1982 Pride at Work, a constituency organization for lesbian and gay unionists, founded. 1988 CalOSHA, cut by an anti-worker administration, is restored by popular vote. Proposition 97 passes after an alliance between labor, environmental and civil rights groups. The Alameda and South Bay Labor Councils submit resolutions to the California Labor Federation urging pro-worker immigration reform. The policy is adopted by the AFL-CIO in 1999, and 20,000 workers pack the Los Angeles Sports Arena in April 2000 to testify for a new amnesty.
Workers still face a hostile administration dedicated to rolling back hard-won rights.
The state's first Ergonomic Standard is codified as result of effective legislation program and membership involvement. The Wilson-dominated Industrial Welfare Commission rescinds daily overtime pay. The attack on workers' voices reaches its high point in the Wilson-led, out of state financed Proposition 226. Labor unites to turn around the election and surprise conventional wisdom by defeating 226 overwhelmingly. California's minimum wage is raised to the second-highest in the nation following a campaign by the Federation and community allies before the Industrial Welfare Commission.