Last month, California state Senator Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) introduced Senate Constitutional Amendment 7 (SCA 7), the Right to Organize and Negotiate Act, which gives all Californians “the right to join a union and to negotiate with their employers,” among other changes.
An SCA can be introduced at any time during the legislative session and allows the Legislature, with a two-thirds vote in both the Assembly and Senate, to put a proposition on the primary ballot (March 2024). This will allow the state’s voters to approve or decline a change to the California Constitution.
As a former state senator, allow me to prognosticate on this legislation’s progress over the next few months. It’s scheduled for its first hearing on June 14, Flag Day, with the Senate’s Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee. Having previously served on this committee, I can guarantee that it will easily pass, as three of its five members, Senators Cortese, Durazo, and Laird, are co-authors of this constitutional amendment….