A California Report 2015 Occasional Series
One out of every three working people in California is an immigrant – and their share has grown in recent decades. Our economy is shaped by these workers and entrepreneurs – 6 million people who’ve found a job in the Golden State. In our series “Immigrant Shift,” KQED and The California Report will explore the work they do, the challenges they face and the policies that affect them. How California’s immigrant workers actually fare will mean a lot for the state’s future.
The first three stories in the series air the week of July 21, 2015 on KQED's Morning Edition heard 88.5FM. They are:
Yank Sing Wages
Hourly workers are sometimes forced to work off the clock, or don’t get paid for overtime. Wage theft often goes unreported because employees are scared of getting fired. Last fall, Chinese immigrant workers at a San Francisco dim sum restaurant did something remarkable. They won $4 million in back pay – one of the biggest settlements of its kind. A fry cook who doesn’t speak English took the lead, and KQED’s Vinnee Tong asked her how she did it, and what she hopes it means for other workers.
L.A. Minimum Wage
Years of organizing paid off this spring for low-wage workers in Los Angeles when the city council hiked the minimum wage – to an eventual $15 an hour. Immigrant workers make up a large percentage of those who will benefit, but they are also among the most vulnerable to wage theft. So they’ve got their eyes on the next big question: how will the new law be enforced? Los Angeles Bureau Chief Steven Cuevas reports, while San Francisco has 6 investigators enforcing its minimum wage, LA is hiring just 5 so far… for a city five times the size.
Silicon Valley Rising
Low-wage immigrants – who cook the food, clean the buildings and provide security at big Silicon Valley tech companies – are playing a major role in a new labor movement. For the first time, many are mobilizing, helping each other unionize and getting political… in an effort to make ends meet in one of the priciest places in the state. KQED’s Silicon Valley Editor Beth Willon catches up with a janitor at eBay who decided he has to do more than punch the clock if he’s to build a life for his daughter.
KQED News and The California Report
KQED News continues to expand its efforts to cover the issues and events that are important to the Bay Area. KQED News programs include KQED NEWSROOM, current affairs specials produced in collaboration with The Center for Investigative Reporting, The California Report, Forum, 18 news broadcasts on KQED Public Radio daily and the popular blogs News Fix, State of Health, Mindshift and The Lowdown. Stories from all KQED news programs are featured online at KQEDnews.org and KQED News is active on social media on Facebook and Twitter (@KQEDnews).
About KQED
KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. Home to the most listened-to public radio station in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services and an award-winning education program, and as a leader and innovator in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas.