Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World Highlight

Silicon Valley was an environmental hazard, with workplace injury rates twice as high as they were in general manufacturing, mostly because of the prevalence of toxic chemicals.17 As members in an environmental justice coalition with local liberals (including a smattering of homeowners), labor organizers could pursue pro-worker ends without triggering the union alarms at the AeA. The Santa Clara Center for Occupational Safety and Health formed thanks to the efforts of three women: Robin Baker, Amanda Hawes, and Pat Lamborn, only one of whom was a production worker. The group leveraged new nationwide concerns about how pollution was affecting American families to lobby for safer labor practices.