This 67-year-old San Francisco theater troupe is taking on AI and ICE
https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/theater/article/sf-mime-troupe-wreckage-22301718.php
By Lily Janiak,
Theater Critic
June 23, 2026

Gift Article
Andre Amarotico, from left, Michael Gene …Sullivan and Mikki Johnson perform in the San Francisco Mime Troupe’s “American Dreams” at Dolores Park in San Francisco in 2024.
Andre Amarotico, from left, Michael Gene Sullivan and Mikki Johnson perform in the San Francisco Mime Troupe’s “American Dreams” at Dolores Park in San Francisco in 2024.
Lea Suzuki/S.F. Chronicle

Each summer, spectators of the San Francisco Mime Troupe are part of an ancient tradition.
More Information
“Wreckage: A Musical Tragicomedy”: 2 p.m. Friday-Saturday, July 3-4. Dolores Park, Dolores and 19th streets, S.F. • 2 p.m. Sunday, July 5. Yerba Buena Gardens, 750 Howard St., S.F. Through Sept. 7 at various Northern California parks and other venues. Free. 415-285-1717. www.sfmt.org

Millennia ago, audiences “made pilgrimages to Athens to see how Aristophanes would satirize their community,” the theater historian Susan Vaneta Mason notes in her “The San Francisco Mime Troupe Reader.” Today, when fans of the 67-year-old company picnic in Northern California parks while enjoying its free, open-air matinees, they’re essentially doing the same thing, she points out. In trumpeting the revolutionary agency of the ordinary worker and skewering San Francisco’s real-world, present-day villains, she writes, the troupe celebrates “the possibility of social change.”

Written by Michael Gene Sullivan, “Wreckage: A Musical Tragicomedy” features Sullivan as an artificial intelligence developer charged with releasing a tool that could accidentally destroy the world and Jed Parsario as an ICE officer who must face down protesters who are simply exercising their freedom of speech.
Lisa Hori-Garcia directs the show, which runs through Labor Day at parks and other venues throughout Northern California after its traditional Fourth of July opening at Dolores Park.
June 23, 2026
Lily Janiak
THEATER CRITIC

This 67-year-old San Francisco theater troupe is taking on AI and ICE

Lisa Hori-Garcia directs San Francisco Mime Troupe’s “Wreckage: A Musical Tragicomedy,” which runs through Labor Day after its traditional…

www.sfchronicle.com

UAW Divests from Israel Bonds Over Gaza

https://theanalysis.news/uaw-divests-from-israel-bonds-over-gaza/

Sharmini Peries
By
Sharmini Peries
Posted on
June 26, 2026
June 25, 2026 5:01 pm
Workers & Unions
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UAW Divests from Israel Bonds Over Gaza

Rank-and-file delegates amended the UAW Constitution at the union’s 39th Constitutional Convention, requiring the union to divest from Israel Bonds after a grassroots campaign led by auto workers, academic workers, and graduate employees.

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Transcript
Sharmini Peries
Welcome to theAnalysis.news. One of the most significant stories emerging from last week’s 39th United Auto Workers Constitutional Convention is that the autoworkers voted to divest union funds from Israeli bonds. You probably heard this in the headlines, but honestly, the real story is how they got the autoworkers to vote in favor of this divestment resolution, particularly in these tumultuous political times in the United States, where everything political is so divided and contentious.

For decades now, the UAW convention has been largely shaped by the union’s Administrative Caucus. This year, however, delegates on the convention floor, not the leadership, drove one of the most consequential debates for UAW and the union movement at large. All this resulted in a constitutional amendment at the UAW, which will require them to reissue the UAW Constitution. This resolution commits the union to divest from Israeli bonds— about $475,000 it currently holds. But the decision is much more consequential than the actual dollar amount. This decision of the members also means charting a new course on the question of war, international solidarity, labor politics, essentially, what international class struggle really means, and what solidarity really means, in this case, with the Palestinian labor movement.

Joining me now are two people who led this effort at UAW. Olga Karounos is a public defender at the Legal Aid Society in Brooklyn with the Criminal Defense Practice. She’s also vice president of the Brooklyn Criminal Defense Practice and a member of the UAW Local 2325. Olga, very good to have you with us.

Olga Karounos
Thank you for having me.

Sharmini Peries
Also joining us is Jay Makled. He is a 30-year member of the United Auto Workers and has served in numerous elected leadership positions over the past 23 years with the Local 600 in Dearborn, Michigan. He represents approximately 26,000 active and retired workers. Welcome, Jay.

Jay Makled
Thank you for having me.

Sharmini Peries
Olga, let me start with you. Now, you were on the convention stage representing this resolution to the members. Take us inside that room.

Olga Karounos
I mean, it felt honestly scarier than talking to a jury before trial because this is a fight that has been going on for over 50 years. There were so many workers who came before me who made these same demands. In 1974, there were workers just like me who brought a very similar amendment to the UAW Constitution to the floor, and it was not successful at getting it passed. So it really felt like no matter what, how it went on the floor, whether it went the way that we hoped or it didn’t, that I was standing on the shoulders of so many other workers who had come before me, and that it was really my duty just at that moment in time for the fact that I was there with the baton at that moment to fight my hardest to make sure that our voices were heard, that the voices of not only the workers in Palestine were heard, but the voices of all of the members across the country who had fought hard to make this the Constitutional Convention where divestment from Israel bonds wasn’t just a demand but a reality.

Sharmini Peries
Jay is one of those people whose shoulders you were standing on because he’s been a part of the struggle for so long. Jay, what was the moment like for you, and how did the hall feel with all those workers finally supporting your long road here?

Jay Makled
Well, when they announced that we were victorious in this resolution, I stood up in just shock, amazement, and full of so much emotion that this meant so much, not only to me, our members, the community I live in, and people around the world. I was overwhelmed with emotion to the point where I had to leave the convention because I needed some time to myself. I thought it was the most democratic convention that we have had, and I’ve been to quite a few of them.

But to get this done, and like Olga said, they’ve done— they’ve tried this before, and they’ve tried it in the ’70s. They really tried to get the union to divest from bonds for bombs, and they were unsuccessful. Now, they were successful at the local union level, but as an institution as a whole, they failed, and they weren’t able to get it done. For us to be able to put this into the Constitution makes it law. The people have spoken. We voted on it. That’s our process. That’s our democracy. This is the will of the people.

I couldn’t be prouder at that moment to be a UAW member. I couldn’t be more prouder of the community that I’m in because I have received so, so many phone calls from people within our community just saying that we’re so proud of what the UAW has done. We’ve finally stood up. So it was a very emotional moment for me, and I felt liberated, to be honest with you.

Sharmini Peries
Olga, explain exactly what the delegates voted for and what the resolution specifically achieved.

Olga Karounos
There were two amendments and two resolutions that were pulled— that were brought to the floor relating to the UAW’s relationship with the genocidal state of Israel, frankly. One, the first amendment that we tried to pull to the floor was not only about divestment, it did include divestment, but also supported workers across the UAW who wanted to, or who might want to, engage in any sort of embargo. This is something that we are seeing across the world right now, especially among dock workers in Italy and in Greece. This is also something that the UAW during apartheid has a history of engaging in.

Now, these, especially, are definitely politically touchy subjects, but these are also conversations that workers across the world are having. Even if this wasn’t something that we specifically passed on the floor at our Constitutional Convention, I think it’s important that the warmakers, the billionaires, and the politicians do know that this is not a conversation that workers are afraid to have together across sectors, that this is something that we’re discussing.

However, what we were able to do at this Constitutional Convention was modify the UAW Constitution. As Jay said, this is the law now to prohibit any investment, current or in the future, in Israel bonds. So what we did was we modified just one language of the Constitution, just to prohibit investment of our dues money in Israel bonds. I think that this was important for a lot of reasons, but especially as Jay said, we work so hard in this country for every single dollar that we earn. It’s already hard enough to get people in other parts of the country to unionize simply because every dollar that you earn in this country right now could be going to food, water, shelter. Things are so expensive right now.

When you remind people in your union that not only do those dues you pay into fight your bosses and go out on strike and go out and fight for higher wages and better conditions, but you also have a say in what that money is invested in. That is really important, and there’s just all over the world, and all over this country right now, people are saying that they don’t want their hard-earned money invested in war. They don’t want their hard-earned money invested in genocide, and particularly, I couldn’t even imagine what it must be like to be a union member in Dearborn or one of these plants and work so hard every single day and know that no matter what, even a portion of your dollars is going to support the murder of possibly your own family members abroad. I mean, that’s just really, really horrible, and now we no longer have our members in that position.

Sharmini Peries
Jay, I was wondering whether you could speak to the Local 600. How did you prepare? How long has this struggle been going on? You know, who did you work with in order to bring it to fruition the way you have?

Jay Makled
Well, Local 600 has a long history of social justice, and this isn’t our first. We were part of the apartheid with Nelson Mandela, and when Nelson Mandela was freed, one of the first places he came was to Local 600. And we have a hall here, and it’s our history hall of the great history of Local 600, of our past battles and our successes. You will see a photograph of Nelson Mandela in our hallway, celebrating just that. Local 600 has a proud history of being able to stand up for social justice and economic justice for our members in the community, and whether they’re unionized or not, we still have an obligation to fight for all working-class people.

Now, as far as being able to prepare for it, we demanded a ceasefire long before, and we stood up, and we were very vocal about it, and we took a stance on that. A lot of local unions did, and it took some time for other local unions to get on board because anybody who had spoken out against the genocide, it seemed like there was retaliation against. If you’re looking at any type of A-lister stars, they were losing contracts or movies or whatever the case may be. But we took the stance here at Local 600 that we weren’t going to support a genocide and that we demanded a ceasefire. We have a long history and tradition of it.

When this resolution came to the floor, and our membership voted, our top leadership stood up, and then I looked behind me, and we saw a sea of our delegates, 40 of them, and it made me proud because our local, again, stood on the right side of history, of making sure that our money wasn’t going to go towards genocide. We’re very proud of that, extremely proud of that. So as far as preparing for it, we’ve been talking about it. It’s fresh in our community.

There are people in our communities, in our community here, who have lost entire families. My wife, she works with people who have lost loved ones, and they’ve been told at their worksite that your dad has just passed away because they dropped a bomb in Lebanon, in southern Lebanon, or even seeing some of the genocidal videos on YouTube and going on and on. I could not imagine— we can’t imagine from a local standpoint, our dues dollars being used for something that’s just so horrific.

So I’m very proud of this local and what we stand for. Our leadership is amazing. Our membership is amazing, and our delegation that went to the convention they’re amazing. So we all stood up in solidarity for this resolution, and we applaud Olga and the entire region for standing up for this and bringing it to the floor, because we were definitely in support of it.

Sharmini Peries
Jay, thank you. I know this is emotional for you and your family, and I appreciate you sharing this because one of the things that we can do in this interview and in covering this is really give people the inspiration to work in whatever union or association that they’re part of and bring this kind of struggle forward in your workplace. So, Olga, I’m wondering whether you could speak to that, because as a legal worker, you were well equipped to actually study the passage, the path that can be taken in order to bring a resolution like this that’s going to have a great impact in terms of the constitutional changes. These are permanent. They, I understand, will have to reissue a Constitution at the end of this amendment process. Could you speak to that?

Olga Karounos
Yeah, so I think that I also just want to add that there are absolutely graduate student workers and legal service workers who are fighting really hard in their own communities for divestment. But none of this is an issue, as we’re even seeing in this conversation, that is not divided by sectors. If it were not for this, really, even the Constitutional Convention was just a really beautiful example of how we all in our different sectors can come together to make real, concrete change for our communities.

So there were— what’s very cool about, again, the UAW convention was that every single local union across the country had the opportunity to submit proposed amendments and resolutions to this Constitutional Convention, where delegates who were again elected by their membership— and I do just want to say, I think one thing that made this really successful at the UAW is that the UAW already in their Constitution states that the membership is the highest authority in the union. The philosophy of the UAW is sort of the opposite of that of a government structure, where you vote for your president, and the president is at the top. I always tell my members that when I became an officer in the union, I actually took a step down. Their voices are more important than mine, and I work for them, not the other way around. I don’t give them the directives; they give me the directives.

And so our membership got together, and members of all these different locals all over the country in various different sectors, proposed amendments to the UAW constitution. One thing that was just really incredible to see, but it also was the work, and we don’t want to pretend that this was just some spontaneous moment, that in our caucus, the United All Workers for Democracy, as well as Labor for Palestine, UAW for Palestine, were working within their local unions and telling their leadership and telling their members, “This is not just a pipe dream. This is how our union is designed. We can actually change our Constitution in 2026 at the 39th Constitutional Convention.”

All over the country, delegates got together, rank-and-file union members got together, and submitted these proposals to the UAW Constitutional Convention. We had a whole book of them, and there were at least five resolutions across the country that were about divestment. Right when we saw that, we knew that not only had our organizing on the ground worked, but our organizing on the ground worked because this is a core issue that speaks to people, and because we wanted people to know that they have a say, that this is their union, this is their democracy, this is their constitution.

I think it was so fortuitous even having the opportunity to talk to and meet Jay while this vote was going on. I’m a legal service worker from Brooklyn, Jay works in auto manufacturing in Dearborn, Michigan, and I think the world wants us to think that we might not have a lot in common. Getting to meet Jay, getting to have a conversation about how important this was, not just to both our individual members on the ground, but our communities and our families and us making a commitment to each other that even though we had not organized on this before, that we were going to do this and bring this home for the members, for our communities, for our people. It’s just really a testament that you never give up, you keep fighting, you keep organizing, and that’s how these wins happen.

Sharmini Peries
Olga, this is a particular moment, though. While there are all these good and important features of the union, being a membership-driven union and so on, this moment has come and gone in the past, and it wasn’t seized the way it was this time. So what was unique about this campaign that led to this moment?

Olga Karounos
So I will also say that in everything that I’ve done in union organizing, I’ve been the VP of my shop for about four years. We walked out when ICE kidnapped one of our clients, and actually, in 2017, ended up physically assaulting one of our staff members. We lose more often than we win. That is just the truth of organizing for the good of the people. The system is not stacked in our favor. The system is stacked in the favors of the billionaires and those who profit off of harm. So we were not under any delusion that this was going to be easy.

What was different about this time? Some people might want to say that, and could probably say that, “Look, the war in the Middle East, the genocide in Gaza, has reached such an apex point that no one can stand by and close their eyes and pretend that we don’t have anything to do with this, or pretend that this is not even happening.” But another reason that this was so successful was because this was something that we had been discussing for so long, even before the mainstream public tide had shown this for what it really was.

If it were not for workers on the ground, people whose communities were sort of formed out of these conflicts, getting to speak truth to power, reminding everyone, the labor for UAW for Palestine started in 2004. The walkout in Detroit, in Jay’s shop, was in 1973. So there was never a guarantee that this time was going to be the time.

But I will say that it was truly a testament to the organizing on the ground, meeting the moment, and not being afraid to have these conversations and let people know that we really do have a say here and that you can walk out of this convention with another loss, which is okay, we’ve lost before, or this can be the time that we win. I think that this was not just the time that we won, but this was when the organizing, the conversations, everything was stacked in our favor for this to work, but that’s really all it takes. You keep fighting, you keep bringing up the issue, and eventually you will win.

Sharmini Peries
Jay, you work a lot with the administrative part of the union and the leadership. So what now? We have this resolution that’s passed, and constitutional changes will come about. What are the next steps in making sure that this is a reality?

Jay Makled
Well, we’ve just got to make sure that we follow through on it, but we’ve got to remember, though, this is law, and the membership voted on it. It was a win. We’re putting it in our Constitution, and the membership is the highest authority. So if somebody changes it or doesn’t follow through with it, they’re in violation of our constitution, which is governed by the people. So that, that could be problematic if it’s not followed, because again, it’s in the book now, and they have to follow it because it’s the people’s will, and that’s what we wanted. That’s what we voted on, and we were successful.

One point that I want to bring up is— and Olga hasn’t talked about it, and I didn’t know this until I actually spoke with her on the phone, and she could probably speak to it better than I can, but there was a point where they were all supposed to leave and they were supposed to get on a plane and go, right in the middle of this vote. I don’t know if you want to speak on it, Olga, but I mean, that was divine intervention. And for me, after I heard that, it was even more emotional for me, because if that isn’t God’s will, I don’t know what is.

Sharmini Peries
Olga, would you like to speak to that?

Olga Karounos
No, I actually felt really similar. There were so many things that, even though this was a long fight and I do want to give all of the credit to the organizers, and if anything, the fire instilled in all of us to make this happen. But I do agree with Jay that it really felt like there was a higher power on our side for this. And as maybe cheesy as that might sound, we were scheduled to leave. Our flight was going to take off, and we had already had so many kerfuffles with our flight cancellations. We were actually supposed to get there on Sunday. That flight was canceled. It was then put to Monday, and our union had already paid fines, and we didn’t want to have to extend possibly longer, getting out on Thursday.

So we almost had to leave the floor for this vote. Then Jake said how close this vote was, and we were just all emotionally torn. Like, what do we do? Do we stay? We had kind of started to walk out, like, all emotionally torn about what to do, and then all our little phones ping, and it says flight delayed two hours, and we run. I think I like threw my bag at some guy in the hallway, and I ran to the convention floor, and it was really unlike anything.

Even just, there was a moment when we were outside, that’s how Jay and I met. I think we were waiting in line for food, just talking to the right person, and I was just saying, “Man, I really hope that divest gets passed.” And Jay is obviously being very humble, and it’s like, “Oh, you know, me too.” And I’m like, “Well, it would be really…” And I think he mentioned he was from Local 600, and I’m like, “Well, Local 600 is Nelson Mandela’s union. Nelson Mandela is the person who said, if the Palestinian people are not free, none of us are free, and always held the torch for the rights of any single person who was under… who was vulnerable, you know, the weakest among us, right?”

If it wasn’t for that conversation, and if it wasn’t for our flights being delayed, so many things really happened to make this a reality. But I think that’s also, you know, what is it when they say when preparation meets luck, or luck meets preparation, everything lined up for this to be a knockout in the park. And it really was just— it’s still just an incredible feeling. I still can’t exactly believe, and Jay’s right, all of the things that worked on our side. But if— it was hard work, but there was some divine intervention and luck there as well, for sure.

Sharmini Peries
Right. So what’s next? Earlier, you were telling me, off-camera, that the changes have already been made to the Constitution. Will there be a place where the Constitution will be reissued, or what are the next processes in realizing the resolution’s effects?

Olga Karounos
So we will see, right? Because it’s on our leadership to take the action. They’ve heard our mandate. It’s in the Constitution. That’s not a question. So it’s a mandate from the membership to the leadership to make this a reality, and a reality as soon as possible. So we workers are on the ground watching and waiting. We always hope to see in a union that your union leadership will uphold the rights of your members. But those of us who have been in a union long enough know that that’s not always how things work, and that’s why having militant members active on the ground ready to make sure that our bosses hear us, but just as well that our union leadership hears us, because at the end of the day, we do the work for our organization and our union leadership does the work for us.

Sharmini Peries
Right. Jay, let me ask you about the long road from South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement and the union’s role and involvement that’s been going on for obviously decades. Now we have an example of what’s possible in the union movement and lessons learned here for other unions to take up the struggle within their unions. So what can happen from your perspective? I mean, what is the domino effect that could be mobilized at this point?

Jay Makled
I feel like the domino effect is something to get a hard read on because once you make a change, you start making incremental changes, the outlasting change of that could be forever. Just to go back to a little bit of our history, when Walter Reuther stood with Martin Luther King for civil rights, that was highly unpopular during that time, but he chose to do so, and that’s leadership. Our union is made up of all different types of faith, people, men, women, and genders, and that’s what makes a union special and unique.

When you make these changes and for the right reasons, later on, you’ll read about it in the history books that this organization stood up for what was right. Even if it wasn’t popular at the time, these changes had huge effects. I just take it back to just when Martin Luther King was marching here in Detroit with Walter Reuther, locked arms in arms. To me, even though it wasn’t popular with the membership or even public opinion, we still make tough decisions because we’re leadership, we’re a union, and we’re made up of all these different types of walks of life. That’s what’s important, and that’s what we must continue to do.

The youth of our union is really driving a lot of this, which makes me really proud. I see it. I see it in my kids. I see it in the higher education community. I’m really proud to have all of them a part of this organization. They’re a huge factor in moving this resolution to its passage, and I just, I couldn’t be more proud of it. I think this will have long-term effects throughout, that we’re not gonna stand with those who are committing genocide. I do believe that our, and I believe in our leadership that we have that are going to continue to do the right things.

Sean has spoken out publicly about the genocide and a ceasefire, and that made me proud to hear him talk about this issue. Is it popular? No, it’s not. Is it right to stop the genocide and to stop the killing of innocent men, women, and children? It doesn’t matter where you’re from. I just know that it’s wrong and that I didn’t want, and we don’t want, our union dollars contributing to such atrocities.

The leadership sees that as well. I believe they’re going to continue to do the right thing. I do. It was a very democratic convention, and I couldn’t be more proud of the fact that I was involved in it, and I did my small part, and my local did a very big part in helping move this. But hats off to those in the higher education sector who really drove this thing home.

Sharmini Peries
All right, Olga, let me give you the last word here. First of all, congratulations to both of you and all the members of the union who supported this incredibly important resolution. On behalf of the world, we thank you because it is clear, both in the United States and elsewhere in the world, that the solidarity with the Palestinian people and what is happening to them is overwhelming. It’s a groundswell, and you have made it concrete within the Union. I hope that other unions take the lead from this and other institutions, universities, governments, and municipalities all take the lead from the big step you have taken, a giant step you have taken, and it materializes in a more profound way. So, Olga, let me give you the last word for having carried this resolution on the convention floor. Again, congratulations to you, too.

Olga Karounos
Thank you so much. I would just say that I hope that everyone remembers that an injury to one is an injury to all, that we are stronger together. We have so much more in common as fellow workers, no matter what sector we do, no matter what our background is, no matter where our family comes from, that every single one of us right now in America, whether you do, almost all of us, are only a paycheck or two away from not being able to afford our rent. The same people who don’t see the Palestinians or people in the Middle East as worthy of human life are the same people who don’t see us as Americans as worthy of having a living wage. These are issues that are all connected.

I want people to really come away with understanding that there’s real power in a union, that a union is a group of people who you don’t only break bread with and work together on common issues with, but those are your union brothers and sisters, your union comrades, your fellow workers who you get to have these frank conversations with. The same way when we work together to discuss whether or not we’re going on a strike, which can be very difficult and vulnerable, is the same way that you are able to, in a union, say to your union comrades, “That my family member— I just lost a family member in Gaza. My family still lives in Lebanon. I’m a refugee from the same crisis.”

When we remember that we have all so much more in common than we do apart, and if we start understanding that these injuries and these attacks on vulnerable people, we start treating them like picket lines. That BDS, if we understand that BDS is not just a moral call, but think about it as a picket line, that is a really powerful way to bring these sorts of victories home, not just for your families, for your loved ones, for the people of Palestine, but for your communities as well.

Sharmini Peries
Thank you, Olga.

Olga Karounos
Thank you so much, everyone. Jay, it was so great to see you again, and it was so nice to meet you again.

Jay Makled
Nice to see you again.

Sharmini Peries
Thank you, Jay.

Jay Makled
Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Thank you for the opportunity.

Sharmini Peries
Thank you both for joining theAnalysis.news. Thank you. Bye-bye.

UAW Divests from Israel Bonds Over Gaza – theAnalysis.news

Rank-and-file delegates amended the UAW Constitution at the union’s 39th Constitutional Convention, requiring the union to divest from Israel Bonds…

theanalysis.news

USW5 Martinez Refinery Workers on Month Two of Strike Warn the Bay Is at Dire Risk
“The EPA should be in there every single day seeing what they’re doing.”
https://bayareacurrent.com/martinez-refinery-workers-on-strike/

CAITLIN CLIFT
Martinez Refinery Workers on Month Two… of Strike Warn the Bay Is at Dire Risk
Striking USW Local 5 Workers calling out scabs outside Martinez Refinery with a giant inflatable rat. (Joe St Germain/ Bay Area Current)
JUNE 24 2026

When Tomas Rivera leaves his four children for his shift at Marathon Petroleum’s refinery in Martinez, California, he’s ready to put on many hats. Like many of his coworkers, he works in multiple units across the East Bay refinery — seven, in fact — all while making sure his fellow operators stay safe and that the San Francisco Bay’s water is clean.
“Like the water in this bottle,” Rivera said with a smile, holding up a plastic water bottle.
Rivera works 12-hour shifts in one of the most dangerous and toxic industries in the country. He’s been doing so for nearly a decade.
“It’s stuff that will kill you,” Rivera explained. “You can absorb it, you can inhale it, it can fall on you, you can be lit on fire.”
Now, Rivera has traded his personal protective equipment (PPE) for a picket sign. Alongside over 100 fellow refinery operators and his own four children, Rivera is on the picket line seven days a week, over 50 days into a strike against the largest petroleum refinery operator in the United States, Marathon Petroleum Corp.
data-src-image-352e5b39-ac75-496a-8238-6c1523a134c4-1.jpeg
Tomas Rivera and his kids, on strike against Marathon Petroleum Corp. (Joe St Germain / Bay Area Current)
Fighting for the Same Old Contract

Yet, unlike most strikes and major work stoppages, this one isn’t for a wage increase, healthcare, or better benefits. Instead, workers walked off the job to keep the exact same contract that they have had for decades.
“When we went to the table on January 6 [2026], it was just to keep what we have. We weren’t asking for anything else,” explained Criff Reyes, one of the wastewater operators at Martinez Renewable Fuels, owned by Marathon Petroleum and Neste. Reyes has been employed by Marathon Petroleum, and a member of the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 5, since 1999, and USW Local 5 union chair since 2005.
The Marathon Petroleum-owned Martinez facility is home to just one of over 200 USW bargaining units across refineries, plants, pipelines, and stations in the National Oil Bargaining Program, or NOBP. The NOBP, started in 1965 to “push back against Big Oil,” sets the standard for wage increases, healthcare, and protections for over 30,000 oil workers in the union. One of these national standards is a four-year union contract. Thus, every four years, the company, in this case Marathon, and the union, USW, head back to the bargaining table to renew their contract.

Criff Reyes, wastewater operator at Martinez Renewable Fuels, on strike against Marathon Petroleum Corp. (Joe St Germain / Bay Area Current)
That fair contract involves a wage pattern that has remained consistent throughout past contract cycles: 4% raise the first year, 3.5% the second, 3.5% the third, and 4% for the final year — which would not quite cover the 3.8% Bay Area inflation rate determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
However, in 2020, Marathon decided to transition the Martinez refinery to renewable energy. This means that the site now uses soybean oil, corn oil, and animal fat to create diesel instead of using crude oil. In the process, the site became one of the largest renewable diesel refineries in the world. While the transition was better for the environment, management saw this as an opportunity to attack its unionized workers.
Over 700 employees were laid off, including 345 unionized refinery workers. Even a year after the layoffs, nearly 30% of workers were unemployed. The remaining 50 or so USW workers were forced to handle the transition process understaffed, with many moving into brand new roles at the same time.
“It’s classic Marathon,” Rivera said. “They got their foot on your neck, and they just want to lean in a little bit more.”
Then, Marathon declared that the site no longer classifies as part of the fossil fuel industry — a move that could boost Marathon’s profits. Not only did the company begin to rack in “ tax credits per year for being renewable,” according to Criff Reyes, but they also asserted that the bargaining unit can no longer be part of the NOBP, and in turn, can no longer use the standardized union contract or be guaranteed its protections.
When the union hit the bargaining table in early January, just a few weeks before the contract expired on January 31, Marathon began negotiations by immediately rejecting the typical four year contract – a previously guaranteed national standard — instead pushing for only three years.
“[Marathon] is in there telling people that we’re out here because we’re being greedy and we want more money. And that’s not the case at all. This is not an economic strike. The only economic aspect to this is yes, we do want a four-year contract, which has been, historically, the norm,” explained Rivera. For workers, what is at stake is the nature of the green transition: will it benefit corporations or will the workers get their share?
Marathon Petroleum did not respond to Bay Area Current’s request for comment.
Two Months on Strike

After a few months of what workers call regressive bargaining, on April 27 at 12:01am, 120 members of USW Local 5 went out on strike. Fourteen workers were laid off shortly after the strike began.
Fast forward two months, and workers say that the company has yet to give them anything in negotiation sessions. In fact, they say that the company is only taking.
“It’s classic Marathon,” Rivera said. “They got their foot on your neck, and they just want to lean in a little bit more.”
Lean in they did. Marathon proposed numerous stipulations in exchange for maintaining a four-year contract.
The first was that the company would be allowed to ask operators to come in four hours early or stay four hours later than their assigned shifts with no notice. As for the lab personnel, they may be asked to undergo six-hour shift holdovers, meaning any employee may not be released at the end of their assigned shift due to unforeseen circumstances and/or delays. As a result, some operators may be held for up to 18 hours.

Nicholas Plurkowski, United Steelworkers USW, Local 5 Union Representative (Joe St Germain / Bay Area Current)
“Imagine driving after 18 hours. You’re actually driving like you’re drunk. Imagine getting into an accident after 18 hours of work, hitting a family, a child, a new driver. You’re putting the community in danger,” explained Criff Reyes. “And how productive can you be running 16- or 18-hour shifts? You’re going to be unsafe. You’re going to cause accidents.”
This isn’t the only change Marathon seeks to implement.
Back in 2019, when the refinery was transitioning to renewable fuel, Marathon and USW came to an agreement that on the sixth and the seventh day that operators had to work continuously, they would be paid double time. This was to stop “the bleeding of people to PGE or Tesla,” explained Rivera, who recalled that so many oil operators were quitting due to excessive workloads, often working weeks straight with no days off.
“It was not uncommon for somebody to be out here six days in a row, ten days a row, thirteen days in a row, 24 or 25 days in a row,” recalled Rivera.
“We built this monster off of our backs and our blood and our sweat and tears."
The signed agreement between Marathon and USW for double pay worked. It boosted morale and operators stopped quitting. However, that agreement expired on the same day as the union contract, January 31, 2026, and Marathon now claims that they don’t have to continue the policy.
“They’ve been steadfast that no, they’re not going to honor that sixth and seventh day that they gave us for building this refinery for them so that they could make this money hand-over-fist, and have three processing units that could put out 700 million barrels a year,” said Rivera. “We built this monster off of our backs and our blood and our sweat and tears — missing my son’s band practices and not being able to take my daughter to the mall and not being there to give my son a breathing treatment when he was struggling with his respiratory issues. We built this place, and this is the thanks we get.”
As if to make matters worse, on June 2nd, Marathon announced that 46 more workers would be laid off, and thus not return to the workplace at the end of the strike.
This mass layoff, which workers pointed out would not be based on seniority but by position, would not be the first since USW went out on strike. Marathon already announced the layoffs of all fourteen maintenance team members on April 27.
“Their explanation for the 46 jobs is that it’s a financial burden for them. That it’s costing them $6 million to have those 46 jobs,” said Criff Reyes. “If we want to talk money, Marathon made $12 billion last year. This site alone made $6 billion last year. They make $11 million a day. These gasoline trucks that come in and out of here cost $55,000. A ship filled with gasoline that comes in costs a little over $50 million. That’s how much money they’re making. And our strike is not about money. We want to keep what we have.”
For clarification: Marathon earned $12 billion in EBITDA, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
Unsafe Working Conditions

The reduction in staffing in maintenance and operator positions sparks not only anger, but fear for the workers out on strike, who recalled a catastrophic incident on November 19, 2023, when their coworker and fellow USW member, Jerome Serrano, was critically injured.
Serrano had been working on a furnace that was recently rebuilt in Marathon’s transition to renewable energy, when it began overheating due to a ruptured tube. The sole worker caught in the fire, Serrano suffered third degree burns on over 80% of his body.
“He will never be the same,” said Reyes. “So whether it’s fossil fuels or corn oil, it’s still hazardous. Flammable. High pressures. High temperatures. It’ll still hurt somebody and change somebody’s life forever.”
“We’re blown away that…this management here and corporation have the audacity to insinuate that they can reduce staffing levels when they just burnt a human being almost to death."
USW Local 5 emphasized that because California’s process safety laws for refineries only regulate sites using petroleum and not renewable energy, there is no obligation for companies like Marathon to follow the state’s safety laws — leaving workers, like Serrano, without adequate protections.
“We’re blown away that this place and this management here and corporation have the audacity to insinuate that they can reduce staffing levels when they just burnt a human being almost to death,” Rivera emphasized.
Now, with over 100 operators out on strike, workers say that the refinery is more dangerous than ever.
Managers = Scabs

To fill the positions, Marathon contracted out employees from other sites across the country, including Texas and Southern California. However, the operators out on strike say the site remains far too understaffed to run properly or safely.
Operators have been informed by the drivers of gasoline trucks going in and out of the Martinez site that they have been forced to load their own vehicles because there were no individuals present to assist them at the truck racks. Usually, it is the job of up to two USW operators to unload the trucks. This has resulted in an ongoing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation, according to workers on strike.
On top of this, operators say that the contracted employees mostly come from managerial positions with less expertise and training.
“We are the experts on that equipment in there. If you combine the time that our members have been in there, you’re talking about hundreds of years of boots-on-the-ground experience” Rivera said. “Marathon is so desperate to make that next dollar of that next barrel, they’ll just sign them off and say yeah, he’s qualified.”
The training process for an operator at the Martinez facility is highly intensive, involving six to eight months of training, often at off-site training facilities, including fire training every year, hazmat training and, for some, additional exams that take months to qualify and train for.
“These scabs or managers are just jumping into the jobs without having any of that training,” said Reyes. “It’s completely dangerous. They don’t know what they’re doing. And flaring is one of the signs that shows that they don’t know what they’re doing.”
“Flaring” is a term used to describe a gas combustion device used at refineries or plants to burn off flammable gas during unplanned overpressuring of equipment. The controlled activity is used mostly for emergency purposes. Flaring events, in theory, should be extremely rare, as they often signify missing units, accidents in the workplace, or power failures. Flares generate risks not only to the workers inside due to the high fire risk, but also cause significant adverse health effects to the nearby community as it blows thick smoke offsite. On the line, workers pointed out not one, but two flares that have been ongoing for days. It is not the first flaring event that has occurred since the strike began.
“We’re scared for the community. It’s only a matter of time,” Rivera warns. “If they do have a big fire, who’s going to respond to it? Because all the firefighters are out here.”
Who Will Put Out The Fires?

All of the workers out on strike are also members of the Fire Brigade, meaning they are trained in preventing and managing potential fires on the refinery. Rivera says no managers inside are adequately trained to respond to a refinery fire in the way that the USW operators are. In addition, the brigade may be sent to other refineries in the area that are in need of fire management.
“We’re the fire department,” said Marwin Reyes, a Terminal Person In Charge (TPIC), who assists in loading vessels. He has worked for Marathon for 22 years. “If any refinery has a problem right now, we can’t go help.”

Marwin and Criff Reyes, on strike against Marathon Petroleum Corp. (Joe St Germain / Bay Area Current)
Contra Costa County is home to four of the five refineries in the Bay Area, meaning four refineries that could potentially need USW fire brigade support in the chance of a fire won’t have it as long as the strike continues.
This possibility was a reality about 16 months ago, when a disastrous fire occurred at a Petroplus, Blackstone, and First Reserve (PBF) Energy site in Martinez. “There were about seven [groups] out there in mutual aid, including us, and we could not put that fire out. That’s how intensive it was,” recalled Marwin Reyes, who was sent to assist the PBF refinery fire. The fire burned itself out for three days and cost $30 million in damages.
“The danger is another PBF, or another injury like Jerome,” Criff Reyes said. “The community is at stake, and so are the people in there. Whether they’re managers or scabs, we don’t want anybody to get hurt.”
The Greatest Safety Concern

It may be that the greatest safety concern isn’t regarding fires at all — it’s about water.
Tomas Rivera, beyond managing seven units on site and being a member of the refinery’s fire brigade, also oversees Marathon’s wastewater management. Every day, Rivera is responsible for neutralizing the refinery’s water before releasing it out into the Suisun Bay, an estuary connected to the San Francisco Bay and greater Pacific Ocean. Now that he and his team are out on strike, he said there are zero trained individuals managing the refinery’s extensive water emissions.
“The Bay is such a large beast in itself that connects to the ocean, so we’re talking massive, massive quantities in gallons of water,” Rivera explained. “On an average day in there I’m pushing 3.5 to 4 million gallons of water out. So this is the type of impact we’re potentially having on Suisun Bay. That’s the amount of water going out on a slow day […] On a day where we have a big rainstorm or it’s been raining for several days, we might be pushing out as much as 18 million gallons of water to the Bay in a 24-hour time period.”
While Marathon’s attempts to break the strike have resulted in lax safety protocols that threaten to pollute the Bay, they have also reportedly spent excessively on flying in these contracted workers: paying for their housing, extra wages, and even food.
“It’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet,” said Rivera. “They’d rather spend [millions] to prove a point and keep that foot on our necks instead of just giving us our fair contract that we deserve.”
However, with their constant chants, family support, and worker solidarity, including Solidarity Monday pickets where supporters are encouraged to join, the USW members have high hopes and clear determination.
Workers await a formal update following negotiations between the union and the company on July 6th and 7th.
“I’ve been out here every day, I will be here every day until this is resolved,” stated Marwin Reyes, who arrived at the picket line at 2am and planned to leave at 7pm. “That’s what it takes. This is us fighting for our jobs. For our livelihoods. For our families.”
USW Local 5 encourages the public to visit the picket line at the intersection of Solano Way and Arnold Industrial Way in Martinez, and/or to send contributions to the strike fund to USW Local 5, PO Box 349, Martinez, CA 94553-0034.

Martinez Refinery Workers on Month Two of Strike Warn the Bay Is at Dire Risk

“The EPA should be in there every single day seeing what they’re doing.”

bayareacurrent.com

SEIU-backed group takes big step in unionizing Uber, Lyft drivers
https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/technology/uber-lyft-unionization-effort-takes-big-step-forward/article_ea23481c-dd34-4b0c-a9d7-7b1bf47b06bf.html
By Troy Wolverton | Examiner staff writer Jun 26, 2026

Hector …Castellanos of California Gig Workers SEIU speaking at a rally against Waymo
Hector Castellanos of California Gig Workers SEIU speaking at a rally against Waymo at San Francisco City Hall on Monday, March 2, 2026.
Craig Lee/The Examiner

An organization of California Uber and Lyft drivers has reached a major milestone in its effort to form a union, but it could face a rival organizing effort when it seeks official approval.

After showing that it has the support of 10% of California’s “active” drivers, the California Gig Workers Union has received from the state agency overseeing the unionization process a list containing the names and contact information of all such drivers in the state. The union is now using that list to contact those drivers to convince them to sign on to its effort, said Hector Castellanos, one of its organizers.

Under a new state law, the Gig Workers Union — which is backed by the state branch of Service Employees International Union and three of its local chapters — would need to have the support of at least 30% of active drivers in order to form an officially recognized union that could collectively bargain with the ride-hailing companies.

Union members were “so excited, so happy,” to get confirmation that they’d reached the 10% mark and to get the list of active drivers, Castellanos said.

“We’ve been working so hard … now we have to work more,” he said.

Hector Castellanos, center, pictured at San Francisco International Airport in 2025, says “99% of the drivers” for ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft “want a union.”
Craig Lee/The Examiner
For now, Uber and Lyft — the only ride-hailing companies currently covered by the new law and subject to the unionization process because they provide the vast majority of rides in the state — indicated they’re taking a wait-and-see approach to organizing effort.

"We're watching this process closely and look forward to engaging as it develops,” Lyft spokesman CJ Macklin said in an emailed statement. “Our focus remains on helping drivers succeed while keeping rideshare affordable and dependable for everyone who counts on it."

In a separate statement, Uber spokesman Zahid Arab noted that the new law — Assembly Bill 1340— was passed along with a second one that lowered insurance coverage requirements for the ride-hailing companies, a move the companies said would lower costs for customers.

The unionization law creates “a clear framework for drivers to make their own decisions about representation while preserving the flexibility and independence core to platform work,” Arab said in the statement. “We remain committed to engaging constructively as this process moves forward.”

CalMatters reported this week that despite the insurance reform measure that was passed in conjunction with the union one, average Uber fares have actually increased year-over-year on a per-mile basis.

The move to organize the state’s Uber and Lyft drivers represents one of the biggest unionization efforts of recent years. It also represents an effort to reset the working conditions of drivers after 2020’s Prop. 22 declared them independent contractors and essentially set pay and reimbursement practices.

A UC Berkeley study two years ago found that in the wake of Prop. 22, drivers were earning far less than minimum wage, once their expenses and waiting time were factored in.

AB 1340 sets up a multi-step process for organizations seeking to unionize drivers and for the state Public Employment Relations Board to oversee and shepherd such efforts.

Organizations first have to get PERB’s recognition as a potential union, showing it they meet certain criteria, such as having a history of advocating for drivers and experience in collective bargaining. So far, only the Gig Workers Union has sought and gained that recognition.

Next is meeting the 10% threshold, which required PERB to determine just how many active drivers there are in the state. Under the law, an active driver is one who has given at least the median number of rides over the last six-month period.

Using data submitted by the ride-hailing companies, PERB determined that the median number of rides given from Oct. 1 to March 31 was 461, or about 18 a week. According to PERB, 98,235 drivers statewide gave that many rides or more over that period.

That means in order to hit the 10% requirement, a prospective union would need to sign up more than 9,800 drivers. PERB confirmed on June 2 the California Gig Workers Union had hit that mark. It’s the only organization that has reached it so far.
The board’s determination was important because it required the agency to release the list of active drivers to the Gig Workers Union. That makes it much easier for the union to reach out to prospective members. Unlike a traditional organizing effort, Uber and Lyft drivers don’t work out of a single or small number of offices, so they can be difficult to reach, organizers have said.

The Gig Workers Union has had the list for about two weeks now and has been using it to contact drivers, Castellanos said.

The 10% threshold is also important, because once an organization reaches it, the new law compels the ride-hailing companies to notify active drivers that the group is seeking to represent them as their union. Under the law, that notification has to be neutral — companies can’t use it to try to persuade drivers to reject the unionization effort.

Uber and Lyft — the only ride-hailing companies that are currently covered by the law — have already sent out that notice, Castellanos said. Representatives of the two companies did not immediately confirm that.

The next important milestone in the Gig Workers Union’s organizing effort is getting the support of 30% of active drivers. PERB’s confirmation that it has reached that threshold would start a 30-day period in which the Gig Workers Union’s attempt to represent all drivers could be challenged. Another prospective union showing that it has the support of at least 30% of active drivers or a collection of such drivers equivalent to 30% showing that they don’t want union representation at all would trigger an election overseen by PERB within 60 days.

If no group were to contest the Gig Workers Union’s organizing effort within 30 days, PERB would confirm it as the official union for drivers statewide, active and not. It would then be empowered to collectively bargain on their behalf on a sectoral basis, meaning with both companies at once, seeking terms that would apply to drivers who work for both.

Castellanos said he didn’t know when the Gig Workers Union might reach the 30% threshold.

“As soon as we get it, oh, my god, [we’re] going to be so happy,” he said.

But the Gig Workers Union could face a challenge from at least one other organization for the right to represent drivers. Rideshare Drivers United has been advocating on behalf of Uber and Lyft drivers for years and is trying to sign up enough drivers to reach the 10% threshold, said Nicole Moore, the organization’s president.

Nicole Moore, center, an organizer with Rideshare Drivers United, meets with the group's organizing committee in Los Angeles, on Aug. 28, 2019.
Allison Zaucha © 2019 The New York Times Company
Under an alternative process provided under AB 1340, an organization that has reached 10% support can ask PERB to hold a unionization election and forgo the effort of trying to sign up 30% of drivers.

RDU is getting “closer and closer” to the 10% mark, Moore said. However, the group hasn’t yet applied for PERB’s recognition as a potential union, which it can only do in a short window of time that opens once a quarter. RDU plans to seek that recognition and submit its signatures around the same time, she said.

“What we want to make sure is that drivers have the choice and they can choose whatever organization they want or no union at all,” she said.

RDU is distinct from the Gig Workers Union, because it was formed and is run by drivers and has been fighting on their behalf for eight years, Moore said. Some drivers distrust SEIU because of the deal it struck with the companies and Gov. Gavin Newsom to get AB 1340 passed, she said. That deal involved passing Senate Bill 371, which lowered insurance coverage on passengers and drivers in the case of accidents.

“This puts drivers and passengers more at risk,” Moore said. “We don’t think deals like that should be cut.”

Castellanos said he and the Gig Workers Union are aware of RDU’s rival organizing effort but they aren’t concentrating on it.

“Right now, we’re just focusing on getting the 30%,” he said.

If you have a tip about tech, startups or the venture industry, contact Troy Wolverton at twolverton@sfexaminer.com or via text or Signal at (415) 515-5594.

Uber, Lyft driver unionization hits big milestone

But rival organizing effort hopes to challenge SEIU’s.

www.sfexaminer.com

Another unelected, unaccountable disaster for our public education system.

…https://edsource.org/2026/california-education-governance-reform-3/761057?utm_content=buffera78a1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer&fbclid=IwY2xjawStMFFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFYaWZ3aGMwQ1hjZkpETXFWc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHqp6qMXPNkFZB60qTJDiSNvOhP5HeDmDpr1QKItbpEjLHWKi6NoYKB185Us3_aem_X8Vcx6Gy8k6Odqyjsv3b0g

State Superintendent will no longer manage California schools under deal Newsom cuts with Legislature

In leaving office, Gov. Newsom is on the verge of achieving what others had recommended for decades: replacing the elected state superintendent as…

edsource.org

In Mississipi Anger Mounts in Senatobia Over Police Killing of 1-Year-Old Kohen Wiley
https://www.mississippifreepress.org/anger-mounts-in-senatobia-over-police-killing-of-1-year-old-kohen-wiley/
Andy Bell by Andrew Bell
June 17, 2026

A woman stands in front of a business …holding a sign that reads "Justice For 1 Year Old Kohen" with two photos of the child shown
Senatobia, Miss., resident Bernice Cathy was one of over 200 people who assembled across from Senatobia City Hall on June 16, 2026, to protest the deadly police shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley two days earlier outside a local Walmart. Many, like her, raised signs and voices critical of local law enforcement and demanded justice for the child’s family. Photo by Andrew Bell
SENATOBIA, Miss.—People scattered in a Walmart parking lot on Tuesday as law enforcement officers, who were wearing gas masks and lined up under the store’s grocery-side entrance, unleashed tear gas on the crowd that had gathered to protest the police killing of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.

Two days earlier on June 14, the young Black child died after a Senatobia police officer fired into a moving car, killing him and injuring the driver. Officers, who had been responding to a call alleging that someone had tried to steal a box of diapers, claimed that the car was driving toward the officer when he fired—a claim that some witnesses have disputed.

Kohen Wiley in a blue outfit stands outside in the grass, one hand on a toy lawnmower
A Mississippi police officer shot 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, killing him, in response to a shoplifting call at the Walmart in Senatobia, Miss., on Sunday, June 14, 2026. Photo courtesy Kohen Wiley family
On Tuesday evening, the mayor and the Senatobia Board of Aldermen placed the officer on administrative leave. He has not been publicly identified.

Hours earlier, 200 people gathered about a mile away from the Walmart in downtown Senatobia outside City Hall, voicing exasperated anguish over the child’s death.

Leon White, a Senatobia resident since 1999, raised a protest sign that read, “The People Demand: End to Police Terror.” Along a section of Front Street, cornered off by police with snipers perched atop a row of vintage storefronts that include a soda shop and pharmacy, he walked with others angrily shouting, “No Justice, No Peace” in one accord and yelling profanities aimed at police.

People gather on the street, one holding a sign that reads "The people demand: END POLICE TERROR. Police can be seen on the rooftop across the road
Leon White hoists a sign outside Senatobia’s City Hall while police snipers monitor the crowd from the rooftops of commercial business buildings on June 16, 2026, during a protest over a deadly police shooting. White said the police actions yielded an organized protest over “a problem that has been building for a long time.” Photo by Andrew Bell
White said that the city’s residents’ tension and distrustful relations with police, “has been a problem that has been building for a long time.”

“For many years, the police force was fine, but in recent years—I don’t know why—it’s become a big problem,” he said.

He blames it partly, but sharply, on inadequate safety training. He added that Senatobia does not have a crime problem. Indeed, Senatobia’s crime rate is below the national average and one of the lowest crime rates in Mississippi. The city has a population of around 8,500 residents, around 40% of whom are Black. Its police force is composed of about 30 officers.

“We are like a big family here, and people come from all over the immediate area to shop,” White said.

Video Evidence Won’t Be Released During Investigation

Two blocks away from City Hall on the steps of the Tate County Courthouse, Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell sought to calm the furor, vowing transparency once the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation finishes investigating Kohen Wiley’s shooting.

A man in a navy suit and red tie speaks at a press conference outside of a red brick building
Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell spoke to reporters and a small crowd of Senatobia residents about the investigation into the police shooting of Kohen Wiley on the steps of the Tate County Courthouse on June 16, 2026. Photo by Andrew Bell
While protesters heckled him, Tindell said that MBI will thoroughly review information provided by witnesses and the videos that captured the shooting, including officers’ vest cameras and Walmart security camera footage.

“It’s important to us (investigators) to interview witnesses without the threat of intimidation,” the commissioner said. “It’s important that we keep civility during this process so we can get to the bottom of it and analyze all the evidence and ultimately make it available to you all.”

He did not provide any new details on the shooting itself. Tindell said five MDPS agents have been assigned to investigate the tragic shooting in coordination with the state’s attorney general’s office. He said it would be up to local law enforcement to determine whether the allegations of shoplifting were credible; Wiley’s family has denied allegations of shoplifting.

Tindell, in response to a reporter’s question, said no video evidence will be released until the conclusion of the investigation “because sometimes when video evidence is released early, witnesses won’t come forward because they feel like the case has been closed at that point.”

‘It Needs to Stop’

Shirley Hardin, who lives in nearby Como, Mississippi, said poor relations between residents and Senatobia police go back years. She pointed to Senatobia police’s arrest of an 11-year-old boy for urinating outside the jail in 2024.

“And now this happened with the baby,” she said.

A woman in a crowd holds a sign that reads "JUSTICE FOR KOHEN KHALIL WILEY" "Party for Socialism and Liberation"
Felicia Jackson carried a sign calling for justice for the family of Kohen Wiley with a crowd of concerned and angry residents who gathered across the street from City Hall in Senatobia, Miss., to demand answers on June 16, 2026. Photo by Andrew Bell
Bettersten Wade was so troubled about Kohen Wiley’s shooting that she drove from her home in Jackson, Mississippi, to participate in the protest. She’s no stranger to losing loved ones after encounters with police. A jury convicted a Jackson police officer in the 2019 death of her brother George Robinson, though an appeals court overturned the conviction in 2024. Her son, Dexter Wade, died after a Jackson police cruiser struck him in March 2023, and she searched for him for months until August 2023, when she learned that he had died and the city had buried him in an unmarked pauper’s grave.

“We are in the 21st Century, not the 1960s, and we are still dealing with unjustified police violence,” Bettersten Wade told the Mississippi Free Press. “We are mad and exhausted, but we won’t go away quietly into the night.”

Britney Fallon, from Olive Branch, Mississippi, said many residents just want justice for the child. Many others are upset at what they believe is a trend “because things have constantly been going on like this down here in town in Mississippi. And it needs to stop.”

“He could have easily been your child, my child, anybody’s child,” Fallon continued. “We want the same justice for this child that would be served down to our African-American generation if it was one of us. This has to end.”

Ashton Pittman contributed to this report.

Anger Mounts in Senatobia Over Police Killing of 1-Year-Old Kohen Wiley

Protests broke out in Senatobia, Mississippi, amid mounting anger over the police killing of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.

www.mississippifreepress.org

SF Labor Commemorates Coors Successful Labor Boycott And Opposes the Attacks On LBGTQ Today
https://youtu.be/DHP-t2qCzWE
A commemoration was held for the labor community boycott of Coors beer and opposition to attacks on LBGTQ people then and today. The SF Labor Council endorsed the …commemoration as well as the Teamsters Joint Council and after the rally the trade unionists and supporters marched to join the Tran March in San Francisco.
Additional Media:
Long Live Allan Baird! Retired President of IBT 921 Coors Equal Rights And the Fight For Justice
https://youtu.be/SMqU7LhLsTA
“Brewed with Blood”: The Coors Beercott of the 1970s
https://daily.jstor.org/brewed-with-blood-the-coors-beercott-of-the-1970s/
Teamsters Pride At Work: A Look Back At The Coors Boycott
https://teamster.org/2017/06/teamsters-pride-work-look-back-coors-boycott/
Community honors labor hero who built connections to LGBTQ movement
https://48hills.org/2021/06/community-honors-labor-hero-who-built-connections-to-lgbtq-movement/
LGBTQs rally for longtime labor stalwart Baird as Pride festivities begin
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No Red-Baiting! No Race-Baiting! No Queen-Baiting! by Allan Bérubé
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'We Took Care of Each Other': A Maritime Union's Hidden History of Gay-Straight and Interracial Solidarity
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Teamster Concession Bargaining & Cost of A Take-over & The Merger of GCIIU At Hearst Owned SF Chron
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SF Labor Commemorates Coors Successful Labor Boycott And Opposes the Attacks On LBGTQ Today

A commemoration was held for the labor community boycott of Coors b…

youtu.be

Apple Whistleblower Ashely Gjovik At San Jose Federal Court Over Polluting Apple Fab In Santa Clara
https://youtu.be/TscxhsxwMU0
Fired Apple health and safety whistleblower and environmentalist Ashley Gjovik was in San Jose Federal Court on June 25, 2026 to demand that the toxic and …polluting Apple Fab plant in Santa Clara be closed down as an environmental hazard.
Facing her were the Apple lawyers and lawyers for the City of Santa Clara who want to keep the dangerous fabrication facility open next to thousands of residents, students and others in the community.
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Apple Whistleblower Ashely Gjovik At San Jose Federal Court Over Polluting Apple Fab

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SF Labor Commemorates Coors Successful Labor Boycott And Opposes the Attacks On LBGTQ Today
https://youtu.be/DHP-t2qCzWE
A commemoration was held for the labor community boycott of Coors beer and opposition to attacks on LBGTQ people then and today. The SF Labor Council endorsed the …commemoration as well as the Teamsters Joint Council and after the rally the trade unionists and supporters marched to join the Tran March in San Francisco.
Additional Media:
“Brewed with Blood”: The Coors Beercott of the 1970s
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SF Labor Commemorates Coors Successful Labor Boycott And Opposes the Attacks On LBGTQ Today
https://youtu.be/DHP-t2qCzWE
A commemoration was held for the labor community boycott of Coors beer and opposition to attacks on LBGTQ people then and today. The SF Labor Council endorsed the …commemoration as well as the Teamsters Joint Council and after the rally the trade unionists and supporters marched to join the Tran March in San Francisco.
Additional Media:
“Brewed with Blood”: The Coors Beercott of the 1970s
https://daily.jstor.org/brewed-with-blood-the-coors-beercott-of-the-1970s/
Teamsters Pride At Work: A Look Back At The Coors Boycott
https://teamster.org/2017/06/teamsters-pride-work-look-back-coors-boycott/
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www.labormedia.net

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UAW 4811 Lining Up With Zionist Scott Wiener To Push Bond For Reasearch Funds Rather Than Taxing Billionaires.
State Tax Funds Will Also Go To Private Biotech Companies
Hundreds of UAW members rally to get $12 billion research bond on ballot
…https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article316251545.html
Hundreds rally to get $12 billion research bond on ballot. Will it make it? By Tarini Mehta Updated June 25, 2026 6:43 PM Students, faculty and community m Hundreds of UAW members rally to get $12 billion research bond on ballot their support for SB 895, which would place a $12 billion research bond on the November ballot. Tarini Mehta tarini.mehta@sacbee.com Ruby Kharod researches solutions to climate change at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Erika Anderson is a postdoctoral scholar at UC San Francisco harnessing molecular biology to better understand the development of diseases. Lara Schwarz studies the effect of wildfires and heat waves on public health at UC Berkeley. Early Wednesday morning, they made their way to Sacramento alongside about 200 students, faculty and community members to appeal to legislators to place a $12 billion research bond on the November ballot. Against the federal government’s massive funding cuts to scientific research, the proposed bond seeks to stabilize science funding in California by providing research grants and loans for medical, environmental and agricultural research. “There’s a lot of uncertainty because a lot of our research is depending on federal funding,” Schwarz said. “It unfortunately makes me have to consider other alternatives than staying in academia in the U.S. (This bill) would change that by creating a funding source that ensures sustainability and the ability to continue doing this research in California.” Depending on interest rates, the total cost of the bond to California taxpayers will be somewhere between $21.5 billion and $23.4 billion, according to a legislative analysis of the bill. A bond is a type of long-term borrowing that the state uses to raise money for various purposes. The state obtains the money by selling bonds to investors and agrees to repay it, with interest, per a specified schedule. But the bond will only make it onto voters’ ballots in November if Senate Bill 895, authored by Sens. Scott Wiener, Aisha Wahab and Sasha Pérez, moves out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and wins approval on the floor of the Assembly and from Gov. Gavin Newsom. And time is running out. The last day for measures to qualify to appear on the ballot is Thursday, June 25, according to the California Secretary of State. Now, supporters of the bond are hoping lawmakers will use their power to push the deadline. At the committee hearing Wednesday, the room overflowed with supporters who queued up in the room and outside in the corridor to make public comment and emphasize the importance of the bill. Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland — who chairs the committee — noted that the “normal protocol” required a three-party negotiated deal between Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara, and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, before the bill can move forward. For now, it remains on the committee’s “suspense” calendar. “It’s critically important that we reach a three-party deal to put this science bond on the ballot,” said Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, in a statement. “Right now our state is hemorrhaging scientific talent because of the horrifying cuts made by the Trump administration, which endanger life-saving treatments for millions of families and California’s leadership on the world stage. Science can deliver miracles for Californians, but it needs stability and support.” While the deadline to get the measure on the ballot is June 25, the legislature has the ability to waive the deadline for legislative measures, the California Secretary of State said. There have been instances in past years when lawmakers have done so. In 2020, for example, Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Villa Park, authored a bill that called for a special election on five constitutional amendments to be consolidated with the general election in November — even though the ballot measure deadline had passed. The bill, which received the governor’s approval, asked the Secretary of State to bypass the Elections Code provision that requires a minimum of 131 days between the passage of a measure by the Legislature and the election it will be a part of. The window, though, is a tight one, given the Secretary of State’s other upcoming deadlines for the Nov. 3 election. Still, supporters of the science bond are holding out hope. “There is still flexibility to get this done,” said Ximena Anleu Gil, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis and vice president of UAW 4811 which represents 60,000 academic workers at the University of California. “Given how important standing up for science is for people’s lives and our economy, we are confident that it can be done.” In an email sent to union members Thursday morning, UAW 4811 leadership said the governor’s office was “interested” in the bond and Senate leadership “fully on board,” leaving only Assembly leadership yet to be convinced. The email urged members to reach out to Assembly Speaker Rivas to win his support. In a statement, the University of California — which sponsored the bill — urged the Legislature to put it on the ballot to “help save scientific research across California.” “Over the past 18 months, UC has faced an onslaught of lawsuits, investigations and threats from the federal government, including attempts to cut and freeze hundreds of millions of dollars in medical and scientific research funding,” a university spokesperson said. “SB 895 would not replace threatened federal funds, but it would provide vital supplemental long-term funding for research that drives lifesaving medical advancements, finds solutions to the world’s most pressing problems, and helps keep the nation at the forefront of scientific discovery.” The bill has 48 co-authors and strong organizational support, including from Stanford University and the California State University. It passed on the Senate floor with 29 votes in support and nine against in May. While the fate of the science bond remains uncertain, a separate initiative championed by doctors, nurses and patient advocates has qualified for the November ballot after receiving the 601,317 certified signatures it needed. If approved by voters, this measure will authorize $8.4 billion in state bonds for California-based public and nonprofit universities and medical research institutions to conduct research to prevent and cure diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease.

Hundreds rally to get $12 billion research bond on ballot. Will it make it?

The clock is ticking: June 25 is the deadline for measures to qualify for the November election.

www.sacbee.com

Fighting the Corporate Duopoly at the Ballot Box (w/ Kshama Sawant) | The Chris Hedges Report.

Fighting the Corporate Duopoly at the Ballot Box (w/ Kshama Sawant) | The Chris Hedges Report

Kshama Sawant’s revolutionary socialist campaign for Congress shows…

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Boy in the Frame: The Chinese Filmmaker Who Captured Luigi Mangione
https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1018595
A documentary director who set out to explore the lives of Chinese and American teens revisits unreleased footage of the murder suspect when he was 16.
By Fir Record
May 29, …20269-min read #TV & film#crime#education#first person

“Do you remember Luigi?”

Filmmaker Wang Yang was sitting in a café in Xi’an, capital of China’s northwestern Shaanxi province, when his friend suddenly slid her phone across the table. On the screen was the mugshot of a young man.

“It’s the boy who showed you around his school’s robotics lab,” she says, referring to a trip Wang made to the United States in 2014 to film a documentary.

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The mugshot was of Luigi Mangione, the prime suspect in the murder of Brian Robert Thompson, CEO of the health insurance company UnitedHealthcare, in New York City on Dec. 4, 2024.

Wang froze. Of course he remembered Mangione. He was among several 16-year-old boys he had filmed at Gilman School, a private institution in Baltimore, Maryland, as part of “Youth Dream,” an unfinished project exploring the educational experiences of students from China and the U.S.

Mangione, 28, is now being held at a federal prison in New York awaiting trial for second-degree murder. He was arrested in a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after the shooting. Police say that he was carrying a 3D-printed handgun, a silencer, a fake ID, and a three-page handwritten manifesto that contained the line, “These parasites simply had it coming.”

Although Mangione had been only a peripheral character in Wang’s documentary, the 41-year-old filmmaker remembered his strong presence on campus and on screen, prompting him to revisit the footage from the school as soon as he returned home from the café.

Here, Wang shares his recollections of Mangione, “Youth Dream,” and the brief intersection he fostered in the lives of boys from different worlds.

introduction.png
Left: A young Luigi Mangione at school, Baltimore, December 2014. Courtesy of Wang Yang; Right: Mangione appears at the Manhattan Criminal Court for an evidentiary hearing, New York, Dec. 9, 2025. Curtis Means/Pool Photo/AP via VCG
Like a ghost

When I met Luigi in 2014, I was documenting the lives of two boys from very different backgrounds: One was a Chinese-American boy, James, the son of the friend whom I met with at the café; the other was Maisheng, a 16-year-old from the mountains of Huining County, in China’s northwestern Gansu province.

I was staying with James’ family in Baltimore while I worked on the documentary. Each day, I followed him and his classmates to school to capture their daily lives.

It was only when I rewatched the old footage that I realized Luigi was a constant, silent presence in the frame — almost like a ghost. He seemed to be everywhere: in the lab, on the robotics team, in the cafeteria, always lingering in the periphery of my shots. James and Luigi had been inseparable back then.

In one shot, a lanky Luigi in typical prep school attire — dress shirt, tie, and dark gray top — leans over a workbench, his gaze fixed on a half-assembled robotic car as he adjusts a metal component. Later, speaking to the camera, he explains his algorithms with clear, untroubled eyes.

introduction.jpeg
Mangione adjusts part of the robotic car with his classmate at the Gilman School, December 2014. Courtesy of Wang Yang
When I learned that Luigi had allegedly used a 3D printer to make a gun and silencer, chills ran down my spine. Had that same quiet focus and concentration become the tools for a meticulously planned assassination?

Looking back, I feel there was a measured distance in the way Luigi interacted with others. The robotics course was open-ended: the teacher mostly stood to the side answering questions, while students split into groups to program and assemble robots. In the footage, Luigi gives an impression of maturity — when some classmates start fooling around, he stands and offers a few words of guidance to steer them back on track.

He didn’t push himself into the center of the frame or appear to deliberately seek attention, but if you spent time in that classroom, you could sense he had influence. In his robotics class, he was a leader. He spoke softly, but with an authority that seemed to come from some kind of certainty.

Of course, that had to do with his wealthy, privileged upbringing. Luigi’s family owned a prominent real estate portfolio, including two Maryland country clubs. I later learned that he had graduated as the class valedictorian.

But he wasn’t the main subject of my film, so I never focused on him specifically. Did I notice anything unusual about him? No, I really didn’t. He appeared to be an ordinary teenager, albeit exceptionally composed and talented.

introduction.jpeg
Valedictorian of his class, Mangione gives a farewell speech to the Class of 2016 during the Gilman School commencement, Baltimore, 2016. Nicole Munchel/Baltimore Sun/TNS via VCG
School swap

The idea for “Youth Dream” came from a feature-length documentary I made in 2010, “China Gate,” which followed students at Huining No. 1 High School in Gansu. In this rural county, education is not for personal interest or self-fulfillment — it is a way out of poverty.

After the film screened at international festivals, I received an email from James, who said he’d been moved by the stories of these teenagers on the other side of the world. He was keen to learn more and even expressed a wish to work as a volunteer teacher in Huining.

I realized that if U.S. students really did come to Huining, it would be an incredible filming opportunity, offering a new angle to what I’d captured in “China Gate.” With that project, I understood perfectly why those kids pushed themselves so hard, because I came out of that system.

introduction.jpeg
A still from the 2011 documentary “China Gate.” From Douban
Eventually, James and two of his classmates from Gilman School made the trip in July 2014, and I picked them up at the airport. James impressed me as a simple, good-natured youth who always said what was on his mind in a thoughtful, well-mannered way.

During their two-week stay in Huining, the trio woke at 5 a.m. to join the Chinese high school students for morning exercises. They were stunned to see all the kids carrying their English and Chinese textbooks onto the sports field to keep studying — learning had never looked like this to them.

The pace of classes, dormitory life, being constantly swamped with questions — I could see that the American teenagers were uncomfortable, but they made a genuine effort to adapt.

However, I increasingly felt that the story wasn’t complete this way. Was there also a way to have a Huining student go to the U.S.?

Maisheng was not the type of student to bury himself in test papers and recite school slogans, but he was open with his emotions and vulnerabilities. For a documentary, this is essential. He also exemplified the survival logic of all young people in Huining, believing that “knowledge can change your fate.”

We secured Maisheng a U.S. visa, but as he prepared to leave, he grew extremely nervous. He had never flown on an airplane or even ridden a high-speed train. I reassured him that the people in Baltimore were waiting to take care of him.

introduction.jpeg
The Gilman School campus, December 2014. Courtesy of Wang Yang
Gilman School is a typical American private school. I remember its red brick buildings nestled among green trees, with lawns trimmed as neatly as a golf course. Inside its walls were professional athletics coaches, Latin classes, robotics labs — stepping stones to Ivy League universities. Outside were the city’s notorious drug problems and slums.

Classes ended at 3 p.m., with a lot of time devoted to sports. While auditing a math class, Maisheng was shocked to see nearly every student had a calculator. That was a no-no in his own school, where problems had to be worked out on paper and he would still score A-plus.

At the start of his monthlong visit, Maisheng felt that American education was easy — but he soon changed his mind. For example, James had grueling fencing classes each day on top of heavy course assignments.

I also took our Chinese student to public schools in the local area, where he witnessed chaos and poverty. Toward the end of our filming trip, we visited Washington, D.C., where he practiced tai chi at the foot of Capitol Hill.

introduction.jpeg
Wang’s camera set-up at the playground of Gilman School, December 2014. Courtesy of Wang Yang
Friends reunited

After reading more about the allegations against Luigi and rewatching my footage, I began to reflect on elite education in the U.S.

In Huining, students were fighting for survival. At Gilman, the students were fighting for excellence — and Luigi was a standout. Perhaps the education he received in essence made him a more efficient and elegant predator.

Maisheng achieved good grades and attended a maritime college in northern China before settling in Lanzhou, the Gansu capital, to work in sales. I’ve thought about asking him what impact his U.S. experience had on him, but somehow could never bring myself to do it.

James’ life has followed a more standard elite trajectory. He went on to graduate school at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology and now works in quantitative trading.

His parents were highly accomplished forensic pathologists in China before immigrating to the U.S., where they had to redo medical school and adapt to a completely new social environment. Many immigrant families are like this — the older generations shatter their lives and rebuild them from scratch so that the next generation can move forward.

When I was filming in 2014, James’ father had not yet obtained his full U.S. medical license, but the family had found its footing, and when I saw them again this year I could sense that they had climbed the class ladder. They had bought a new home and settled into a stable life.

When I met up with James in Xi’an in February, we discussed many things: his work, artificial intelligence, his parents’ health, and how the Chinese city has changed. When the conversation turned to Luigi, I could feel him wanting to avoid the subject. He had seen Luigi several times after university, the last time being in early 2023. During that meeting, James recalled sensing something different about his old friend — he seemed angrier. He wouldn’t elaborate further.

After the 2024 shooting, many media outlets tracked James down to seek an interview, but he refused. I can understand why. There are many questions that even those closest to a person can’t necessarily answer.

introduction.jpeg
Mangione looks at a half-assembled robotic car at the Gilman School, December 2014. Courtesy of Wang Yang
Seeking answers

Looking back, I feel that “Youth Dream” was not merely a comparison between different education systems, but what became of these three intersecting lives.

In conventional terms, James looks to be the model of success: a stable income, moving along a clear path. But what if someone follows a path and accomplishes everything they are supposed to — then what? A path can provide security, order, and a dependable future, but is that enough to answer all of a person’s questions about life? Success can solve practical problems, but it may not solve existential ones.

What concerns me is not who climbed higher or who came closest to the “correct answer,” but whether these young men grew into complete human beings, finding peace with themselves and the world.

While filming “Youth Dream,” I had a disagreement with a producer over the direction of the project. He asked me, “Do you still believe documentaries can change society?” I said I did. But now I understand more clearly that believing doesn’t mean you should expect immediate results. It can take many years to see a shift in how people think or see the world — and that change can be very subtle.

When I revisit that footage from the U.S., I feel as though those vivacious young men are standing before me once again — boys who genuinely loved this world and once longed for a better future.

(Due to privacy concerns, James and Maisheng are pseudonyms.)

As told to reporter Li Ruiyi.

A version of this article originally appeared in Fir Record. It has been translated and edited for brevity and clarity, and is republished here with permission.

Translator: Carrie Davies; editors: Wang Juyi and Hao Qibao.

(Header image: Visuals from Wang Yang, VCG, and the New York County District Attorney’s Office, reedited by Sixth Tone)

Boy in the Frame: The Chinese Filmmaker Who Captured Luigi Mangione

A documentary director who set out to explore the lives of Chinese and American teens revisits unreleased footage of the murder suspect when he was…

www.sixthtone.com

UAW Bureaucrats Unite With Zionist Wiener for State Bond Rather Than Taxing Billionaires

Hundreds of UAW members rally to get $12 billion research bond on ballot

https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article316251545.html

Hundreds rally to get $12… billion research bond on ballot. Will it make it? By Tarini Mehta Updated June 25, 2026 6:43 PM Students, faculty and community m Hundreds of UAW members rally to get $12 billion research bond on ballot their support for SB 895, which would place a $12 billion research bond on the November ballot. Tarini Mehta tarini.mehta@sacbee.com Ruby Kharod researches solutions to climate change at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Erika Anderson is a postdoctoral scholar at UC San Francisco harnessing molecular biology to better understand the development of diseases. Lara Schwarz studies the effect of wildfires and heat waves on public health at UC Berkeley. Early Wednesday morning, they made their way to Sacramento alongside about 200 students, faculty and community members to appeal to legislators to place a $12 billion research bond on the November ballot. Against the federal government’s massive funding cuts to scientific research, the proposed bond seeks to stabilize science funding in California by providing research grants and loans for medical, environmental and agricultural research. TOP VIDEOS “There’s a lot of uncertainty because a lot of our research is depending on federal funding,” Schwarz said. “It unfortunately makes me have to consider other alternatives than staying in academia in the U.S. (This bill) would change that by creating a funding source that ensures sustainability and the ability to continue doing this research in California.” Depending on interest rates, the total cost of the bond to California taxpayers will be somewhere between $21.5 billion and $23.4 billion, according to a legislative analysis of the bill. A bond is a type of long-term borrowing that the state uses to raise money for various purposes. The state obtains the money by selling bonds to investors and agrees to repay it, with interest, per a specified schedule. But the bond will only make it onto voters’ ballots in November if Senate Bill 895, authored by Sens. Scott Wiener, Aisha Wahab and Sasha Pérez, moves out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and wins approval on the floor of the Assembly and from Gov. Gavin Newsom. And time is running out. The last day for measures to qualify to appear on the ballot is Thursday, June 25, according to the California Secretary of State. Now, supporters of the bond are hoping lawmakers will use their power to push the deadline. At the committee hearing Wednesday, the room overflowed with supporters who queued up in the room and outside in the corridor to make public comment and emphasize the importance of the bill. Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland — who chairs the committee — noted that the “normal protocol” required a three-party negotiated deal between Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara, and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, before the bill can move forward. For now, it remains on the committee’s “suspense” calendar. “It’s critically important that we reach a three-party deal to put this science bond on the ballot,” said Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, in a statement. “Right now our state is hemorrhaging scientific talent because of the horrifying cuts made by the Trump administration, which endanger life-saving treatments for millions of families and California’s leadership on the world stage. Science can deliver miracles for Californians, but it needs stability and support.” While the deadline to get the measure on the ballot is June 25, the legislature has the ability to waive the deadline for legislative measures, the California Secretary of State said. There have been instances in past years when lawmakers have done so. In 2020, for example, Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Villa Park, authored a bill that called for a special election on five constitutional amendments to be consolidated with the general election in November — even though the ballot measure deadline had passed. The bill, which received the governor’s approval, asked the Secretary of State to bypass the Elections Code provision that requires a minimum of 131 days between the passage of a measure by the Legislature and the election it will be a part of. The window, though, is a tight one, given the Secretary of State’s other upcoming deadlines for the Nov. 3 election. Still, supporters of the science bond are holding out hope. “There is still flexibility to get this done,” said Ximena Anleu Gil, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis and vice president of UAW 4811 which represents 60,000 academic workers at the University of California. “Given how important standing up for science is for people’s lives and our economy, we are confident that it can be done.” In an email sent to union members Thursday morning, UAW 4811 leadership said the governor’s office was “interested” in the bond and Senate leadership “fully on board,” leaving only Assembly leadership yet to be convinced. The email urged members to reach out to Assembly Speaker Rivas to win his support. In a statement, the University of California — which sponsored the bill — urged the Legislature to put it on the ballot to “help save scientific research across California.” “Over the past 18 months, UC has faced an onslaught of lawsuits, investigations and threats from the federal government, including attempts to cut and freeze hundreds of millions of dollars in medical and scientific research funding,” a university spokesperson said. “SB 895 would not replace threatened federal funds, but it would provide vital supplemental long-term funding for research that drives lifesaving medical advancements, finds solutions to the world’s most pressing problems, and helps keep the nation at the forefront of scientific discovery.” The bill has 48 co-authors and strong organizational support, including from Stanford University and the California State University. It passed on the Senate floor with 29 votes in support and nine against in May. While the fate of the science bond remains uncertain, a separate initiative championed by doctors, nurses and patient advocates has qualified for the November ballot after receiving the 601,317 certified signatures it needed. If approved by voters, this measure will authorize $8.4 billion in state bonds for California-based public and nonprofit universities and medical research institutions to conduct research to prevent and cure diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease.

Hundreds rally to get $12 billion research bond on ballot. Will it make it?

The clock is ticking: June 25 is the deadline for measures to qualify for the November election.

www.sacbee.com

UAW Bureaucrats Unite With Zionist Wiener for State Bond Rather Than Taxing Billionaires

Hundreds of UAW members rally to get $12 billion research bond on ballot

https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article316251545.html

Hundreds rally to get $12… billion research bond on ballot. Will it make it? By Tarini Mehta Updated June 25, 2026 6:43 PM Students, faculty and community m Hundreds of UAW members rally to get $12 billion research bond on ballot their support for SB 895, which would place a $12 billion research bond on the November ballot. Tarini Mehta tarini.mehta@sacbee.com Ruby Kharod researches solutions to climate change at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Erika Anderson is a postdoctoral scholar at UC San Francisco harnessing molecular biology to better understand the development of diseases. Lara Schwarz studies the effect of wildfires and heat waves on public health at UC Berkeley. Early Wednesday morning, they made their way to Sacramento alongside about 200 students, faculty and community members to appeal to legislators to place a $12 billion research bond on the November ballot. Against the federal government’s massive funding cuts to scientific research, the proposed bond seeks to stabilize science funding in California by providing research grants and loans for medical, environmental and agricultural research. TOP VIDEOS “There’s a lot of uncertainty because a lot of our research is depending on federal funding,” Schwarz said. “It unfortunately makes me have to consider other alternatives than staying in academia in the U.S. (This bill) would change that by creating a funding source that ensures sustainability and the ability to continue doing this research in California.” Depending on interest rates, the total cost of the bond to California taxpayers will be somewhere between $21.5 billion and $23.4 billion, according to a legislative analysis of the bill. A bond is a type of long-term borrowing that the state uses to raise money for various purposes. The state obtains the money by selling bonds to investors and agrees to repay it, with interest, per a specified schedule. But the bond will only make it onto voters’ ballots in November if Senate Bill 895, authored by Sens. Scott Wiener, Aisha Wahab and Sasha Pérez, moves out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and wins approval on the floor of the Assembly and from Gov. Gavin Newsom. And time is running out. The last day for measures to qualify to appear on the ballot is Thursday, June 25, according to the California Secretary of State. Now, supporters of the bond are hoping lawmakers will use their power to push the deadline. At the committee hearing Wednesday, the room overflowed with supporters who queued up in the room and outside in the corridor to make public comment and emphasize the importance of the bill. Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland — who chairs the committee — noted that the “normal protocol” required a three-party negotiated deal between Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara, and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, before the bill can move forward. For now, it remains on the committee’s “suspense” calendar. “It’s critically important that we reach a three-party deal to put this science bond on the ballot,” said Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, in a statement. “Right now our state is hemorrhaging scientific talent because of the horrifying cuts made by the Trump administration, which endanger life-saving treatments for millions of families and California’s leadership on the world stage. Science can deliver miracles for Californians, but it needs stability and support.” While the deadline to get the measure on the ballot is June 25, the legislature has the ability to waive the deadline for legislative measures, the California Secretary of State said. There have been instances in past years when lawmakers have done so. In 2020, for example, Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Villa Park, authored a bill that called for a special election on five constitutional amendments to be consolidated with the general election in November — even though the ballot measure deadline had passed. The bill, which received the governor’s approval, asked the Secretary of State to bypass the Elections Code provision that requires a minimum of 131 days between the passage of a measure by the Legislature and the election it will be a part of. The window, though, is a tight one, given the Secretary of State’s other upcoming deadlines for the Nov. 3 election. Still, supporters of the science bond are holding out hope. “There is still flexibility to get this done,” said Ximena Anleu Gil, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis and vice president of UAW 4811 which represents 60,000 academic workers at the University of California. “Given how important standing up for science is for people’s lives and our economy, we are confident that it can be done.” In an email sent to union members Thursday morning, UAW 4811 leadership said the governor’s office was “interested” in the bond and Senate leadership “fully on board,” leaving only Assembly leadership yet to be convinced. The email urged members to reach out to Assembly Speaker Rivas to win his support. In a statement, the University of California — which sponsored the bill — urged the Legislature to put it on the ballot to “help save scientific research across California.” “Over the past 18 months, UC has faced an onslaught of lawsuits, investigations and threats from the federal government, including attempts to cut and freeze hundreds of millions of dollars in medical and scientific research funding,” a university spokesperson said. “SB 895 would not replace threatened federal funds, but it would provide vital supplemental long-term funding for research that drives lifesaving medical advancements, finds solutions to the world’s most pressing problems, and helps keep the nation at the forefront of scientific discovery.” The bill has 48 co-authors and strong organizational support, including from Stanford University and the California State University. It passed on the Senate floor with 29 votes in support and nine against in May. While the fate of the science bond remains uncertain, a separate initiative championed by doctors, nurses and patient advocates has qualified for the November ballot after receiving the 601,317 certified signatures it needed. If approved by voters, this measure will authorize $8.4 billion in state bonds for California-based public and nonprofit universities and medical research institutions to conduct research to prevent and cure diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease.

Hundreds rally to get $12 billion research bond on ballot. Will it make it?

The clock is ticking: June 25 is the deadline for measures to qualify for the November election.

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Unions are furious after GM replaces 1,000 workers with 50 robots
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/unions-are-furious-after-gm-replaces-1000-workers-with-50-robots/ar-AA26luQf?ref=paydayreport.com

Story by Stefan Milovanovic

Automation on the Factory Zero assembly line, …where GM builds its electric trucks | ©Image Credit: General Motors.jpeg
Automation on the Factory Zero assembly line, where GM builds its electric trucks | ©Image Credit: General Motors
More than 1,000 workers at General Motors’ flagship Detroit assembly plant were idled, many of them indefinitely, as the company installed 50 robots. The United Auto Workers (UAW) union is calling the move exactly what it appears to be: automation is displacing people.

The robots in question, known as “cobots” (short for collaborative robots), have been installed on the assembly line at Factory Zero, the Detroit-Hamtramck EV plant where GM builds its electric trucks.

The changes come as the company’s EV production faces headwinds from slowing demand and cost pressures, even as GM continues broader electrification efforts alongside its ICE and hybrid lineup.

On the line and under the hood

At Factory Zero, the cobots are now bolting body panels onto vehicles as they move down the assembly line, working alongside the people who haven’t been laid off, as per AutoBlog.

GM, however, has been careful in its framing. The company insists the machines are not replacing workers but are instead helping the plant stay competitive while improving safety and ergonomics for the remaining workers.

“We’ve been installing cobots across our manufacturing footprint as part of a broader push to bring more advanced technology into our operations,” company spokesman Kevin Kelly explained to Crain’s Detroit Business. “At Factory ZERO, we are implementing them alongside our team, helping improve safety and ergonomics, while keeping our operations flexible and competitive,” he added.

The laid-off workers are only temporarily idled, according to the company, but GM has yet to provide a timeline for their return.

United Auto Workers Local 22 president James Cotton isn’t buying any of it. To him, the cobots are about one thing: taking away jobs from union members.

The 2028 collision course

“The bigger trend of declining labor needs in the auto industry isn’t subtle. The number of labor hours required to build a single car has dropped substantially since the 1980s due to automation and efficiency gains, per industry reports.

UAW wages, though, have continued to climb. The union secured historic gains in its 2023 contract and is expected to push hard for stronger job protections in its 2028 negotiations.

Cotton has another problem with the cobots, even beyond the layoffs. He doesn’t buy GM’s claim that the machines make things safer. Robots working right next to humans, he argues, raise their own safety questions. The union has already filed grievances against the company over them.

Add to it all, cobots showed up at a tough moment for GM’s EV business. Demand has been slowing, largely because of high costs, if the American Automobile Association (AAA) is anything to go by. The company has paused production at Factory Zero more than once over the past year as a result.

UAW President Shawn Fain framed the wider stakes in more forceful terms during his speech at the UAW’s quadrennial Constitutional Convention in Detroit in mid-June 2026: “The fruits of our labor have multiplied like never before, but workers aren’t reaping the harvest,” Fain said.

“And if AI continues to be used as an accessory to that crime, it has to be stopped. It doesn’t have to be this way. In a just society, when workers create more value, they see more of the benefit,” he added.

The numbers behind the layoffs make the union’s frustrations harder to swallow as the company posted $4.25 billion in profits for the first quarter of 2026, up 22 percent from the same period a year earlier, as per Yahoo Finance.

Unions are furious after GM replaces 1,000 workers with 50 robots

More than 1,000 workers at General Motors’ flagship Detroit assembly plant were idled, many of them indefinitely, as the company installed 50…

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