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Working Partnerships

Grassroots organizing & public policy innovation for a just economy

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Thank You for Powering a Better Silicon Valley

Your contribution plays a crucial role in ensuring our success next year as we strive to create healthy and safe neighborhoods, foster just cities, and promote a vibrant democracy that benefits everyone.

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Thank You for Powering a Better Silicon Valley

Your contribution will play a crucial role in ensuring our success next year as we strive to create healthy and safe neighborhoods, foster just cities, and promote a vibrant democracy that benefits everyone.

DONATE NOW

We’re Powering a Better Silicon Valley. Join Us.

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OUR 2024 VISION

Winning Big For Working Families

Building Inclusive Democracy

We believe democracy works best when all voices are heard. This year we’re accelerating our civic engagement efforts to ensure no Santa Clara County resident is excluded from our democratic process. Since January 2024, we’ve already engaged more than 10,000 low-propensity voters in Santa Clara County about elections, corporate accountability, support for fast food workers, and public health.

But that’s not all — following the victory against big money in politics last year, we’re launching a campaign for Democracy Dollars — a tool that will empower San José residents to actively participate in local politics, even in the face of formidable corporate and real estate influences.

A Stable Home for Every Family

In the face of San José’s rapid growth, worsening poverty and income gap, and the region’s growing eviction crisis, we’re rising up for working families struggling to find affordable housing. We’re part of a growing coalition of local advocates backing a housing bond measure aimed at bringing billions of dollars towards making housing more affordable in Santa Clara County.

This is more than a campaign; it’s a commitment to building homes, preserving communities, and securing a hopeful future for all.

Fair Futures for Fast Food Workers

San José’s fast-food industry employs nearly 13,000 cooks and cashiers — 8 in 10 are folks of color, and 7 in 10 are women. These workers are vital to the billion-dollar sector, and they deserve more than a paycheck — they deserve dignity and respect on the job. 
We’re pushing for reform that ensures that fast food workers have the same rights on the job, access to full-time work and benefits, and opportunities for advancement so that they can take care of their families and look forward to better futures for themselves and their children.

Affordable Childcare for All

Picture a Santa Clara County where every child has access to affordable, quality childcare. That’s our vision. We’re fighting for affordable, quality childcare for all kids in Santa Clara County.

It’s not just about helping parents and supporting childcare workers. It’s about reducing poverty, boosting community safety, and strengthening our economy.

Join us in building the future in Santa Clara County.

Working Partnerships USA: 2023 Year in Review

2023 AT A GLANCE

OUR 2023 IMPACT

Building Inclusive Democracy

  • Reached up to 5000 community members in San José through year round civic engagement campaigns around housing and local services
  • Moved the SJ City Council to take decisive action concerning campaign finance practices, fortifying our local democracy and protecting City Hall from the influence of powerful special interests.

Driving Key Legislative Wins

  • Mobilized over 100 community members to take direct action that drove legislative wins around the city budget, wage theft, and housing justice.
  • Expanded worker protections against wage theft across all public contracts.
  • Secured a victory against real estate interest by ensuring funding for affordable housing in the city

Nurturing Thriving Futures

  • Our Trades Orientation Program (TOP) graduated 77 students now armed with the skills to embark on a journey in the construction trades, secure coveted union positions, and construct a truly fulfilling career. Since its beginning in 2015, TOP has graduated more than 605 people from its industry recognized, one-year pre-apprenticeship training program that includes individualized coaching on job search, staying on the job, and career advancement helping ensure that over 87% of TOP graduates secure placements within one-year.

Elevating Worker Leaders 

  • The Fair Workplace Collaborative program empowered 1300 low-wage workers with knowledge on wages, rights, protections, and advancement, and connected about 450 workers to legal support to fight wage theft. 
  • The Worker Power Academy, equipped 30 workers across 3 industries with the skills and awareness necessary to effectively address unlawful conditions in their workplaces.
  • The Care Workers Council, engaged  50+ care providers, Kaiser employees, and workers from diverse industries to champion improved labor standards and universal access to vital care. Earlier in the year, care workers from nine industries, both union and non-union, connected with a dozen elected representatives at a Worker Roundtable
  • Six dedicated workers received Skills to Win training, while our expanding WhatsApp group symbolizes a surge in workers uniting and backing one another.
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Finding Power and Purpose Through Community

Listen to Lucila’s story and her vision for 2024.

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Finding Power and Purpose Through Community

Listen to Lucila’s story and her vision for 2024.

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Powering Opportunity and Economic Justice

Hear from Trades Orientation Program( (TOP) alumni Ronald and Jessica about their transformative journeys.

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Powering Opportunity and Economic Justice

Hear from Trades Orientation Program( (TOP) alumni Ronald and Jessica about their transformative journeys.

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Powering Networks of Care in Silicon Valley

Leslie Rodriguez, Board President, and Nick Palka, Silicon Valley Rising Canvasser, discuss their ongoing commitment to our mission.

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Powering Networks of Care in Silicon Valley

Leslie Rodriguez, Board President, and Nick Palka, Canvasser, discuss their ongoing commitment to our mission.

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2023 Impact Report

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workingpartnershipsusa

Get Flock out of San José! Earlier this week, the Get Flock out of San José!

Earlier this week, the community showed up at San José City Hall and spoke out about the dangers of Flock Safety and demanded stronger protections for our communities against AI mass surveillance. Neighboring cities like Mountain View, Santa Cruz, and even Santa Clara County have already terminated contracts with Flock Safety’s vulnerable surveillance systems. In response to this, the City Council unanimously voted to strengthen guardrails on the technology—but the work to protect our privacy and civil liberties is far from over.

Surveillance without accountability isn't public safety, and ALPRs are just one example of how these powerful new systems are harvesting vast amounts of our data and using AI in a regulatory void. 

Mass surveillance systems threaten our fundamental rights by enabling the tracking of residents without meaningful oversight, putting immigrant communities, people seeking healthcare, and community members speaking out for change at risk.
Workplace questions? You don’t have to figure it o Workplace questions? You don’t have to figure it out alone. 

The Santa Clara County Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (@sccfairwrkplace) offers a free attorney advice line for both workers and employers. Call now to get information about compliance, local and state resources, and even make legal clinic appointments!

📞 1-866-870-7725
Congratulations to these dedicated students for co Congratulations to these dedicated students for completing the Fundamentals of Construction Training as part of their enrollment in the Trades Orientation Program (TOP)!⁠
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TOP is a free, one-year program that will put you on the pathway to apprenticeship and a rewarding career in the high-demand construction trades.⁠
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👉 Visit the link in our bio to learn more! 🔗
As we end WPUSA’s 30th year, we’re also looking ah As we end WPUSA’s 30th year, we’re also looking ahead. We brought together leaders from across WPUSA’s history to share their hopes for the organization’s future—and for the movements we support.

Our 30th year is not an endpoint, but a continuation. As you watch this video, we invite you to imagine the next chapter of WPUSA—one shaped, as always, by working people coming together to demand a more just economy and a stronger democracy.

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👉 Read about what we've accomplished in 2025. Visit the link in our bio! 🔗

#WPUSA30
Silicon Valley’s tech boom generated immense wealt Silicon Valley’s tech boom generated immense wealth, but from the start, WPUSA recognized that so many workers were excluded from that prosperity.

In this video, WPUSA leaders speak about confronting the hidden costs of innovation. While tech transformed the economy; service workers, immigrants, and communities of color faced low wages, job insecurity, and displacement. Our work continues to challenge the narrative that inequality is inevitable—and insists that policy choices mattered.

As new technologies continue to reshape work, the lessons of the past 30 years remain urgent and remind us that that the future of technology is not just about what we build—but who benefits, and who has power in shaping what comes next.

#WPUSA30
As we end WPUSA’s 30th year, we’re pausing to refl As we end WPUSA’s 30th year, we’re pausing to reflect on the moment—and the movement—that gave rise to Working Partnerships USA. 

Born in a time of rapid economic change and growing inequality, WPUSA emerged from a shared conviction that working people deserved power, voice, and a real stake in shaping Silicon Valley’s future.

In this video, leaders across WPUSA’s history reflect on why the organization was created and what it was meant to do. Their stories remind us that WPUSA was never just a response to crisis—it was a proactive strategy to organize workers, influence policy, and challenge an economic model that left too many behind.

👉Watch the full Directors Video that premiered at our Champions for Change 2025 Gala. Link in bio! 🔗
🚨 Medi-Cal changes are coming Jan. 1, 2026 🚨 Cambi 🚨 Medi-Cal changes are coming Jan. 1, 2026 🚨 Cambios en Medi-Cal llegan el 1 de enero de 2026 🚨

Don’t miss this opportunity to understand the upcoming Medi-Cal enrollment freeze and how it could impact your healthcare. Hear directly from experts, get your questions answered, and learn what steps to take to stay insured.

📅 Friday, December 19, 2025
🕕 6–8 PM
📍 Zoom Webinar (RSVP required)
🔗 bit.ly/websmedical (link in bio)

Attendance will be kept confidential, personal information will not be shared, and live Spanish interpretation will be available. Join us and stay informed—we look forward to seeing you there!

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No pierda esta oportunidad de entender el próximo congelamiento de inscripciones de Medi-Cal y cómo podría afectar su atención médica. Escuche directamente a expertos, haga sus preguntas y aprenda qué pasos tomar para mantenerse asegurado/a.

📅 Viernes, 19 de diciembre de 2025
🕕 6–8 PM
📍 Seminario web por Zoom (se requiere registrarse)
🔗 bit.ly/websmedical (enlace en la biografía)

La asistencia será confidencial, no se compartirá información personal y habrá interpretación en vivo en español. ¡Acompáñenos y manténgase informado/a—esperamos verle allí!
Jennifer from our Fair Workplace Collaborative tea Jennifer from our Fair Workplace Collaborative team is asked "why is it important to know your rights?"

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The Fair Workplace Collaborative (FWC) is a coalition of dedicated community members, organizations, labor attorneys, and small business leaders committed to combating wage theft and labor violations by connecting with the community, providing free legal aid, hosting worker and business employment/labor trainings, and legal clinics.

👉Learn more about your rights as a worker in Santa Clara County by going to the link in our bio! 🔗
💬 Shape the conversation on tech justice! 💡⁠ ⁠ We' 💬 Shape the conversation on tech justice! 💡⁠
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We're living in an era where Big Tech is using AI to surveil us, control what information we see, help ICE abduct our neighbors, allow employers to cut jobs and wages, and help landlords raise the rent.⁠
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That's why @workingpartnershipsusa, @siren_immigrantrights, and @conmijente is building a movement to fight back against the tech billionaires and their ever-growing consolidation of wealth and power.⁠
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Don’t miss the chance to learn, connect, and take action alongside others fighting for justice in the age of AI!⁠
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👉 Use the link in our bio or go to wpusa.org/fightbigtech to sign up! 🔗
Everyone deserves to feel safe where they work.⁠ ⁠ Everyone deserves to feel safe where they work.⁠
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Tomorrow, Nov 12, we’re educating businesses on how to keep their workplace safe for workers and clients in the midst of rising threats from the federal government. We’ll share resources and practical steps to keep workplaces prepared, safe, and informed during federal worksite activity.⁠
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👉 Sign up using the link in our bio 🔗
🏥 Get out the vote for Healthcare!⁠ ⁠ The special 🏥 Get out the vote for Healthcare!⁠
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The special elections are next week and one measure on our ballot—Measure A—will save our local hospitals and healthcare access for EVERYONE in Santa Clara County. We need all hands on deck to safeguard our access to critical healthcare in the wake of budget cuts stripping away essential services for our community.⁠
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Voting YES on Measure A is a vote to provide continued funding for our ambulances, emergency rooms, cancer services, maternity health, and safety net programs. We need your help to win.⁠
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This is a critical moment. Every conversation matters. Every door knocked and phone called could be the difference.⁠
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👉 Use the link in our bio or go to wpusa.org/GOTV-MeasureA to help build the future our community deserves.
Thank you for celebrating 30 years of bold leaders Thank you for celebrating 30 years of bold leadership and shared accomplishments with us at Champions for Change 2025! 💫

This past week reminded us what true solidarity in community looks like as we faced threats of ICE and National Guard deployment in the Bay Area. Our immigrant-led groups, mutual aid networks, faith organizations, and coalitions came together to provide support, training, workshops, resources, and more. The South Bay came through, and we are so proud to be part of a community that shows up for each other.

This spirit of collective action—the same spirit that protected our neighbors this week—is what we celebrated at our 2025 Champions for Change gala. Our Champions, UNITE Here President Gwen Mills, SEIU President April Verrett, California Fast Food Workers Union Director Maria Maldonado, and non-profit law firm Adler & Colvin are paving the way for more people to join unions, mobilize, and grow the movement to make even more remarkable progress for workers, immigrant communities, and movement building across the state and our nation.

We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who made this event a success—and to everyone who has stood with us over these past 30 years. Your solidarity, energy, and belief in our shared vision make everything we do possible. Together, we’ll keep building a South Bay where every worker, every family, and every community can thrive. Here’s to the next 30 years of courage, care, and collective action. 💙

This event was beautifully captured by Alain McLaughlin.
👉  Use the link in our bio or visit our Facebook page to see the full album of photos!
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WORKING PARTNERSHIPS USA
2302 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95131
P: (408) 809-2120 | F: (408) 269-0183
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