Governor Newsom Signs Sweeping Labor Law Reform Protecting California Workers’ Union Rights from Federal Attacks

Release Date: September 30, 2025

Media Contact: Shubhangi Domokos, [email protected], (916) 934-6963

Governor Newsom Signs Sweeping Labor Law Reform

Protecting California Workers' Union Rights from Federal Attacks

AB 288 is the most significant labor law reform since 1935.

Sacramento, CA - (Tuesday, September 30, 2025) - California made history today when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 288into law.

AB 288, sponsored by the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO and the California Teamsters, is a landmark piece of legislation that guarantees a real right to a union for California workers, marking the single biggest victory for the labor movement since the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.

With this law in place, workers who lose coverage or are unable to get a timely remedy at the federal level can petition the California Public Employment Relations Board to enforce their right to a union.

"We commend Governor Gavin Newsom for standing up for California workers and our fundamental right to collectively bargain," said Lorena Gonzalez, President of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, representing 1,300 unions with 2.3 million members."This is the most significant labor law reform in nearly a century. California workers will no longer be forced to rely on a failing federal agency when they join together to unionize."

"AB 288 is a game-changer for workers in California, and we thank Gavin Newsom for signing it," said Peter Finn, Co-Chair of Teamsters California. "More than 70 percent of workers want to be in a union, but Big Tech corporate billionaires like Jeff Bezos are flouting federal law and trampling workers' organizing rights. With the right to organize guaranteed under state law, we can show the nation that a strong economy is built through solidarity, not CEOs' arrogance."

The signing of AB288 comes amid a push by Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Howard Schultz, and other billionaires to undermine the federal law by having the NLRB declared unconstitutional.

Decades of underfunding have made it nearly impossible for workers to get justice when through the NLRB when bosses violated their rights. This year, NLRB operations have been further hindered by legal challenges to its constitutionality and the lack of a quorum after one member was fired.

"Amazon's refusal to comply with federal orders to bargain - let alone the demands of its workforce - is all the proof we need that it's more urgent than ever to enact AB 288," said Vanessa Valdez, an Amazon Teamster at DAX5 in the City of Industry, Calif."The only way this greedy company will negotiate a fair contract with workers like me is if it's forced to."

"Gigantic multinational corporations routinely retaliate against workers, and they're usually left with no recourse after waiting for years before decisions are even issued in their cases," said Chris Griswold, Co-Chair of Teamsters California. "We have a responsibility to protect working people whenever their rights are violated. AB 288 ensures those protections are enforceable."

"I commend California for stepping up to fill the void and using its police powers to protect and safeguard the rights afforded its citizens in the U.S. and state constitutions," said Jennifer Abruzzo, General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board 2021-2025.

"AB 288 protects fundamental constitutional rights of Californians at a time when the federal government is failing." Said Catherine Fisk, the Barbara Nachtrieb Armstrong Professor of Law at UC Berkeley Law School. "It is a commonsense measure that builds on the established practice enabling unions and employers to come together under a stable and predictable set of rules to bargain collectively. And it reflects our state's commitment, enshrined in the California constitution, to protect fundamental rights of freedom of speech and freedom of association, and freedom to assemble for the common good."

AB 288 is a bipartisan bill, with both Republican and Democratic co-authors, and it passed the Legislature with overwhelming support with votes from members of both parties. Because protecting California workers is not, and should never be, a partisan issue.

AB 288 will go into effect on January 1, 2026.

For more information, or to set up an interview with Lorena Gonzalez to discuss this landmark bill, please contact Shubhangi Domokos, [email protected].

The California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO represents over 1,300 affiliated unions in California with over 2.3 million union members in trucking, retail, hospitality, janitorial, construction, health care, local and state government, education, arts and entertainment, warehousing and logistics, manufacturing, and a variety of other sectors.

Teamsters California is the united voice of 250,000 workers across dozens of industries who power the state's economy and communities every single day. For more information, go to teamstersca.org.

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