Jul 1, 2011California governor vetoes labor bill
Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed legislation that would have let farmworkers unionize more easily, despite intense pressure from fellow Democrats and labor allies who considered Brown their best chance in years to pass the bill.
The veto came just about one hour before midnight June 28, when the legislation would have become law.
The veto touched off an emotional scene outside Brown’s office, where about a dozen lawmakers and 100 farmworkers and supporters called unsuccessfully for Brown to come out.
In the middle of the crowd, United Farm Workers president Arturo Rodriguez took a call from Brown, telling the Democratic governor his remarks sounded a "little hollow." After getting off the phone, Rodriguez told activists in English and Spanish that Brown had vetoed the bill and that the governor had sided with agribusiness. The Sacramento Bee
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