Organized Labor

by Paul Burton
Contributing Writer

Delegates to the California Labor Federation ‘s Biennial Convention in Los Angeles July 25 and 26 met to endorse candidates and ballot measures, and adopt resolutions and policy positions on organizing and political work.

Los Angeles Federation of Labor Secretary-Treasurer Maria Elena Durazo welcomed delegates to Los Angeles and said she and the labor movement would continue the work of her late husband Miguel Contreras. Durazo said that Contreras’ had changed the landscape of politics in Los Angeles in favor of working people. “We now have a speaker in the Assembly who is from labor,” she said. Durazo said that the labor movement itself would determine who was a “labor-friendly” candidate: “If you support good union jobs then you are labor-friendly. If you walk the picket line at Albertsons and if you help port truckers organize, you are labor-friendly,” she said.

“Now we are getting ready to elect a labor-friendly governor —Phil Angelides,” Durazo said. “We will not forget Arnold Schwarzenegger’s attacks on pensions, on teachers, firefighters and nurses, no matter what he says or does to try to rehabilitate itself. We will not forget and we will make sure the ones we decide are ‘labor-friendly’ are elected in November.”

California Labor Federation President Connie Leyva reminded delegates that despite several unions splitting from the AFL-CIO last year, California unions stayed united and worked together to defeat Schwarzenegger’s anti-worker ballot measures last fall. After what seems like a constant series of elections since the 2003 recall, Leyva said that people naturally want to have a down year. “We’re never going to have a down year,” she said. “We have to fight all the time. We are committed to helping others 365 days a year. The employers don’t take a day off and say they won’t violate our rights, so we have to work year-round, every year.”

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaragosa spoke about the diversity of Los Angeles and how, like the city, “The face of the labor movement has changed.” He talked about the challenges facing the city and some of the successes like the settlement of the bus drivers’ strike and new agreements between security guards and commercial property owners that would give the security guards a living wage.

Villagarosa said his proposal to take control of the L.A. Unified School District was about improving education. After months of negotiations and some controversy, most of the unions in the LAUSD have come out in support of the Mayor’s plan. Villagarosa also told the delegates, “I look forward to working with you on the governor’s race and on the Sheil Kuehl bill, which is so important. As Democrats, we have to take up the issue of health care as a right. Every person in America should have health care.”

The following day the Labor Federation passed a resolution put forward by Bay Area Labor Councils supporting Kuehl’s California Health Insurance Reliability Act, SB 840. The bill would establish a state-administered, single payer health insurance program funded through employer and employee contributions. It would consolidate Medicare, Medicaid and other government funds with payroll taxes into one public fund. It would eliminate wasteful administrative costs and use the state’s buying power to purchase prescription drugs at a lower cost.

Insurance Commissioner and Lt. Governor candidate John Garamendi put the fight against Schwarzenegger in the context of the “bankruptcy of the conservative movement.” He said that Schwarzenegger shared the conservative philosophy with George Bush to take away government assistance. “You have an actor on the path of the conservative philosophy that says don’t use government as a tool to help people. It takes away a basic human idea of helping each other. “ Garamendi offered a progressive philosophy which includes support for a universal health care system that doesn’t squander 30 percent of costs on administration, deals with developing renewable energy sources, and honors workers.

Garamendi said he had met with electricians union members who want to see more development of photovoltaic systems. “That would help boost power and deal with our energy supply and the global climate crisis. When Phil is Governor and I’m Lieutenant Governor, we’ll have the most powerful team to put forward a progressive philosophy and deal with health care, energy, and climate change.”

Featured speakers during the first day’s luncheon were several endorsed candidates for statewide office, including Attorney General candidate Jerry Brown, currently mayor of Oakland; Treasurer candidate Bill Lockyer, the current Attorney General; Insurance Commissioner candidate Cruz Bustamante, currently Lt. Governor; Secretary of State candidate Debra Bowen and Controller candidate John Chiang, a member of the State Board of Equalization.

Chiang made a strong, impassioned speech, saying that, “Regarding under-funded pensions, it’s not the worker’s portion that’s under-funded.” Chiang said that as Controller, “I will audit to make sure that drug manufacturers pay the rebates so we can get low cost prescription drugs. I’ll go after the low-bid defense contractors who don’t pay to clean up their pollution.” He said he was proud that as a member of the Board of Equalization he helped support the Justice for Janitors campaign.

Jerry Brown contrasted his candidacy with his Republican opponent who has only a five percent voting record in support of AFL-CIO issues and a zero percent rating from the Sierra Club. Brown also said he had spoken out against the Iraq War since day one. “We haven’t even begun to tally the costs of the war in lives lost and the tremendous depletion of resources from our schools, hospitals, teachers, and social programs.”

The Labor Federation’s Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski laid out some of the strategic plans for winning in November. The plans include moving a pro-worker economic agenda, winning legislation to support working families and supporting organizing efforts throughout the state. The elements of the political campaign include recruiting more volunteers through Central Labor Councils to work to get out the vote, and communicating to union members at their worksites. Pulaski said that although recent polling showed Schwarzenegger leading Angelides in the race for governor, the polls showed that, “Arnold has never risen above 45 percent. Most Californians don’t like him, and many don’t know Phil Angelides.”

Angelides was the featured speaker at the convention’s afternoon session, where he began by thanking labor for making the difference in his victory in the Primary Election. He contrasted his philosophy with Schwarzenegger’s, saying, “The governor’s agenda is as bankrupt as his Enron buddies, but we have the power of our ideas. We have the future on our side.” Angelides said that he wanted to lower college tuition costs, reduce classroom size and hire more teachers, and expand health care coverage. He said that Schwarzenegger had sided with corporate interests at every turn. “He’s brought the lobbyists out of the lobby and into the Governor’s office.”

“I’m sure you’ve seen those commercials showing me walking backwards,” Angelides said. “So let me get this straight—Arnold is afraid I’ll take California backwards, back to the time when we had the best education system, the best colleges, when you could work for 30 years and retire with a secure pension and realize the American Dream. Yes, I want to take California back to the future.”

In response to questions from union members, Angelides said he would make education the centerpiece of his administration and recruit more teachers. “What the governor did in attacking pensions last year led to a reduction in the number of young people going into the teaching profession,” he said. “We built the middle class in this country by giving more to workers, not those who already are wealthy. I will protect pensions. If he’s re-elected, Arnold Schwarzenegger will try to privatize pensions, like George W. Bush wants to do with Social Security, and leave it to the whims of the market.”

On environmental issues, Angelides said he wanted to get control of rising energy costs and promote Green Power. “I walk the walk, not just talk the talk,” he said. “The Angelides family owns three hybrid cars. The Schwarzeneggers own seven Hummers.” He said the state had a great opportunity to be a global leader in renewable energy, dealing with global warming while creating jobs. He said he supported Prop. 87 to tax oil company profits in the state and fund renewable energy development.

He noted that during the heat wave that hit the state in July, “We’ve seen our power grid maxed out, but the workers kept it going. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to rely on the same energy pirates who were fined $3.5 billion for ripping off the state.”

“I believe passionately in renewable energy and clean fuels,” Angelides said. “We can take advantage of this opportunity to develop new industries with high wage jobs. Organized labor has a great opportunity to organize the unorganized and help them lift their hopes and dreams.”

The Convention also had several workshops on worksite mobilization, health care reform, organizing retired members, leadership strategies, and communicating with union members. The first day ended with a dinner where several unions were honored for their work in defeating Prop. 75 in 2005. The International Union of Operating Engineers, United Food and Commercial Workers, Amalgamated Transit Union, American federation of Teachers, Ironworkers, Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 569, and Teamsters Joint Councils 7, 38, and 42 were recognized. Operating Engineers President Vincent Giblin said that his union would continue to support efforts to defeat Schwarzenegger.

The dinner also featured a short speech from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who spoke to delegates about the city’s groundbreaking health care initiative that covers all San Franciscans. Newsom was introduced by San Francisco Labor Council Executive Director Tim Paulson, who was one of the leaders who worked for passage of the health care ordinance. Newsom said that the measure, which calls for medium and large size employers to fund the system, could not have passed without the support of labor.

“This measure can be replicated in every city,” said Newsom. “There’s no excuse for it not to be. We don’t need any more summits like the one Schwarzenegger just held. We have six million more people without health insurance since Bush took office.”

“In San Francisco we pride ourselves on respect for diversity, including sexual orientation,” Newsom said. “It’s amazing that some Republicans are so offended by the sight of two men kissing on the steps of City Hall, but there isn’t that same outrage when children are turned away from getting health care.”

On the Convention’s second day, delegates formalized positions on the November ballot measures and endorsed candidates. All the infrastructure Bond measures were supported, as well as Props 84, 86, and 87. The Federation took no position on Prop 89, the clean money campaign initiative put forward by the California Nurses Association. While some unions back the measure, others oppose it as it would limit campaign contributions by unions as well as corporations.

The Federation also voted to oppose Prop. 85, which, like Prop. 73 last fall, would require parental notification before a minor could receive an abortion. The measure was debated and an overwhelming number of delegates voted to oppose Prop. 85. Prop 88 and 90 were also opposed. (Organized Labor will have more on the statewide ballot measures and the recommendations of the State Building Trades Council in our next issue).