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EBASE activist speaking to the press

For media inquiries, contact rachita@workingeastbay.org

Mayor Libby Schaaf
1 Frank Ogawa Plaza
Oakland City Hall
Oakland, CA 94612
officeofthemayor@oaklandca.gov

Dear Mayor Schaaf,

During the pandemic, it is critical to protect frontline service workers. This includes enforcing laws regarding paid sick days, hazard pay for grocery workers, and the minimum wage.

We urge the City to immediately send a mass communication to all employers doing business in the City of Oakland and all employees working in Oakland explaining Oakland’s Paid Sick Day Law, which includes:

  • Measure FF requires employers to provide Paid Sick Days to their workers so they can stay home when they are sick or need to go to the doctor or to care for others who may be sick or need care.  
  • All Oakland workers are covered under this law. All workers performing at least 2 hours of work per week within the geographic boundaries of Oakland are eligible to accrue and use paid sick time. 
  • Workers can use Paid Sick Days to take care of family members who are sick, including designating any individual for whom the worker can use sick leave to support.
  • Workers accrue 1 hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked. Workers at small businesses with 10 employees or less can accumulate up to 40 hours of sick leave at a time. Workers at all other businesses can accumulate up to 72 hours of sick leave at a time.
  • Workers may not be required to find or confirm a replacement if they need to use sick leave to care for themselves or others and employers may only take reasonable measures to confirm a worker’s eligibility for sick leave. Any requirement to document or verify sick leave that costs a worker more than $5 is not a reasonable request.  
  • Oakland’s Paid Sick Leave ordinance incorporates changes made to California law after the passage of AB 5. Therefore, app-based or “gig” workers would also qualify for coverage under the ordinance to both accrue and use sick leave. 
  • California law presumes that all workers are employees and puts the burden of proof on employers to demonstrate that people working for them are independent contractors by satisfying a three-part test (the ABC test). Therefore, all workers are by default eligible for paid sick leave unless their employer proves otherwise.

The City of Oakland should disseminate information from the CA Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia regarding services and supports available to workers, including workers’ rights to file for CA unemployment insurance if hours are reduced due to reductions in operations or business shutdowns.

Finally, this moment highlights the importance of the City of Oakland having a dedicated Department focused on implementing and enforcing our many forward-looking and inclusive labor standards policies. This is why voters passed Measure Z in 2018 requiring the City to create a Department of Workplace and Employment Standards. We urge the City to move quickly to establish this office and proactively work to protect and support the low-wage workers who are the backbone of our economy.

EBASE MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

10/9/20 — EBASE’s Statement on COVID-19 and State Law — Read

10/4/19 — Press Release — Tomorrow: Oakland United to Hold Community Town Hall to Demand Strong Community Benefits Agreement from Any New A’s Stadium: Read

7/26/19 ⁠— NBC Bay Area ⁠— Activists Speak Out Against ICE Deportation Flights From Oakland: Read 

7/2/19 ⁠— SFGate / Local News Matters / Bay City News ⁠— Equity Ripples: Concord Feels Weight Of Bay Area Housing Crisis: Read

6/19/19 ⁠— NBC Bay Area ⁠— Rent Control Controversy Brews in Concord: Watch below

6/7/19 ⁠— Daily Beast ⁠— NO MONEY MO’ PROBLEMS: How the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act Plans to Tackle the Housing Affordability Crisis; The comprehensive legislation could be history-in-the-making: Read

5/19/19 ⁠— East Bay Times ⁠— For the wealthy, Bay Area housing costs are actually declining; New study shows share of income spent on housing has declined for top Bay Area earners: Read

5/13/19 ⁠— Concord Clayton Pioneer (OP-ED by Raise the Roof Coalition) — Tenants and workers gather to protest high rents in May Day rally: Read

5/3/19 ⁠— East Bay Times, Rent control: Amid housing crisis, Concord tenants push hard for relief: Read

5/1/19 ⁠— Univision 14 ⁠— Residentes de Concord afectados por la crisis de vivienda exigen protección para inquilinos: Watch

5/1/19 ⁠— KPIX (CBS) 5 ⁠— Concord May Day Rally Focuses On Tenants’ Rights: Watch

4/18/19 ⁠— Medium (blog by Saabir Locket & Jahmese Myres) ⁠— Hard-hitting New Documentary Explores the Informal Economy: Read

1/29/19 ⁠— East Bay Times ⁠— Go into debt to pay rent? California startup finances your rent with high-interest loans; Some critics worry it could make tenants’ troubles worse: Read

1/23/19 ⁠— KCET ⁠— Oakland Organizers Promote Economic Justice for City’s Most Vulnerable Workers: Read

12/29/18 ⁠— East Bay Times ⁠— Rent control emerges as hot topic in Contra Costa’s biggest city: Read

11/8/18 ⁠— Oakland News Now ⁠— Oakland Joins Chicago, Seattle In Requiring Panic Buttons For Hotel Workers: Read

10/20/18 ⁠— KALW Radio ⁠— Oakland Measure Z could raise minimum wage, bring protections to hotel workers: Listen

10/25/18 ⁠— SF Chronicle ⁠— Measure Z a safe bet for offering security to hotel workers: Read

9/30/18 ⁠— SF Chronicle ⁠— So, you got an eviction notice and have a few weeks to find an apartment: Read

9/19/18 ⁠— East Bay Times ⁠— How the housing crisis segregates the Bay Area: Read

9/7/18 ⁠— KCBS Radio ⁠— Hotel Cleaners in Oakland Could Get Panic Buttons: Listen

8/24/18 ⁠— East Bay Times ⁠— Priced out: She broke baseball’s glass ceiling, but she couldn’t keep her Bay Area home: Read

7/24/18 ⁠— Model D ⁠— Equitable development across America: How other cities won community benefits: Read

7/13/18 – SF Gate – Report Details Growing Housing Crisis In Concord: Read

7/13/18 – NBC Bay Area – Majority of Concord Residents Live in Fear of Eviction: Report: Watch

7/13/18 – Telemundo – Reporte: residentes temen ser desalojados de sus viviendas en Concord: Watch

7/12/18 – Univision -Informe revela que la falta de vivienda asequible en Concord lleva a familias a vivir hasta en sus propios autos: Watch

7/12/18 – KRON4 -Survey: 75 percent of Concord residents fear eviction: Watch

7/12/18 – East Bay Times – Three-quarters of Concord residents fear eviction, new survey says: Read

7/12/18 – SJ Mercury – Three-quarters of Concord residents fear eviction, new survey says: Read

7/12/18 – KPFA – Pacifica Evening News: Listen (starts at 48:45)

11/10/17 – SJ Mercury News – Port Gives Green Light to Good Jobs Agreement: Read

11/2/17 – East Bay Express – OPED by Jahmese Myres and Nikki Fortunato Bas – Amazon Should Deliver Good Jobs in Addition to Packages: Read

9/29/17 – East Bay Times – Concord Affirms Immigrant Safety, Condemns Anti-Muslim/LGBTQ Hate Speech: Read

9/21/17 – East Bay Express – Port of Oakland Board Expected to Approve Ban the Box, Living Wage Agreements: Read

9/20/17 – East Bay Times – Revive Oakland agreement to ensure thousands of new livable wage jobs at the Port: Read

6/26/17 – SJ Mercury News – OPED by FAME leader Bob Lane and EBASE ally Rev. Deborah Lee – Bay Area House Reps Must Better Represent Immigrants: Read

5/2/17 – East Bay Times – “Roof & Refuge” Activists March for Rent Control & Sanctuary City in Concord: Read

4/23/17 – SJ Mercury News – Study Shows that $105K is Low-Income in Bay Area: Read

4/18/17 – NBC – Oakland City Council Passes Sanctuary Workplace Resolution: Watch

2/15/17 – East Bay Times – Advocates Celebrate Puzzler’s Withdrawal: Read

2/2/17 – SF Chronicle – Rider Boycott Forces UBER CEO to Resign from Trump Advisory Council: Read

1/11/17 – East Bay Times – Op-ed by EBASE Executive Director Kate O’Hara & Josie Camacho – Trump’s Labor Secretary is Bad for Workers: Read

1/9/17 – YES! Magazine – Revive Oakland Creating Good Jobs at Former Army Base: Read

12/7/16 – NPR Marketplace – Will Tech Bring Good Jobs for All?: Read/Listen

11/21/16 – East Bay Times – Concord Full City Council to Take Up Rent Control: Read

11/10/16 – Oakland Post – Op-ed by Revive Oakland member Willie Saabir Lockett – Oakland Port Must Create Opportunities for the Formerly Incarcerated: Read

11/1/16 – East Bay Times – EBASE Spreads Democracy in the Streets: Read

11/1/16 – East Bay Express – Revive Oakland Pushes to End Employment Discrimination Against the Formerly Incarcerated at the Port of Oakland: Read

10/25/16 – SF Chronicle – Concord Considers Rent Hike Caps: Read

10/24/16 – East Bay Times – Concord Considers Rent Moratorium: Read

10/23/16 – East Bay Times – After Minimum Wage Changes, Advocates Push for Fair Scheduling: Read

10/19/16 – SF Chronicle – Emeryville Passes Fair Workweek Law: Read

10/7/16 – East Bay Times – Op-ed by EBASE Deputy Director Jennifer Lin – Fair Workweek Policy Could Change Working World: Read

10/4/16 – East Bay Times – Concord Needs Rent Control: Read

10/4/16 – East Bay Times – Blue Apron Practices Example of How Temping is Bad for Workers: Read

8/26/16 – East Bay Times – Groundbreaking Local Hire Agreement on Oakland’s Bus Rapid Transit: Read

8/25/16 – East Bay Times – Op-ed – Living Wage Jobs at the Port: Read

8/2/16 – East Bay Express – Revive Oakland Pushes for People’s Port: Read

8/1/16 – Next City – Smart Phone App to Help Low-Wage Workers: Read

7/29/16 – San Jose Mercury News – Standing Up for Living Wage Jobs at the Port of Oakland: Read

7/14/16 – East Bay Times – San Leandro Passes $15 Minimum Wage: Read

6/24/16 – East Bay Times – Nonprofit Displacement in Oakland: Read

5/20/16 – San Francisco Chronicle – Op-ed: A Regional Scheduling Law is Needed: Read

4/26/16 – The Nation – Making Economic Development Equitable by Making It More Democratic: Read

4/20/16 – Huffington Post – Op-ed by EBASE Executive Director Kate O’Hara & former ED Nikki Fortunate Bas – How the $15 minimum wage bubbled up from the grassroots to a gain place in history: Read

3/30/16 – East Bay Express – Workers push for Emeryville Fair Work Week Policy with full-time predictable hours: Read

3/10/16 – Oakland Voices (BANG) – East Oakland Town Hall meeting sparks vision for the Coliseum development project: Read

2/19/16 – Next City – EBASE’s Army Base Project is model for equitable development: Read

2/3/16 – Oakland Tribune (BANG) – Op-ed by Oakland United member Miss Sherry on good jobs/affordable housing on stadium development deal: Read

1/27/16 – Oakland Tribune (BANG) – Op-ed by EBASE Deputy Director Jennifer Lin on How the Walmart Closures are an Opportunity for Our Communities: Read

1/7/16 – The Nation – How workers’ lives have changed in the Bay Area because of raises in the minimum wage: Read

10/28/15 – East Bay Express – Jennifer Lin OPED on Displacement, Uber, and the Pitfalls of the Sharing Economy: Read

8/20/15 – Richmond Post – Supervisors Vote Down Jail Expansion After FAME Opposition: Read

8/17/15 – LA Times – Minimum Wage Arms Race in Bay Area: Read

8/13/15 – Oakland Tribune – Oakland United Seeks Community Benefits in Stadium Deal: Read

7/6/15 – East Bay Express – Oakland United criticizes Coliseum City plan: Read

6/1/15 – KALW Cityvisions – Jennifer Lin guest on Fight for $15: Listen

5/12/15 – BANG – Op-ed by PWF Executive Director Nikki Fortunate Bas on Bay Area Innovation and the Minimum Wage: Read

5/7/15 – San Francisco Business Times – Emeryville Votes for Highest Minimum wage in the Country: Read

5/6/15 – Huffington Post – CA City Has Highest Minimum Wage: Read

4/22/15 – KQED Forum – Kate O’Hara guest panelist on Oakland development and displacement: Listen (clip at 23:30)

3/28/15 – Bay Area News Group on Oakland Adjusting to New Minimum Wage: Read

3/20/15 – ABC News – Community Benefits included in Oakland Coliseum City negotiations: Read

3/19/15 – East Bay Express – Economists on Left and Right agree on minimum wage impacts: Read

3/18/15 – East Bay Express – Community voices impact Coliseum City plan: Read

3/2/15 – KQED – Oakland’s new minimum wage going into effect: Read

2/13/15 – San Francisco Chronicle – Community’s victory to get Walgreens to pay living wage: Read

2/10/15 – CBS – City Council Vote to Exempt Walgreens from paying living wage: Watch

10/14/14 – Huffington Post on Bay Area leading the minimum wage fight nationally: Read

9/11/14 – Bay Area News Group – Passage of CA state law mandating paid sick days: Read

9/4/14 – Oakland Tribune article on Fast Food Strikes: Read

6/13/14 – San Francisco Business Times – UC Berkeley Study to raise Oakland’s minimum wage: Read

6/10/14 – Oakland Local – Lift Up Oakland signatures for minimum wage ballot initiative: Read

6/4/14 – KRON 4 – National Walmart actions against poverty wages: Watch

5/24/14 – San Francisco Chronicle – Workers increase efforts for higher minimum wage: Read

3/12/14 – San Jose Mercury News – One-year success of raising San Jose’s minimum wage: Read

2/17/14 – East Bay Express – Launch of Lift Up Oakland campaign to raise minimum wage: Read

2/15/14 – NBC – Launch of Lift Up Oakland campaign to raise minimum wage: Watch

2/13/14 – East Bay Times – An end to unfair ICE holds of immigrants in Alameda County: Read

10/5/13 – Huffington Post – On California’s passage of the TRUST Act: Read

5/8/13 – Mercury News – Revive Oakland and Army Base Redevelopment success: Read

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