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The Weekly Dispatch
Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area.
Welcome to El Tímpano’s Weekly Dispatch. I’m Erica Hellerstein, senior immigration, labor and economics reporter.
On Tuesday, fast food workers at an El Pollo Loco in San Jose walked off the job to protest excessive workplace heat as temperatures pushed into the 80s in parts of the South Bay.
The strike was one of several actions that California fast food workers have taken this summer to raise awareness about the unique vulnerabilities they face on the job. Alongside concerns about extreme heat, workers are also sounding the alarm about the threat of ICE worksite raids in an industry largely staffed by Latino and immigrant employees. Those fears have only intensified after this summer’s sweeping ICE raids in Los Angeles, which so far have led to more than 1,600 arrests.
The raids and threat of enforcement have left food service workers across California in a state of “extreme terror,” according to members of the state’s newly formed union representing fast food employees. These anxieties are also permeating throughout the Bay Area’s fast food workforce. At an In-N-Out Burger in San Jose, “the fear is palpable,” employee Margarita Fedorova told me. “You can feel the tension at work.”
Fedorova recently left her position at the burger chain, but recalled previous conversations in which colleagues expressed serious concerns about showing up to work amid news of ongoing immigration sweeps. “They would talk to me about how they’re feeling nervous about raids,” she said. “I heard stories of people who don’t even want to drop their kids off at school because they’re afraid that someone’s just gonna grab them. People are so upset.”
Back in Oakland, McDonald’s employees were recently shaken after spotting ICE officers outside their restaurant last month, according to Maria Maldonado, statewide director of the California Fast Food Workers Union. “The managers had to close the door and workers didn’t want to come out,” Maldonado said. “It’s been really scary. Workers are nervous.”
Their fears carry significant economic implications for California’s food service industry given the major role Latino and immigrant workers play in the labor force. According to a 2021 report by the Labor Center at UCLA, roughly 60% of California’s 550,000 fast food workers are Latino, nearly two-thirds are women, and more than a quarter are immigrants. That demographic makeup makes the workforce a “perfect target” for abuse, Maldonado told me. “Because they’re a vulnerable community.”
Issues like wage theft, unsafe conditions, and retaliation against workers who speak up against abuse were features of the industry long before Donald Trump took office. But the administration’s immigration crackdown has heightened those vulnerabilities, enunciating the challenges these workers already face.
In response to the threat of worksite raids, labor organizers are urging companies to adopt comprehensive to protect vulnerable fast food workers. In an open letter published earlier this month, union cooks and cashiers called on California fast food employers to sign onto a Constitutional Pledge to Protect California Workers’ Rights. The three-page pledge asks businesses to commit to limiting ICE access to private workplace areas without a judicial warrant, protecting workers’ privacy during immigration-related audits, and ensuring all employees’ labor rights are protected, regardless of immigration status.
In Santa Clara County, home to an estimated 26,000 fast food workers, organizers and advocates are applauding the Board of Supervisors’ recent approval of a training program that will educate fast food workers about their workplace rights. Proponents want the program, expected to be finalized later this month, to cover issues like wages and benefits, workplace safety, and anti-discrimination laws.
The county’s decision marks another victory for California’s Fast Food Workers Union. Since launching in February 2024 as the first union in the U.S. dedicated to advancing the labor rights of fast food workers, the organization has seen a number of wins, including a $20 minimum wage for California fast food employees and new heat protections for indoor workers.
Now, these workers’ growing power is colliding with the reality of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown — and employees are demanding the industry step up to protect them. We’ll be watching to see how fast food corporations, and state and local policymakers, respond.
— Erica Hellerstein
Ear to the Ground
El Tímpano’s text messaging (SMS) service reaches more than 6,000 Spanish-speaking immigrants across the Bay Area. Recently, community members have been sharing stories with us about the economic toll of job losses and reduced working hours. Here are a few of their responses:
We haven’t been able to pay this month’s rent. My husband doesn’t have a job. We were supposed to pay the rent on the 5th of this month, and we haven’t been able to come up with the money. We’re also behind on our credit card payments. We’re looking for work.
No hemos podido pagar la renta de este mes. Mi esposo no tiene trabajo. Teníamos que pagar la renta el 5 de este mes y no hemos podido reunir el dinero, tenemos los pagos de las tarjetas de crédito atrasados también. Estamos buscando trabajo.
—Oakland resident
I need help with a program for my rent because I don’t have money for my rent. That’s what I need the most right now.
Me pueden ayudar con un programa para mi renta porque no tengo dinero para mi renta. Eso es lo que más necesito ahorita.
—Oakland resident
I am looking for work. Where I am working, they are taking away my hours and days. They are only giving me two days of work, not enough for rent and food.
Ando buscando trabajo. Donde estoy trabajando me vienen quitando horas, me vienen quitando días. Me están dando nomás dos días de trabajo, no me alcanza para la renta y para la comida.
—Oakland resident
From the El Tímpano Newsroom
From the archives: Labor and occupational safety groups pressed state officials for more than a decade to enact stronger protections for workers as climate change intensifies extreme heat. California’s indoor heat protections went into effect in July 2024. Now, employers must provide workers with safeguards to reduce the risk of heat illness when temperatures exceed 82 degrees.
New workplace standards promise Bay Area fast food workers relief from scorching temperatures
After years of delay, new heat protections for employees who work indoors take effect.
Stories we’re Following
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Resource of the Week
With ongoing worksite raids and job losses, many subscribers have asked us about where to find work. Our Spanish-language resource guide provides information about employment support and career centers in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. You can check it our here.
Do you know families who could benefit from these events? We’d appreciate if you shared our guide with them and let them know they can text us any questions at (510) 800-8305.
Questions and feedback? Tips for newsroom stories? Reach out ehellerstein@eltimpano.org.
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