Organized Labor

Innovative Design Ties Contemporary Elements to Original Historic Building 

By Paul Burton
Contributing Writer

Construction of the new Contemporary Jewish Museum is on schedule and will be completed by the end of the year, according to Mike Banska, Project Manager for CJM Plant Construction, the General Contractor. The new facility features an adaptive re-use of the former Jessie Street Power Substation on Mission Street across from Yerba Buena Gardens, with a radical design by architect Daniel Libeskind, in a joint venture with WRNS Studio of San Francisco.

Rally at Valley Power also Protests Unfair Labor Practices

Community supporters, craft union allies, and elected officials rallied alongside Operating Engineers Local 3 at Valley Power in San Leandro November 5. Members of OE 3 have been picketing the facility since July, protesting the company’s unwillingness to honor the union wage and benefit contract in place for decades before Valley Power North, Inc., took over the San Leandro shop in September 2005 from Stewart and Stevenson.

New Facilities Will Help Serve the Educational Needs of the Chinese Community

By Paul Burton
Contributing Writer

The development of a new City College Chinatown campus moved closer to reality Oct. 19 when the Board of Trustees approved the Environmental Impact Report and design for a proposed tower for the campus. The Board voted 6-1 to okay the EIR and design of two new buildings – a 13-story, 172-foot tower at the northeast corner of Kearny and Washington streets, and a 5-story building at Columbus and Washington. The Board also voted 7-0 to exempt the tower from city zoning laws, which call for a maximum height of 65 feet in the Chinatown neighborhood.