In the late 1930s Santa Clara County's trade unions wrestled with the AFL-West for control of the then existing central labor council.
[2] In 1987 council Executive Director Rick Sawyer persuaded then mayor Tom McEnery to negotiate an organizing agreement at the newly opened Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Jose.
[3] The agreement led to the unionization of every major hotel in downtown San Jose by UniteHERE Local 19,[4] and to a prevailing wage commitment for city contracts above $50,000.
In 1995 Dean founded Working Partnerships, USA, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to policy research advocacy and community coalition building.
In 2016, after the success and regional expansion of the 2012 minimum wage campaign, the South Bay Labor Council launched a new effort to lift the floor for the working class.
The Labor Council led the campaign to pass San Jose's Measure E, which requires companies to offer hours to their current part-time qualified workforce before hiring new staff.
The Labor Council led a large and sophisticated grass roots campaign with thousands of volunteers working to help pass the measure.
[14] After the initiative failed in City Council, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors offered the starting funds, and the program began the next year.