Labor

90 – year old Genova Deli Oakland could close its doors for the last time due to rent disputes with its landlord.

At the superintendent-parent forum on Saturday morning, parents, teachers and district officials gathered at West Oakland Middle School to discuss new changes for teacher recruitment and retention strategies in Oakland Unified School District (OUSD).

2015 brought another group of student reporters to Oakland North, and they covered the daily news of a changing city: The rising cost of rent and concerns about gentrification, the debate over raising the minimum wage, a controversial plan to ship coal through the Port of Oakland, efforts to stem crime and the lives of those lost to gun violence, the fate of refugees who have resettled here. But they also dug deep into stories about the people, places and ideas that…

Protestors chanted “Living wage, not poverty wage!” and “Downtown Oakland not for sale!” to the lively rhythm of music played by a five-piece band featuring a tuba, saxophone, trumpet and drums as they took the streets of downtown Oakland on Tuesday evening. “We’re at the site of the hopefully-never-built Hampton poverty hotel,” shouted Wei-Ling Huber, president of UNITE HERE Local 2850, into a megaphone. Organizers and members of UNITE HERE, a union that represents East Bay and North Bay hotel and…

Oakland City Council approved a funding increase for legal support for unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the U.S., authorized the creation of a “Director of Race and Equity” staffing position within the city government and received a report from the Oakland Police Department about funding for a gun tracing program.

Kaiser mental health staff members of the National Union of Health Workers reach agreements with the HMO and call off strike planned for Monday.

1,400 mental health clinicians employed by Kaiser, represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, call an open-ended strike against the HMO, to begin Monday November 16, after staffing, scheduling and wage demands not met.

Hundreds of fast food and other low-wage workers gathered outside Oakland City Hall Tuesday evening demanding a higher minimum wage of $15 per hour. The demonstrations were part of a wider national campaign, Fight For 15, which has seen over 270 cities participating in similar protests.