California

Workers at the Barnes & Noble store at the Almaden Plaza Shopping Center in San Jose, California, voted 90% in favor of union representation with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 5. The election concluded a monthslong campaign where workers overcame strong company opposition to join the growing number of unionized Barnes & Noble locations that include New York City; Brooklyn, New York; Hadley, Massachusetts; and Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor recently hosted a Summit on Poverty and Homelessness. Hundreds of labor, political and community leaders called for real policy change to help working families tackle the affordability crisis.

More than 135 members of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 440 have worked on a $500 million project in the Southern California desert that represents the future of energy storage. The Desert Peak Energy Storage facility houses 459 identical shipping containers stacked floor to ceiling with lithium-ion batteries, which will be enough to provide power to more than 265,000 homes for up to four hours. Once completed, the 400-megawatt (MW) project will be the largest battery storage facility in the country, replacing the Crimson Energy Storage facility, also built by IBEW Local 440.

For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is James Ikehara of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.

For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Michelle Gutierrez-Vo of National Nurses United (NNU).