A year ago, thousands of workers across California went on strike, sparking a so-called “hot summer of labor” that translated into mandatory wage increases and other state policy victories that were a notable surprise for a Democratic-controlled Legislature sympathetic to union concerns.

But as the most recent legislative session ended Saturday, labor unions, long a powerful force in Sacramento, felt a chill in the State Capitol compared to last year.

A bill to provide unemployment benefits to striking workers died before it reached Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk. A bill backed by journalists' unions to force Google to pay news organizations for content was shelved in lieu of a watered-down deal. A labor-backed proposal to support grocery store jobs and expand worker protections over self-checkouts. People on the picket line Government agencies Use of temporary contracts Attempts to replace union jobs also failed.

meanwhile, Legislation to extend deadline for hospitals to meet earthquake safety standards The bill passed both houses despite strong opposition from a range of unions, including the Service Employees International Union of California, which said it was “deeply disappointed” with lawmakers and urged Governor Newsom to veto it.

“Workers are still suffering. We missed an opportunity to improve our economy, create good jobs and ensure that the most vulnerable people are first in line to fill those jobs,” said Sen. Laura Smallwood Cuevas (D-Los Angeles), chair of the Senate Labor, Public Servants and Retirement Committee.

With the state struggling with a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, Smallwood-Cuevas, a longtime labor organizer before joining the state Legislature, is frustrated that Newsom has sounded warnings about spending in some cases but not others.

She pointed to 10 bills signed by Governor Newsom last month that would crack down on retail theft and seek state funding, and questioned why the Treasury Department opposed them. invoice Citing financial concerns, she has authored a bill to strengthen enforcement of nondiscrimination employment laws that has passed both houses of Congress and is awaiting the governor's consideration.

“It's not that workers aren't still fighting for opportunity or that this Congress has kind of calmed down,” Smallwood-Cuevas said. “The question is, what are our priorities?”

State Assemblyman Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) called his legislative record on pro-union bills this year a “bloody disaster.” His bill to consider raising the state minimum wage to include incarcerated workers was shelved last month.

“We've done so much over the past few years that at some point we just have to allow those items to be implemented and let the fight continue at the bargaining table and in the communities,” he said. “We don't have to do everything through Congress.”

A lot was done for workers in the legislature last year. Governor Newsom raised wages for workers in the fast food and health care industries, mandated more sick days for all Californians, and made it clear that employers should take steps to improve the health of workers. Ask employees if they smoke marijuana.

While Democrats lamented the weakening of pro-labor momentum amid the state's budget woes, Republicans welcomed it as a small reprieve from the state's most powerful lobbying industry: Labor unions such as SEIU and the California Teachers Association are consistently some of the biggest donors to independent spending that helps elect pro-labor Democrats.

Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) called California's labor unions the “fourth branch of government” because of the influence they have at the State Capitol.

Rep. Heath Flora (R-Ripon), vice chairman of the Labor and Employment Committee, opposed several labor-backed bills over concerns that new regulations could pass on costs to consumers or bankrupt struggling businesses.

He said Democrats were making concessions to workers' demands too quickly before the details were worked out, noting that a new minimum wage for health care was set to take effect this summer but was delayed by Governor Newsom over cost concerns.

“We got a lot last year, but some of the things we were asked to do this year were pretty aggressive. It's good to take a step back,” Flora said. “We should definitely pump the brakes.”

Still, California remains one of the nation's strongest labor protection states. Among the labor-related bills passed by the state Legislature this year are: legislation It would prohibit companies from forcing employees to attend certain meetings and provide new workplace protections for court reporters and nursing assistants.

The union also won tough reforms to a law known as the private prosecutor law, which allows workers to sue employers for alleged wage theft and other workplace misconduct.

Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Labor Federation, said the so-called Hot Summer of Labor is “never ending” and that while the union has achieved many of its priorities, there is more work to be done.

“We're going to have losses, and we're going to have a tough budget year so we're going to have a little bit more losses than normal, so we're going to prioritise moving forward,” she said. “We're going to have one of the most aggressive policies in the country at any one time.”

The real power doesn't lie on Capitol Hill, she said, but with rank-and-file workers and trade unionists across industries.

“What we've been seeing on the streets is not going to stop,” she said.