facilities and services for people experiencing homelessness and behavioral health challenges.