Empower Workers

Every worker deserves to join or start a union, and we must create – and enforce – policies that deliver that opportunity. The federal government should be at the forefront of protecting workers, and I enthusiastically support modernizing our labor laws by passing the PRO Act.

But that’s not enough. We need to empower workers to form unions through card checks. We need to finally boost the minimum wage to $20 per hour nationally and $25 per hour in California, both of which should be indexed to inflation.

We must fight against corporate special interests pushing for a federal right-to-work-for-less law. We must crack down on union busting, wage theft, and retaliation. And we must stop state and local governments from unfairly subcontracting out public services. I won’t be a Senator who only votes for the PRO Act or checks a box. Instead, I’ll continue working with organized labor to bolster worker protections, demand answers from greedy CEOs, and enforce our labor laws.

Farmers & Farm Workers

I grew up on a small family farm, was an avid 4-H’er and Future Farmers of America member, and lived through the farm crisis of the 1980s and 1990s. I saw firsthand how Washington saved the banks but left families like mine behind. I’m dedicated to supporting California’s farming community, especially our farm workers and small-to-medium-sized farm owners. We need a Farm Bill that puts California farm families and our communities first.

That includes robust funding for food and nutrition programs and investing in the fruit, vegetables, and specialty crops that keep American kids healthy. California must continue leading the nation in production while ensuring farm safety nets in the face of climate threats and maintaining land conservation programs and forest health.

Our farm workers feed our nation and contribute tens of billions of dollars to our economy. We all benefit when farm workers are well-supported and empowered. I staunchly support more robust protections for workers in extreme weather conditions, and I’m pressing the Administration to guarantee water breaks to workers facing extreme heat. With scientists recently deeming recent heat waves “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change, it’s as urgent as ever to combat the climate crisis to keep farm workers safe and protect our food supply.

We must be clear-eyed about how consolidation in the food industry is causing higher consumer prices and worse conditions for workers. I strongly support boosting competition in agricultural production and food processing space. As the only major candidate in this race who’s never taken corporate PAC and refuses federal lobbyist money, I have no problem taking on the massive corporate agribusinesses that are pushing smaller farms out of business, hiking prices, and taking advantage of their workers.