What a great month it has been for the Center for Workers’ Rights! The growth of the organization has exceeded my expectations and I am thrilled to report that we are now officially committed to providing legal services to low-wage workers as early as this August.
Our Board and Officers
Since my last email, several wonderful leaders have joined Mariko Yoshihara, our first Board member, in helping establish the Center for Workers’ Rights. At our first meeting last week, Mariko was elected Chair of the Board. Lino Pedres, currently the President of the Sacramento Central Labor Council and Vice President at SEIU United Service Workers, will assist Mariko as Vice Chair of the Board.
Our secretary, Lindsay Gold, is a graduate of UC Davis School of Law (King Hall) and a practicing labor and employment attorney in the Sacramento area. Autumn Gonzalez has agreed to serve as our Treasurer. She is a local attorney who has worked as an organizer, field representative, and counsel for several labor unions.
Additionally, Scot Bernstein and Felix De La Torre will also serve on the Board. Scot, an expert on representing employees in class actions, brings substantial litigation experience to our new organization. He is a resident of El Dorado Hills and also serves on the board of California Employment Lawyers Association.
As Chief Counsel for SEIU Local 1000, a union representing more than 95,000 state employees, Felix De La Torre has demonstrated a deep commitment to improving working conditions in Sacramento and will help the Center do the same.
Launch Plan
Over the next few months, the Center hopes to secure a physical home in Sacramento, recruit volunteers, and take other steps necessary to ensure that we are able to provide quality legal and advocacy services. With a little bit of luck (and a lot of hard work) we hope to invite you to a grand opening celebration in August.
Help Us Spread the News
If you find yourself wanting to tell all your friends and family about this great new organization called the Center for Workers’ Rights, we would welcome the help in spreading our good news. Even if you are not local to the greater Sacramento area, we’d love for you to host a gathering of your friends, family, and colleagues where we can make a short presentation about the work we hope to do for low-wage workers. We’d love for the Center for Workers’ Rights to be the topic of conversation at backyard barbeques this summer all around California! Contact me to get involved.
To the launch of the Center,
Daniela Urban
Executive Director