Organized Labor

In the six years I have been writing these columns they have touched frequently on the relationship between Building Trades unions and the African-American community, usually in the context of “local hire.” This has been inevitable. The African-American community must be a source of workers for the Trades. The Trades must be a source of opportunities for the African-American community. And the future of the Trades in San Francisco is where the present of the African-American community is, and where its future should be, in the Southeast of the City.

As with anyone with a family history of almost four centuries on this continent, my ancestry is complex. I have good reason to believe some of it is African-American. But this part of me is not at all a part of my appearance and I was not raised among African Americans nor have I shared their experience. I am a white guy trying to reason his way publicly through a relationship between races that has bedeviled this country since its very origins. But I have known I had to try. The Trades and the African-American community are too important to each other for me not to try.

In trying, I have risked being clumsy, and I have been clumsy. I have known I could not anticipate all the well-justified sensitivities of the community about which I was writing. Members of the African-American community whose opinions I value have told me I have appeared insensitive sometimes. I have known I might. I have hoped for forgiveness, and for ears open to my ideas despite my clumsiness. I ask for that forgiveness now.

I stand and have always stood for the fullest access for all communities to careers in our Trades. I have on many occasions publicly acknowledged the ugly history of the San Francisco Building Trades concerning racial and ethnic minorities. I believe and have always argued that this history obliges us to special efforts to bring members of those formerly excluded minorities into our ranks. I have disagreed with some advocates about how best to achieve this. They have argued for percentage-based mandates; I have argued for improved access to apprenticeship. As their advocacy has heightened, I have disagreed more strongly. But let us all be honest here: To so persistent a challenge, no one has a perfect solution.

I have obligations to the present members of the Trades, most of whom are now also members of minorities. Some are African-Americans who moved from the City in search of a nicer home they could afford, a better school for their children, room for a few fruit trees, even a decent grocery store close by. How does “local hire” help them? Unemployment among African- Americans is high. Unemployment among the Trades is high. Why are we fighting with each other for a limited number of City-funded jobs? Let us say instead together to those politicians who vote so often against work: Cut the nonsense; yes, development must be made to serve many needs, but your job is to make it work, and then we can work.

And let us say together to them: Give us a comprehensive approach to preserve our working-class San Francisco communities. Give us better schools with wrap-around services. Give us hands-on learning for our young people but with a strong academic side so they have a full range of possible careers. Get grocery stores into our neighborhoods. Make sure both families getting started and families moving up can find homes here. Help us establish adequate child-care facilities. Help provide ways that those who have made mistakes in their lives can follow to make new lives.

We do have a “local hire” law now. I will continue to argue that it is deeply flawed, but this is no argument against the African-American community. It is an assessment from years of knowledge of the construction industry that the law will not achieve what it wants or what the community wants. In time my assessment will either prove true or not. Meanwhile I would never encourage anyone to break or skirt the law. And meanwhile I will work on real ways to help African- Americans into our Trades.

When I worked with the tools, I was happy to work beside many African-Americans who were true craftsmen, because together we were doing good work of which we could together be proud. When I ran work, I prized these craftsmen in my crews, asked for them when I knew they were available, kept them as long as the work let me. This is no bull. Talk to Iron Workers who worked with me or for me. Let them tell you.

And so I know well that the African-American community will excel in producing craftsmen – and craftswomen – given the opportunity. It always has, when given the opportunity. In the Trades, that opportunity comes through apprenticeship. I stand for this: Access to apprenticeship, support through apprenticeship. After apprenticeship, craftsmanship speaks for itself. The craftsmanship of African-Americans speaks clear.