Union Members Give Candidates Primer on Labor Issues

Candidates for local office heard from union members at a candidate orientation meeting organized by the San Mateo County Central Labor Council and Building and Construction Trades Council August 20 at the IBEW Local 617 union hall in San Mateo. About 40 candidates for City Councils, School Boards and Special Districts attended.

The Labor Council’s Political Director, Trish Suzuki, explained the process for candidates winning the endorsement of organized labor.

As in past orientations, candidates were given a primer on labor issues from local labor leaders and union members. The Labor Council’s Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Shelley Kessler, explained the role of the labor council as a coalition of 110 unions representing 70,000 workers in the public and private sectors.

SMCLC president Linda Gregory added that the Labor Council expects candidates and elected officials to be accessible and be sensitive to the issues of union members. “We are hoping that you’ll seek out and meet with the unions that have a primary interest in your City or School District—those that have a stake in the policies you’ll implement, including the building trades unions,” she said. “Talk to us; we want to hear from you before we read about an issue or policy in the newspaper. In turn, we’ll be a good source of information for you.”

SMCLC Community Services Director Rayna Lehman talked about the Labor Council’s work in providing assistance to union members with re-training, re-employment, and partnering with the United Way and Second Harvest Food Bank programs. “We care about affordable, quality childcare for workers, linking education with job opportunities and union apprenticeship programs, and helping the uninsured get access to quality health care,” she said.

Lehman said that health care reform was a front burner issue for labor with the new administration in Washington, D.C., committed to health care reform, and labor pushing for a public option that would bring down costs. “Health care costs are crushing families, businesses, and government,” she said. “We need accessible, affordable health care.” She said the County’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Health Care was working on funding for a program that would provide health insurance to the uninsured.

Addressing the candidates by speaker phone from Sacramento—where the Assembly was in session—Assemblymember Jerry Hill said he had a long relationship with organized labor. “San Mateo County is a labor county,” Hill said. “Unions set the standard for the quality of life we enjoy in the county and enable people to earn a living wage.”

Hill said elected officials represent not only the residents who elected them but also those who work in the cities and school districts. “It’s your responsibility to make sure labor is treated fairly, with respect,” he said. “Give them notification when an issue is coming up. You’ll find that the workers have great ideas because they are on the front lines; labor is part of the solution. Work with and partner with the unions and that will benefit your constituents and the quality of life in the county.”

Labor Council vice president Eddie Raymond said that another priority for the labor movement this year is passage of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). The EFCA would give workers the choice of whether to unionize through a card-check, majority sign-up process or through an election administered by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). It would also mandate that contracts are enacted quickly and that employers would be fined for delaying contracts or interfering in the election.

Raymond described the current NLRB election regime as unfair and easily manipulated by employers who don’t want their workers to gain union representation: “Imagine that if in your campaign your opponent had access to all your constituents eight hours a day, but you had to go to each voter separately. Then your opponent could delay the vote and stop people from voting for you. And if you were still able to win election, you wouldn’t be able to take office. That’s what we face now under the NLRB elections.”

“We have a unique moment in our history to pass labor law reform with a Democratic majority in Congress and a president who understands that unions are key to rebuilding the middle class,” Raymond said. “We need your help as candidates and elected officials to contact legislators in DC to support the Employee Free Choice Act, and to pass resolutions in support, and seek out good employers who would sign on in support of the EFCA.”

The candidates were given the opportunity to learn more about specific labor concerns through a series of break-out sessions focused on education, building trades, and the public and private sectors.

Education

Candidates heard about concerns of teachers from American Federation of Teachers Local 3267 president Melinda Dart, right, and Jerry Reed, AFT 1421, second from right.

In the education sector discussions, high school teacher Jerry Reed of the American Federation of Teachers Local 1421, and elementary school teacher and AFT Local 3267 president Melinda Dart talked about disparities in funding between school districts, the impact of charter schools and vouchers on public education, and the need to enact progressive taxation to fund public education and repeal the two-thirds vote requirement for the state legislature to pass a budget.

Reed pointed out that teachers had already agreed to a 2 percent pay cut to save jobs and are now faced with having to pay more out-of-pocket for health care—up to $4,900 annually for family coverage. He said even though schools in the district were high performing, teachers’ salaries would still be cut. Budget cuts will also increase the student-teacher ratio from about 20 to 1 to 27 to 1 as programs and classes are being eliminated.

Dart said, “We are fighting for our jobs and for our students’ programs.” She said teachers’ pay should not be tied to students’ scores on standardized tests. She urged the candidates to use their positions as elected officials to advocate for fully funding education. “We can’t continue to be ranked 47th in education spending,” she said. “Public education makes our cities better and makes people more employable.”

Reed said that proposals for vouchers—using public funds to help pay for a students’ private school education—and charter schools were a drain on public education funding. “Charter schools should allow collective bargaining and be accountable,” he said. He said they should be held to the same standards as public schools and be required to serve all students regardless of special needs status or limited English proficiency.

Private Sector

Doug Jones, SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West, Eddie Raymond, IATSE Local 16, Rich Hedges of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 101, and Riddhi Mehta, UNITE HERE Local 2, talked to candidates about concerns of private sector workers.

Union members representing private sector workers talked about the challenges to organizing, the negative effects of Big Box stores like Wal-Mart, and issues in the airline and hotel industries.

Eddie Raymond reminded the candidates that many of their constituents were employed in the private sector, including some for companies with contracts for services like waste collection. “Unionized workers in the private sector are very involved in their communities,” he said. “Because of their union contracts, they have time to volunteer; they don’t have to work two jobs to get by.”

Riddhi Mehta of UNITE HERE Local 2 urged the candidates to support unionization through the majority sign-up, card-check process. “A company that does not oppose the union and allows card check avoids strife,” she said. “One way to avoid that is to encourage developers of hotels to allow a card check election for the hotel workers.”

Engineers and Scientists Local 20 member Levin Sy told the candidates that, “You have a critical role to play to make sure that developers who build hotels or hospitals allow union elections to take place through card check and without interference.” He added that unions expect that candidates and elected officials who are endorsed by labor will support workers, attend rallies and visit picket lines, and speak up on behalf of labor.

Sy pointed out that the county’s largest employer, United Airlines, has made moves to relocate their maintenance facility. He asked the candidates to work to make sure that the largest aircraft maintenance facility on the west coast stays in San Mateo County. “It means a lot to workers, and union members will vote for you if you fight to keep jobs here,” he said.

Doug Jones of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers-West said many of the privately run hospitals in the county are trying to cut staffing levels, wages, and benefits, saying that in tough economic times, they can’t afford to give raises or maintain current levels of health insurance coverage. “But many of them are doing quite well,” he said. “They have misplaced priorities. They are able to pay lawyers to string out contract negotiations, pay high CEO salaries and pay off shareholders.” He said the union would continue to fight for higher standards of care and safe staffing levels.

Rich Hedges of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 101 said that elected officials should resist selling land to big box stores like Wal-Mart for potential sales tax revenues. “Wal-Mart pays low wages, uses sweatshop labor and kills locally-owned businesses through predatory pricing,” he said. “We ask that you help us to keep them out of San Mateo County.”

Building Trades

Bill Nack, SM Building Trades Council Business Manager, talked about project labor agreements, prevailing wages, pre-qualifying contractors, and union apprenticeship programs.

San Mateo County Building Trades Council Business Manager Bill Nack, Plumbers Local 467 Business Agent Mike Swanson, and Operating Engineers Local 3 Business Representative Craig Thompson of spoke about project labor agreements, prevailing wages, pre-qualifying contractors, and union apprenticeship programs. Nack said that the San Mateo County Building and Construction Trades Council includes 26 unions representing 16,000 highly skilled men and women.

“Government has influence in deciding policies that govern development—which development will be built, how to enforce project labor agreements, prevailing wage laws, apprenticeship requirements, and occupational health and safety standards,” Nack said. “Eighty percent of what you will deal with relates to land use and projects; and those projects require skilled workers.”

“We work to educate developers about why it makes good business sense to use union labor,” Nack said. “We provide a foundation for future skilled workers through union apprenticeship programs.”
Nack said that union apprenticeship programs “are the foundation for the next generation of skilled union workers. They create middle class jobs that pay well and enable workers to contribute to the economy.”

Public Sector

Left to right: Sharon MacAleavey, AFSCME Local 829; Riko Mendez, SEIU 521; and Linda Gregory, AFSCME Local 829.

Representatives of the Service Employees, AFSCME, and Firefighters unions talked about issues for public sector workers, including the impact of state and local budget cuts, contracting out of public sector work, and consolidation of fire departments in the county.

Firefighters Local 2400 political director Tony Slimick explained that firefighters operate under 12 different memorandums of understanding in the County with various fire protection districts. He said the union supports a County-wide fire department to streamline services and eliminate duplication of services. “Fire departments are set up according to city boundaries but that is not efficient,” Slimick said. He said the consolidation wouldn’t cost jobs but would put more firefighters on the streets.

Sharon MacAleavey of AFSCME Local 829 said that despite negative reports in the press about public sector workers’ pensions, the average CalPERS pension is only about $2,000 a month. She said employees had worked with managers to come up with efficiencies to save money and made sacrifices in several cities.

Riko Mendez, Political Director for SEIU Local 521, said that the 60,000 workers the union represents from San Mateo to Bakersfield are facing tough times because of budget cuts. He pointed out that contracting out of public sector jobs does not save money. He said when a private company makes a low bid it is based on low wages, and replacing good jobs with low paying jobs with less benefits has a negative effect on the community and the economy. “It’s a race to the bottom,” he said. Mendez pointed out that in many cases the contract employees are not as skilled as the public employees and that, “We can come up with better ideas for savings. We look at budgets and work with agencies and have the institutional knowledge and experience. Most of the time contracting out is not necessary.”

Linda Gregory reminded the candidates to be accessible and communicate. “You can, as an elected official, talk to the unions and the workers and listen to our concerns, even if the City Manager says you can’t,” she said. “We want to be able to give our input so your decisions will be more sound.”

After the break-out sessions and presentations, the Labor Council’s Political Director, Trish Suzuki, explained the process for candidates winning the endorsement of organized labor. SMCLC president Linda Gregory told the candidates to wage serious campaigns. “If you are endorsed by labor, we can offer people power but also need you to participate—take part in our phone banking and precinct walks,” Gregory said. She asked the candidates to remember the positions they take and be faithful, and accessible, adding that “We consider labor’s relationship with elected officials to be a partnership based on mutual respect and a common interest in improving conditions for our communities.”

Candidates were interviewed Aug. 31 to Sept 2 and endorsements were made at the Labor Council’s Sept. 14 delegates’ meeting.

- Paul Burton