Victory!

63% of Voters Back Measure E

Last week, fast food worker Dilsa Gonzalez wrote "I’m hungry because I can’t afford the food I need, but I am also hungry for opportunity.” On Tuesday, Dilsa and tens of thousands of other part-time workers in San Jose won that opportunity.

Unofficial results show that 63% of voters backed Measure E: the Opportunity to Work initiative. This initiative marks the first time a policy requiring employers to offer extra hours to their current workers has been on the ballot in the United States, and it passed decisively.

This fight isn’t over. We have to make sure there's a strong implementation plan for the ordinance, so bad employers don’t simply cheat the system. And more broadly, we need to continue Silicon Valley Rising's work to build an inclusive middle class.

As the country grapples with the results from Tuesday night, this work is all the more important. Here in Silicon Valley we're showing that economic opportunity needn’t come at the price of racial equity, but that smart policies and bold movements address both. When working people, voters, women, and people of color rise up together, we drive progress.

Now more than ever we must stand strong.