RCRC, in coalition with local government and agency partners, has expressed opposition to Assembly Bill 2404, authored by Assembly Member Alex Lee (D-San Jose). This measure is a re-introduction of last year’s AB 504 (Reyes), which would declare the acts of sympathy striking and honoring a strike line a human right and, thereby, disallow provisions in public employer policies or collective bargaining agreements going forward that would limit or prevent an employee’s right to sympathy strike.
Specifically, this bill would allow those who have not gone through the negotiation process to refuse to work simply because another bargaining unit is engaging in striking. In rural communities, it is common to see co-location of government services to ensure remote areas are served. Public employers that bargain in good faith and have approved MOU agreements would be penalized for sharing a business space with another government employer when a non-striking worker chooses to honor a strike line of a striking, separate employer.
Our concerns with AB 2404 are consistent with the issues raised in response to last year’s AB 504 (Reyes), and are reflected in the veto message of Governor Newsom, which states, “Unfortunately, this bill is overly broad in scope and impact. The bill has the potential to seriously disrupt or even halt the delivery of critical public services, particularly in places where public services are co-located. This could have significant, negative impacts on a variety of government functions including… provision of services in rural communities where co-location of government agencies is common, and accessibility of a variety of safety net programs for millions of Californians.”
RCRC’s letter of opposition is available here. RCRC strongly suggests that counties send individual letters of opposition.
This measure passed out of the Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement on Monday, Thursday, April 17th and has been re-referred to the Assembly Judiciary Committee. For additional information, contact RCRC Policy Advocate, Sarah Dukett.