Just a few days after the march to San Quentin prison, Occupy Oakland has redoubled its populist efforts, this time by joining forces with a loose confederation of labor activists — namely, union representatives from UniteHERE Local 2850 — to advocate for worker rights at the Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton. Two years ago, the club locked out about sixty staff members, including kitchen helpers, bartenders, and janitorial workers, in a dispute over health care. When club management launched contract negotiations with the union in August 2009, it proposed a new plan that would require hefty contributions from workers who’d previously not had to pay: the new fees were $366.93 a month for single policies and to $739.08 for families, which made health care unaffordable for a large swath of club employees.
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