Teamsters from across the state visited the Capitol this month to urge legislators to continue to do the right thing for misclassified workers by protecting Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5).

When working people are misclassified as independent contractors they are often denied basic labor protections such as a minimum wage, overtime, and access to unemployment insurance.

In 2018, the California Supreme Court issued a ruling in the Dynamex Operations West v. Superior Court case that made it harder for companies to misclassify employees. Then in 2019, California passed AB 5 — one of the strongest laws in the country to stop worker misclassification by defending the Dynamex decision. Now, corporations are trying to rollback this landmark protection through lawsuits, initiatives, and a legislative repeal.

Local 856 stands strong with misclassified workers and the fight to deliver on the promise of AB 5. We will continue to work to protect this law for every misclassified worker suffering under oppressive conditions and the denial of basic protections.

Special thanks to the following members for spending their day lobbying lawmakers on behalf of misclassified workers:

Boone Ashlock – United Airlines
Jose Avila – Contra Costa County
Pete Ellis – Contra Costa County
Erica Goldblatt – Clift Hotel
Mark Jones – Contra Costa County
John Johnson – United Airlines
Daniel Johnston – United Airlines
Debbie Krevi – Delta Dental
John Laurin – United Airlines
Steve Loone – United Airlines
Greg Sullivan – United Airlines
Tracey Walker – Contra Costa County
Deborah Ward-Crummey – United Airlines
Shaune Vaughn – Delta Dental