​Upholding Workers Rights

Growing out of SOMCAN’s participation in the successful Formula Retail Workers’ Bill of Rights campaign of 2014 and in response to a number of employment issues being brought forth by blue-collar working families in the SoMa, the Workers Program was formed to educate and empower vulnerable community members in the workforce.

SOMCAN’s Workers Program offers a full range of employment services, including help with job search, job training and certification, case management, and legal referrals. It also boasts a robust workers rights education component, as well as staff with English, Tagalog, and Spanish language capacities. 

Why is this important? Even when employees belong to unions, they may or may not know the purpose of the union or how to get proper representation. It makes a huge difference for a worker with limited English fluency to receive reliable and up-to-date information in his or her native language. For instance, many workers remain unaware of the annual $1 incremental raise to minimum wage over the past few years, as it reaches $15/hour by next year. (On July 1st, it goes up to $14/hour in San Francisco, per the Minimum Compensation ordinance.) 

Currently, SOMCAN is educating high school students and transitional age youth about workplace discrimination, harassment, and other violations to workers rights. While one of the program goals is to increase the local hiring of the new companies that are settling into SoMa, it is of equal importance that workers are valued, treated well, and have ample opportunities for advancement. The program actively reaches out to industry managers to inform them of their evolving responsibilities, in accordance with the law.

SOMCAN also campaigns and advocates for improvements to labor conditions and policies. A major example of this is the Formula Retail Workers’ Bill of Rights, which was established two years ago to mitigate the instability of erratic weekly scheduling. The law mandates that employees of large retail companies must receive their work schedules at least two weeks in advance and must be guaranteed compensation, even if hours are cancelled at the last minute.

To access employment-related services, please schedule an intake appointment with Andrew Rogge, Workforce Coordinator, at 415-255-7693 or andrew@somcan.org. Assistance is available in English, Tagalog, and Spanish.