Berkeley

Bay Area Labor, Black Lives Matter Unite to Fight for $15/hr. and Racial Justice

Published

8 years ago

November 13, 2015

Fast-food workers, care givers, and store employees in hundreds of cities across the country walked off the job Tuesday demanding a $15-an-hour minimum wage and union rights.

In Oakland, labor movement leaders united with the Bay Area’s Black Lives Matter chapter to protest the unwillingness of Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley to drop criminal charges against the Black Friday 14, who in an act of civil disobedience shut down the West Oakland BART station in November of last year to protest the murders of Black people by police.

The 14 protesters are facing charges of trespassing and obstructing the free passage of a railway.

As hundreds of union workers rallied in front of the DA’s office on Tuesday, 14 leaders of several labor organizations staged a sit-in inside O’Malley’s office – including representatives of UNITE HERE Local 2850, SEIU Local 1021 and AFT Local 2121.

The Pastors of Oakland have also called for the charges Black Friday 14 to be dropped.

“Unions in particular are disappointed with the prosecution of the Black Friday 14 because we’d given support to O’Malley during her election,” said Sarah Norr, Operations Manager for UNITE HERE Local 2850.

“We were hopeful that she would be someone who stands up for justice, but instead she is using her position to prosecute people who are standing up for justice,” said Norr.

Last year, on Black Friday – the largest shopping day of the year – the 14 Black Lives Matter protestors chained themselves to a BART train in West Oakland as a way to show solidarity with the movement in Ferguson, Mo. and to protest state violence against people of color in the Bay Area.

Since then, BART has announced it would not be pursuing charges against the protestors but left it up to O’Malley to continue if she pleased.

“Our intention was to disrupt business as usual, to stop the flow of the economy on Black Friday and we chose West Oakland BART because of what it has represented in terms of displacement of the Black community in Oakland,” said Robbie Clark, a member of Causa Justa: Just Cause and one of the Black Friday 14.

According to Clark, there is a clear connection between the labor movement and racial justice. Whether Black people are paid fairly for their labor is tied to the difficulty they have had in accumulating and retaining wealth ever since they were enslaved.

Norr of UNITE HERE 2850 also pointed out that 90 percent of the people in her union are Black or Latino, and that they face a “double attack because they are subject to police violence and unequal treatment in the courts plus displacement because they can’t afford rents in the Bay Area.”

In May, DA O’Malley was scheduled to receive an award from the Alameda Labor Council at an awards dinner but was uninvited and not given the award because of her handling of the Black Friday 14 case, said Norr.

“We are telling Nancy O’Malley that if she has any aspirations to continue to run for office and she does not do right by the BART 14, we as labor are not going to let her get elected. We’re going to stand in her way,” said Denise Solis of SEIU USWW, who was one of those who occupied O’Malley’s office.

Following the rally at the D.A.’s office, the protestors marched to Oakland City Hall where they joined nearly a thousand union workers and labor movement leaders from across the Bay Area, demanding an increase in the minimum wage to $15-an-hour.

“While brave workers across the country are standing up and demanding $15 and a union, we need to demand racial justice,” said Solis. “They are one in the same, it’s the same fight, it’s the same communities being affected, and we are not going to stop until we all have the rights that we deserve.”

Related Topics:BART Black Friday 14 Black Lives Matter Drop the Charges Fight for 15 Nancy O'Malley SEIU Local 1021 UNITE HERE Local 2850

Up Next

Members of 30 Groups Plan for Next City Elections

Don't Miss

Oakland Steps Out for Faith with a Joyful Noise

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Arts and Culture

Berkeley’s Black Repertory Theater to Hold Fundraiser for Youth Programs

The Bay Area Jazz Society will hold a fundraiser and CD listening party to raise funds for youth programs at Berkeley’s Black Repertory Theater (BBRT), the only Black-owned-and-operated theater in the East Bay.

Published

11 hours ago

September 27, 2023

Oakland Post

Larriah Jackson from ‘The Voice” will be one of the guest artists at the fundraiser for the Berkeley Black Repertory Group. Courtesy photo.

By Clifford Williams
Special to The Post

The event will take place at the BBRT on Sunday, Oct. 8 from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. at 3201 Adeline St., Berkeley, CA. Tickets are $25. The master of ceremonies will be KPFA’s Afrikahn Jamal Davis.

Many artists featured in “The Sounds of Oakland: Music from the Streets” compilation CD will perform with special guests including Larriah Jackson from “The Voice” Niecy ‘Living Single’ Robinson, one of the Bay Area’s most popular vocalists and Derick Hughes, who sang with Roberta Flack for many years, taking the place of Donnie Hathaway.

Other artists attending include Donnie Williams from “American Idol,” (the same year Jennifer Hudson and Latoya London appeared), and Williams’ sister, Terrill Williams. There will be live performances with food and drink for everyone, and the CD will be playing in the lobby when the performers take a break.

BBRT has had limited programming during and throughout the pandemic and is now struggling to regain continual of operations. Bay Area Jazz Society Executive Director Paul Tillman Smith, has an extensive background in theatre, starting with a stint as musical director for the Oakland Ensemble Theater’s Melvin Van Peebles play, “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death,” featuring television star Ted Lange of the “Love Boat,” as director.

Tillman Smith is also the co-producer, along with Norman Connors, Levi Seacer Jr., and Nelson Braxton for the new Bay Area CD ‘The Sounds of Oakland: Music from the Streets.” Other artists listed on the CD may be in attendance, including Lenny Williams, Derick Hughes, and Lady Bianca to meet and greet guests.

The Berkeley chapter of the NAACP will also support the fundraiser.

The first 20 individuals attending the fundraiser will receive a free copy of the CD. Thirty percent of the CD sales will go into a fund to help aging artists who don’t have a pension and, in many cases, no social security.

For more information regarding the fundraiser and how to obtain tickets, contact Paul Tilman Smith at 510. 689.3332, or Bayjazz@gmail.com.

Bay Area

The Multicultural Institute Honored as 2023 California Nonprofit of the Year

The Multicultural Institute (MI) has been selected as a 2023 California Nonprofit of the Year by California State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks of Assembly District 14, which includes Richmond. The nonprofit’s Executive Director Mirna Cervantes and Senior Programs Director Rudy Lara attended a luncheon at the State Capitol in Sacramento earlier this month, where they were honored with a resolution and met with Assemblymember Wicks to mark the occasion.

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2023

Oakland Post

Representatives of the Multicultural Institute hold the resolution given to them by California State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks. Photo courtesy of the Multicultural Institute.

By Kathy Chouteau

The Multicultural Institute (MI) has been selected as a 2023 California Nonprofit of the Year by California State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks of Assembly District 14, which includes Richmond.

The nonprofit’s Executive Director Mirna Cervantes and Senior Programs Director Rudy Lara attended a luncheon at the State Capitol in Sacramento earlier this month, where they were honored with a resolution and met with Assemblymember Wicks to mark the occasion.

MI is “one of the nonprofits that will be honored by their state senators and assemblymembers for their outstanding contributions to the communities they serve,” said the nonprofit in a statement.

The nonprofit—which has offices in Richmond, Berkeley and Redwood City—envisions a community where immigrants, regardless of their immigration status, are valued in their live/work communities, per the statement.

To this end, MI provides an array of services including job placement assistance for day laborers and domestic workers, immigration/health support, weekly food distributions, after school tutoring, adult education courses, day laborer housing and more centered on serving immigrant families.

Cervantes, said that “The Multicultural Institute’s staff and Board of Directors work daily to improve the lives of day laborers, domestic workers and their families and we are deeply humbled to be recognized by California State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks as a 2023 Nonprofit of the Year.”

Learn more about the organization at https://mionline.org/

Bay Area

Renew your residential parking permit before July 1

Use our parking permit portal to renew your residential parking permit or sign up for a new one by June 30, when 2022-2023 permits expire. Starting July 1, you will need a 2023-2024 permit to avoid getting ticketed in Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) areas.

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2023

Oakland Post

Renew online, in person, or by mail; existing permits expire June 30, 2023.

Use our parking permit portal to renew your residential parking permit or sign up for a new one by June 30, when 2022-2023 permits expire.

Starting July 1, you will need a 2023-2024 permit to avoid getting ticketed in Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) areas.

Residents with a 2023 permit should have received a renewal notice letter by May 1 with instructions. If you did not receive a notice, use the parking permit portal to renew an existing permit or apply for a new one.

If you do not renew your permit before July 1, 2023 you’ll need to submit a new permit application, including your photo ID and current vehicle registration.

Use our parking permit portal to renew your existing permit, apply for a new permit, or get one-day digital visitor permits. One-day digital visitor permits are valid for 24 hours from the time of activation. A hangtag visitor permit for a single day or 14 days can be purchased in person at the Customer Service Center.

RENEW YOUR PERMIT ONLINE

Most residents can use their existing login information to renew parking permits on the portal.

Some residents may need to use a link code from their renewal letter to renew their permits. If you lost the letter, request the code by calling 311 inside Berkeley limits or (510) 981-2489.

If your renewal has incorrect information, such as listing the wrong RPP area, use the portal to apply for a new permit online. Likewise, residents whose permits are labeled “Suspended” in the online portal must re-apply to verify residency.

New online applications will be approved in 5-7 business days, and you will receive a confirmation receipt via email when your application is submitted and again once it is approved. Permits are not valid until an application has been approved and payment is received.

RENEW BY MAIL OR IN-PERSON

To renew by mail, fill out the payment coupon included with your renewal letter, enclose payment by check or money order, and send it to the address listed in the letter, City of Berkeley RPP Permit Renewal, PO Box 29, Berkeley CA 94701.

To renew in person, bring your renewal letter to the Customer Service Center to complete the purchase.

In-person purchases may be completed by cash, check, money order, Visa, or Mastercard.

APPLY FOR A NEW PERMIT

If you need to re-apply for a permit, you may do so via the parking permit portal, in person, or by mail.

If applying by mail, download the application and mail the completed forms with your supporting documents and payment by check or money order to:

City of Berkeley Customer Service Center
1947 Center St, 1st floor
Monday – Thursday: 8:30 am – 4:00 pm

If applying in person, bring your proof of residency documents to the Customer Service Center to fill out an application and purchase a permit by cash, check, money order, Visa, or Mastercard.

Note that permits are not valid until an application has been approved and payment is received. A mailed application will take longer to process.

Online or in-person renewals are the safest ways to avoid a ticket.

ENFORCED THROUGH LICENSE PLATES, NOT STICKERS

Once your application has been approved, your license plate will be your permit. You will not receive a sticker in the mail.

Parking enforcement officers have been using license plate readers since 2016. This database is a closed system, not linked to any other database, such as DMV databases. Violation data is kept for one year. Our privacy policy is that no data is kept for more than 30 days unless we act, such as through a citation or violation found.

Be sure to renew your permit online, by mail, or in person by June 30.