Please email and call Governor Gavin Newsom to let him know why he needs to sign AB 504, which would provide state and local government workers in California with a right to refuse to cross picket lines.

Why AB 504 is Important to the Labor Movement: AB 504 is one of the most important pieces of labor legislation for public sector workers in a generation. Unlike many other states, California already provides most public sector workers with a right to engage in collective bargaining and a right to strike. If Newsom were to sign AB 504, it would establish California’s state and local government agencies as model employers who should bargain directly with their unionized employees instead of pitting them against each other.

Why AB 504 is Important to University of California Employees, Including UC-AFT: The University of California’s anti-union practices are what inspired the California state legislature to pass AB 504.

During the strike by academic student employees represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) in Fall of 2022, UC sought to compel faculty, staff and even undergraduate students to serve as strikebreakers who would either do grading or facilitate class discussions for workers who were on strike. All faculty were told that they could be disciplined for not submitting grades for courses whose teaching assistants and graders were on strike. A handful of Unit 18 lecturers were also offered hourly wages to pick up struck work.

If the Governor signs AB 504, it would make it illegal for the UC (or any other public agency in California) to discipline or terminate any employee who refuses to do the work of people on strike. This would take away the power of the UC to pit workers against each other, and would help all unions that represent UC workers remove the prohibitions against “sympathy strikes” from their collective bargaining agreements.

This is why UC-AFT, which represents over 6,000 lecturers and 350 research librarians in the University of California system, and CFT, the California state affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, which has 80,000 members throughout the California education system, were co-sponsors of AB 504 during the 2023 legislative session, along with the Teamsters and UAW.

Which Side is Governor Newsom On? With the passage of AB 504 by the California legislature, Governor Newsom faces a stark choice: will he commit state and local governments to bargaining in good faith with their unionized employees? Or will he embrace the same strikebreaking tactics used by private employers to undermine labor unions?

Share Your Personal Story With Governor Newsom, Encourage Others to Do the Same: Please email Governor Newsom’s office telling him that he should sign AB 504. As part of your message, identify your union affiliation and explain why this issue matters to you. Use the template letter text provided or adapt it to make it your own - and please share widely with colleagues, friends, and family. When you're done, please also call the Governor's office, using information provided by UAW here: tinyurl.com/AB504Governor.