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Home › Our Work › Just Economy › Fair Workplace Collaborative › Fair Workplace Collaborative: Success Stories

Fair Workplace Collaborative: Success Stories

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Stories

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.

“The help that I received from the Day Worker Center of Mountain View and OLSE meant the world to me.”

“The support was amazing. I learned my rights as a worker, knowing that I have rights that need to be respected […] learning the process of the Labor Commissioner’s Office, it was not easy in learning the process. Yet I learned and I was able to receive my unpaid wages. I was able to put money aside for my daughter’s education. I know what to expect of my employer and where I may turn to if I ever have matters that need to be looked into the future. It is a blessing that places like the Day Worker Center of Mountain View, Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center, and the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement exist.”

—Mariana, Domestic Worker/Former Hotel Worker

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.

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🏥 Get out the vote for Healthcare!⁠ ⁠ The s 🏥 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!
MARCH AND RALLY IN SAN JOSE TODAY! THURSDAY, OCTO MARCH AND RALLY IN SAN JOSE TODAY!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23
San Jose City Hall, San Francisco 5PM

Trump is using the power of the federal government and the U.S. military against the American people. Trump has made it clear: he wants to tear down the Bay and California because of what we represent — our diversity, our respect and care for our neighbors regardless of where each of us was born and the spirit of resistance that runs deep in our bones. The people of the Bay Area are united and we refuse to allow Trump to divide us.

The Bay is uniting bravely to protect our loved ones because we know immigrants are our family, our neighbors, and our friends, and many of us are immigrants ourselves. This is a moment for us to come together to to show that we stand united in the Bay and will keep our families safe and whole. 

Show up. Be ready. Our neighbors are counting on us. 

Plug in using the link in our bio.
Today we gathered to honor Betsy—our friend, our Today we gathered to honor Betsy—our friend, our colleague, our labor sister, our chosen family, and forever badass. 

Betsy was a fighter for justice who never shied away from the hard battles. She taught us, inspired us, and made us laugh even in the toughest moments. She showed us what it means to stand up for what’s right with courage, humor, and an open heart. But what we keep coming back to is how freely and deeply she loved. In a world that often asks us to hold back, she loved without reservation — and we feel so lucky to have felt her love and light. 💖

As we navigate this loss together, we’re trying to honor her by doing what she did best: showing up for each other, fighting for what matters, loving fiercely, and holding space for our grief and the gratitude we feel for having known her. 

We at Working Partnerships USA send love to everyone who knew and loved her.
Do you work in production, assembly, fabrication, Do you work in production, assembly, fabrication, machining, or manufacturing, in San Mateo or Santa Clara County?⁠
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Are you willing to participate in a 1-hour confidential research interview about your experience and working conditions in that job?⁠
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The new Manufacturing Futures community initiative is looking to talk to workers like you to help us improve the manufacturing sector.⁠
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Eligible interview participants will receive $100 as compensation for your time.⁠
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👉 Sign up at the link in our bio 🔗
✨ Today is our 30th birthday! ✨⁠ ⁠ Three d ✨ Today is our 30th birthday! ✨⁠
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Three decades ago, we started with a small but mighty team and an ambitious mission. Guided by visionary leaders and driven by the passion and dedication of our team, we’ve taken on and won bold, historic battles.⁠
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Over the last 30 years, Working Partnerships USA has been at the forefront of groundbreaking policy campaigns, setting a standard for action nationwide. From launching the pioneering Children’s Health Initiative, to raising the minimum wage, to leading Gig Workers Rising, and securing the largest community-driven benefits package in San José’s history, we’ve tackled the root causes of inequality head-on.⁠
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We’ve built coalitions that fight for quality jobs, healthy communities, equitable growth, and a vibrant democracy. Together, we’re creating an inclusive regional economy where workers and neighborhoods thrive—ensuring that people of color, immigrants, women, and low-income residents have an equal voice and share equally in our region’s prosperity.⁠
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And we’re just getting started! With your support, we will continue this fight for justice and equity for years to come, paving the way for future generations.⁠
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Celebrate our 30th anniversary with us! Join us at our Champions for Change 2025 Gala at the link in our bio 🔗⁠
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#WPUSA30 #C4C25
🌟 Honoring Gwen Mills at Champions for Change 2 🌟 Honoring Gwen Mills at Champions for Change 2025 🌟⁠
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We’re thrilled to announce our next Champion honoree: Gwen Mills, International President of @unitehere—a union representing nearly 300,000 hospitality workers across the U.S. and Canada. In April 2024, she made history as the first woman to lead the union.⁠
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Her leadership guided UNITE HERE through the pandemic, one of the most challenging periods for the labor movement, and has since helped organize 89,000 new workers—making it one of the fastest-growing unions in the country.⁠
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Time and again, UNITE HERE has been a critical partner in our work here in Santa Clara County. Together, we've worked to build the local power necessary to create good jobs, protect workers' rights, and ensure that economic growth benefits everyone in our community.⁠
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Join us on October 17 to honor Gwen Mills’ determination and celebrate 30 years of powering progress in the South Bay, as we come together in community for an evening of connection, recognition, and renewal.⁠
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👉 Use the link in our bio to get your tickets today! 🔗⁠
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#C4C25 #WPUSA30⁠
🌟 Honoring Adler & Colvin at Champions for Chan 🌟 Honoring Adler & Colvin at Champions for Change 2025 🌟⁠
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We are especially thrilled to announce our next Champion honoree, Adler & Colvin, a San Francisco-based law firm that has been dedicated exclusively to serving the nonprofit sector since 1982.⁠
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Their mission goes beyond legal advice: they're committed to ensuring their clients have the tools and resources to stay resilient when facing uncertainty and adversity, and to resist the intimidation and fear that can threaten civil rights and democracy itself. ⁠
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In today's challenging climate, Adler & Colvin’s work is more critical than ever as they help organizations navigate uncertainty while building the local power necessary to shape our shared future and protect the progress we've made.⁠
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Join us on October 17 to honor Adler & Colvin's contributions and celebrate 30 years of powering progress in the South Bay, as we come together in community for an evening of connection, recognition, and renewal.⁠
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👉 Use the link in our bio to get your tickets today! 🔗⁠
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#C4C25 #WPUSA30⁠
🌟 Honoring Maria Maldonado at Champions for Cha 🌟 Honoring Maria Maldonado at Champions for Change 2025 🌟⁠
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At this year’s Champions for Change 2025 Gala, we honor Maria Maldonado, Director of the California Fast Food Workers Union (CAFFWU, @cafastfoodunion), as a Champion for her tireless leadership and impact.⁠
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Maria has been at the forefront of historic wins for fast food workers, including a $20/hr minimum wage and the creation of the groundbreaking Fast Food Council, which brings workers, government, and industry together to improve conditions for over 500,000 workers statewide.⁠
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Everyday, her advocacy empowers fast food workers to take direct action, building power for the largely immigrant, women, Black and Latine powered workforce. Everyday, Maria fights to rewrite the rules of an industry that has taken advantage of its workers for too long.⁠
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Join us on October 17 to honor Maria Maldonado’s commitment and celebrate 30 years of powering progress in the South Bay, as we come together in community for an evening of connection, recognition, and renewal.⁠
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👉 Use the link in our bio to get your tickets today! 🔗⁠
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#C4C25 #WPUSA30
🌟 Honoring April Verrett at Champions for Chang 🌟 Honoring April Verrett at Champions for Change 2025 🌟⁠
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For this year’s Champions for Change 2025 Gala, we are especially thrilled to recognize April Verrett, President of @seiu_org, as one of our honored Champions. ⁠
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As the first Black woman to lead SEIU in its 103-year history, April has transformed a union representing nearly two million workers across healthcare, caregiving, public services, janitorial, and food service sectors.⁠
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We're honoring her for her fearless determination to rewrite the rules of work in America, building a movement that puts power back in workers' hands and rejects the notion that anyone should struggle on poverty wages.⁠
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Join us on October 17 to honor April Verrett's leadership and celebrate 30 years of powering progress in the South Bay, as we come together in community for an evening of connection, recognition, and renewal.⁠
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👉 Use the link in our bio to get your tickets today! 🔗⁠
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#C4C25 #WPUSA30
In a unanimous vote, San José city leaders moved In a unanimous vote, San José city leaders moved forward to ban federal immigration agents from hiding their faces during operations and require them to clearly display identification.

This is more than policy—it’s protection. When masked officials roam our streets, families live in fear of kidnappings, secret raids, and forced disappearances.

Lucila Ortiz, WPUSA's Political Director told @telemundo48 that our city must act where the federal government won’t—to defend people who sleep with anxiety, who fear leaving their homes, and whose lives depend on transparency.

Captions translated by WPUSA
💪✨ September is a time to celebrate and honor 💪✨ September is a time to celebrate and honor labor—the workers who keep our communities strong and whose efforts have shaped so many of the protections we rely on today.⁠
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That’s why earlier this month, the Fair Workplace Collaborative hosted our “Labor Day Event” where we shared resources and a Know Your Rights Workshop. The workshop created space for community members to learn about their rights in the workplace and to connect with others who share the commitment to justice on the job. By bringing people together to share knowledge, resources, and solidarity, we not only honored the history of labor struggles but also equipped our community with the tools to carry that work forward.⁠
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We’re grateful to everyone who joined us and helped make this workshop a powerful reminder that knowing your rights is the first step toward protecting them. ❤️✊
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2302 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95131
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