AB 1577: Asm. McKinnor to bring leg. staff union bill back from the grave

CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: It’s our Halloween episode, so it’s an appropriate time to look at an attempt to bring a dead bill back to life!

Democratic Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor, who was elected in June to finish Autumn Burke’s term in the 62nd District, has promised to reintroduce AB 1577,  Asm. Mark Stone’s bill to unionize the legislature. The bill died in committee earlier this year after receiving substantial support from both houses. Stone is not seeking re-election, so McKinnor has vowed to bring the bill back to life. The fight is personal for McKinnor, who has worked as a legislative staffer earlier in her career.

Episode Notes:

:49 #AB1577

1:31 “What I witnessed in that committee was shameful and embarrassing”

4:05 Asm. Cooper said he wanted to help colleagues avoid a hard vote – does that make sense?

6:05 If the bill passes, which staff positions would be exempt from organizing?

8:21 The Capitol has had many #MeToo problems: will unionization help fix that?

12:11 Are there plans to revise the language in AB 1577?

14:21 Does this effort fit into a larger movement?

17:01 Some background.