2003-2007:
When TUWU was known as YWU
Prop L: Minimum Wage Increase in San Francisco
We launched a minimum wage campaign and WON!! Proposition L established the strongest minimum wage in the history of the United Stated at that time.
Measurement F: Paid Sick Leave Ordinance
On November 7, 2006, we won Measure F, the paid sick days ordinance in collaboration with a community and labor coalition. This was the first time we lobbied for our own initiative at the SF city hall. Thanks to the efforts of the community and workers, we made history!
HCSO
We advocated for and won passage of the Universal Health Care Ordinance, known as the San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance (HSCO). The HSCO requires some employers to spend a minimum amount of money every quarter of the year on their workers’ health care.
2019:
Small but mighty team
Burger King victory
In 2019, TUWU organized workers across 5 different Burger King franchise stores to earn back their stolen wages! They led direct action, held a press conference and fought to win their case. We want to recognize the role of Legal Aid at Work (LAAW) and our allies, for supporting Burger King workers.
In 2022, a California court ordered two prominent Burger King franchise owners to pay $2.2 million for wage theft involving over 200 employees. The ruling follows claims that the franchisees failed to pay minimum wage and denied overtime. The court’s decision emphasizes the importance of protecting workers’ rights and ensuring fair compensation in the fast-food industry, reflecting ongoing efforts to hold employers accountable for wage theft practices.
YWU to TUWU
In 2020 TUWU was going through an organizational transition to update our name and shine after 17 amazing years of work as a worker center! In 2020 our home, San Francisco, had gone through so many changes and so had our organizing community – from our members to cultural ideas of what it means to be a “young worker”. The “young” part of Young Workers United no longer fits our organization and we were excited to embark on a journey to update our name and logo!
2020
UndocuFund
In 2020, co-founded UndocuFund SF, amongst many more worker organizations, to provide critical aid to undocumented workers who were not receiving any state and national relief funds during a pandemic. Many of the workers in the city of San Francisco are workers who work in low-wage or temporary jobs, lacking access to Paid Sick Leave or unemployment benefits.
UndocuFund-SF raised over $2.8 million to support undocumented children, families and communities in San Francisco who were impacted by the pandemic or had lost their jobs.
Safety Net for All
In 2020 we joined the Safety Net for All Coalition, a coalition of over 120 immigrant and worker rights organizations across California fighting for a Safety Net for All, demanding unemployment benefits for workers who are excluded from the Unemployment Insurance Program (EDD)
Today, TUWU is Safety Net for All’s fiscal sponsor and co-presidents of the Coordinating and Organizing Committee and a part of the Communications Committee. TUWU supported the development of a ‘delegades’-centered decision-making structure that allows workers from different organizations to be in the forefront of the Coalition.
2021
BAEWA
The Bay Area Essential Workers Alliance (BAEWA) was formed in 2024 after surveying over 1,400 workers about the impact of COVID-19 on their lives in 2020 under the Bay Area Workers Agenda. Born out of the San Francisco Progressive Workers Alliance (PWA), BAEWA advocates for low-wage, immigrant, undocumented, and essential workers, pushing for better jobs, fair wages, benefits, and the right to organize without retaliation.
As TUWU, we joined BAEWA in conducting surveys to more than 1,400 workers on the impacts of COVID-19 had in their lives. At the end of these surveys, platforms were created to reflect the demands of low-wage workers in San Francisco: A Safety Net for All, changes toward good jobs, prosperous wages and benefits, and the right to organize without retaliation.
BAEWA is made up of organizations including Chinese Progressive Association, Trabajadores Unidos Workers United, Filipino Community Center, Mujeres Unidas Y Activas, Filipino Advocates for Justice, and Mission Action, Mission Accion. Together, we fight for the rights and dignity of essential workers across the Bay Area.
2022
California Coalition for Worker Power (CCWP)
TUWU joined the California Coalition for Worker Power, a statewide coalition fighting for SB497: the Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Act, that would protect workers who speak out to defend their rights against retaliation in their workplace.
2023
CCWP SB 497 – Anti Retaliation Bill
TUWU members lead advocacy efforts within CCWP and advance an anti-retaliation bill that protects workers who defend their rights in the workplace.
TUWU Bridges San Francisco and Oakland
TUWU members lead advocacy efforts within CCWP and advance an anti-retaliation bill that protects workers who defend their rights in the workplace.
2024
TUWU’s New Vision and Mission
We welcomed the Year of the Dragon in 2024, by sharing TUWU’s NEW mission, vision, and principles. A vision that represents TUWU’s collective hope for a Bay Area that has an organized immigrant working-class community that challenges economic injustice and transforms workplaces and the region; A mission that strives for the dignified recognition of immigrant working families and aims to enable working-class communities to lead fights to take on workplace exploitation, as well as guiding principles that support in building resilience and discipline in our movement.
TUWU Oakland
TUWU establishes a member base in Oakland.
Fast Food Franchise
Subway San Francisco: TUWU members take on their shop to address wage theft and become a part of a major Bureau of Field Enforcement (BOFE) case.