Martin Bennett

Articles by Martin Bennett

Labor Day 2021: UNITE HERE, the 2020 Elections and Beyond

Posted September 6, 2021 by Martin Bennett

Many weeks after Democrats swept the Georgia Senate runoff elections, the right-wing extremists’ January 6th assault on Congress saturated the news cycle. The Capitol insurrection and the debate about an independent and nonpartisan investigation overshadowed the compelling story of how
Read More »

Labor Day 2020: California Farmworkers at Risk

Posted September 7, 2020 by Martin Bennett

A deepening COVID-19 crisis–now surging in most California agricultural counties–puts farmworkers in the pandemic’s crosshairs. Thousands of farm and packinghouse workers have contracted the virus in the agricultural counties of Imperial, Kern, Kings, Tulare, Merced, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Monterey, Ventura.
Read More »

The Coronavirus Message: America Needs Universal Paid Sick Leave

Posted April 14, 2020 by Martin Bennett

The global coronavirus pandemic is walloping California, and Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered all 40 million residents to ‘shelter in place’ except for travel to purchase groceries and prescription drugs. He also urged Californians to practice ‘social distancing’ from non-family
Read More »

A Just Recovery for Sonoma County Farmworkers?

Posted March 10, 2020 by Martin Bennett

Last year the trade publication Wine Enthusiast recognized Sonoma County as the ‘Wine Region of the Year,’ and the Sonoma County Winegrowers Association announced that 99 percent of the county vineyards achieved their ‘sustainability’ certification. But the county’s farmworkers–who produce
Read More »

Labor Day 2019: The Fight for $15 in the North Bay and Beyond

Posted September 2, 2019 by Martin Bennett

Across the USA, 45 cities and counties have approved local minimum wage laws to address soaring inequality. Twenty-six are in high-cost California coastal counties and the Bay Area: San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, and
Read More »