Volume 22, No.2 FeBRuARY 2017

PRST STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDLOS ANGELESCA. Permit NO.

31327

By Ron MilleRExecutive Secretary

Whoever says elections don’t have con-sequences is an idiot. The real problem is that some elections are designed to get as few voters to participate as possible.

Those are the dangerous ones.On March 7, your livelihood and that of

your union brothers and sisters is at stake in an election no one’s heard of.

So, my message here is to ask you to get informed about this election. And

then, to vote against Measure S, the job killer.

Measure S is on the March 7 Los An-geles City ballot, which is open only to voters who live in the city of Los Ange-les. Many other cities vote March 7 too (check the list on p. 7). But the most important measure anyone will vote on that day is Measure S, and every Build-ing Trades local union member and their family needs to know that S will threaten their jobs.

To make a long story short, a bunch of people in Los Angeles who care more about the view from their homes than jobs for hard-working men and women con-

spired to place S on the ballot. Originally, their aim was to put it on the November 2016 ballot. Then they realized, “Hey, it’s

Vote AgAinst MeAsure s

SEE no on S PAGE 3

On March 7, vote No on Measure S in the City of Los Angeles. All the Building Trades projects above,completed or under construction, would not exist if Measure S had been in force or if it takes effect.

Members of Building Trades unions call for a No vote on Measure S on the March 7 ballot.

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an important presiden-tial election year. Turn-out will be huge. They’ll vote against us.”

A bigger bunch of voters tends to be more aware of the issues, and more representative of the will of the people. And in fact, California turnout in November was a very high 75 per-cent. The voters passed a much better measure called JJJ, which will provide affordable hous-ing and labor standards on projects all over the city.

So the anti-job folks did what the rules allow, and they moved their Measure S election to what I call “mystery election day.”

Election Day Is March 7That’s Tuesday, March 7. Local elec-tions in Los Angeles are held in the odd years—the “off” election years. That means they are almost guaranteed to have low turnouts. In 2015, turnout was a dismal 16 percent.

The turnout was so low that the City Council has decided to start holding elec-tions in the more popular even years.

But the 2017 local election is the last holdout. And when the anti-job forces moved the ballot measure, they used

that election date as a weapon.

Their weapon is low turnout. When just a few voters show up, a lot of bad things can happen. That’s how the city of Bell became a national scandal. Bell became a charter city—allowing it to pay skyrocketing sala-ries to corrupt bureau-crats—in one of these “forgotten” elections. We in the Building Trades have worked hard to change the laws and force important

measures to appear on the ballots where people actually vote.

On March 7, a tiny minority will try to turn back the clock in LA with Mea-sure S. Measure S will make it impos-sible to build most of the major projects the Building Trades are now working on. Much of the construction downtown, in Hollywood, in west Los Angeles, in south LA, would be banned by Measure S.

Right now, we’re building the Acad-emy Museum at Wilshire and Fairfax. That would have been a Measure S target. The planned $1 billion Reef in south Los Angeles? No, thanks to Measure S. The gleaming Ten Thousand tower in Century City, which the Trades just proudly com-pleted? The cutting-edge Emerson Col-lege on Sunset Boulevard, which won the Q Award for quality union construction in 2014? Under Measure S, all those jobs and opportunities would have been lost.

Who is coming into Los Angeles, our home, and stealing our jobs?

The answer is, it’s the people who hope to steal this election by assuming that working people and our allies are not paying attention. That they can have another back-room, closed-door election for the few. That they can win, and they can make us lose.

Don’t Steal Our JobsBut they don’t know us. Maybe they don’t know that we are phone banking, precinct walking and reaching out to vot-ers in our neighborhoods.

And on March 7, we will be voting. Los Angeles is our city, and we’re not going to lose in our own front yard. The Building Trades headquarters building on Beverly Boulevard just west of down-town has been here since 1952. Those of you who visit us know that—it’s show-ing its age. But our older building also proves that we have been here for many decades. We were in Filipinotown before it became “Historic Filipinotown.” We’ll be here for decades to come. We are from Los Angeles, and we build Los Angeles.

If you are a Los Angeles resident, ed-ucate yourself on Measure S and make sure you’re registered to vote. Vote by absentee ballot, or check your polling place and set a time on Tuesday, March 7. A tiny, angry group is not going to kill our jobs.

From ThE ExEcutIvE SEcrEtary

Building Trades News is published monthly by the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council.

PublisherRon Miller

editorial directorAnne-Marie Otey

senior account executiveBarry Garfield

contributing WritersLeslie Berkman, Robert Buscemi, Beige Luciano-Adams,

Karen Robes Meeks, Mark Edward Nero

contributing PhotograPhersSarah Hadley, Kenneth Johansson, Victor Posadas,

Mark Savage, Ty Washington

art directorCynthia Tan

los angeles/orange counties building and construction trades council

1626 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026 P 213.483.4222 • 714.827.6791 • F 213.483.4419

“Building Trades News” is a member of the International Labor Communications Association, AFL-CIo.

Change of address: Union members, please contact your local.

officers of the council

Ron Miller, Executive Secretary

Anthony Gazzaniga, President

Eric Brown, Vice President

Ronald Sikorski, Trustee

Richard Whitney, Trustee

Luther Medina, Trustee

Sergio Ramos, Sergeant-at-Arms

council affiliates

Heat & Frost Insulators Local 5

Boilermakers Local 92

Bricklayers Local 4

Electrical Workers Local 11

Electrical Workers Local 40

Electrical Workers Local 45

Electrical Workers Local 441

Elevator Constructors Local 18

Operating Engineers Local 12

Iron Workers Local 416

Iron Workers Local 433

Iron Workers Local 509

Laborers District Council

Laborers Local 300

Laborers, Gunite Workers Local 345

Laborers Local 652

Laborers Local 1309

Laborers, Plaster Tenders Local 1414

District Council 36 Painters & Allied Trades

Drywall Finishing Local 1136

Glaziers Local 636

Tradeshow & Sign Crafts Local 831

Painters Local 1036

Resilient Floor Local 1247

Civil Service Local 1991

UA Pipe Trades District Council 16

Plumbers Local 78

Steam & Pipefitters Local 250

Plumbers Local 345

Plumbers & Fitters Local 398

Plumbers & Fitters Local 582

Road Sprinkler Fitters Local 669

Sprinkler Fitters Local 709

Plumbers & Fitters Local 761

Plasterers-Cement Masons

District Council

Plasterers-Cement Masons Local 755

Plasterers Local 200

Cement Masons Local 500

Cement Masons Local 600

Roofers & Waterproofers Local 36

Roofers & Waterproofers Local 220

Sheet Metal Workers Local 105

Sheet Metal Workers Local 170

Teamsters Joint Council 42

Teamsters Local 848

Teamsters Local 952

Teamsters Local 986

From ThE ExEcutIvE SEcrEtary

Ron MilleRExecutive Secretary

no on SCoNTINuEd From PAgE 1

INSIDEBUILDING TRADES NEWS

1, 16 vote against Measure s on March 7It will kill 12,000 jobs a year and cost the LA economy $2 billion

4 local hire taKes off at laxAgreement with Building Trades Council brings new careers into reality for residents

5 Watch out, congress is coMing for Your JobAnti-worker legislators introduce dangerous bills; members get ready to fight back

7 March 7 elections: KeY endorseMentsNo on S, Yes on H and the full election calendar for LA County

9 celebrating a successful WorK site AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust honors workers at C3 Culver Pointe in Culver City

14 froM the state building trades PresidentUnions have brought us the quality of life we have today

4

By KaRen RoBes MeeKs

When Deborah Flint saw local construc-tion workers greet her at the Midfield Sat-ellite Concourse North worksite on Jan. 18, the Los Angeles World Airports CEO couldn’t wait to shake their hands.

“All of you that are here today are a sym-bol of the important partnership we have to create great jobs, great opportunities and great careers in life as a result of the im-portant mission of Los Angeles World Air-ports,” Flint said to members of Building Trades local affiliated unions before taking photos and chatting with them individually. “Hopefully you are loving the work you are doing here at the airport.”

Local hiring is the key component of a Project Labor Agreement forged between LAWA and the Los Angeles/Orange Coun-ties Building and Construction Trades Council.

In recognition of the size and complexity of the work at LAX, LAWA entered into a PLA to ensure skilled labor availability and labor stability and to maximize inclusion through a 30 percent local worker partici-pation objective and community workforce development system.

Flint spoke about the importance of Project Labor Agreements, including the one that covers an estimated $14 billion in modernization projects at LAX over the next six years, considered the biggest pub-

lic works program in the city’s history. “They set the stage for everyone to have

mutual understanding and cooperation,” she said. “And time and time again, proj-ects have been built safely, with great co-

operation, great participation and no labor disruption.”

Projects under the airport’s PLA include the airport’s Landside Access Moderniza-tion Program, a $5.5 billion facility that

will include a 2.25-mile automated people mover that will link three airport stations to Metro light rail and other transit options.

With billions of dollars of projects com-

LocaL Hire Takes off aT LaX$14 Billion in Airport Projects offers opportunity

LA CITY NEWS

Los Angeles World Airports CEO Deborah Flint greets Building Trades union members including Rene Romero, right, of IBEW Local 11.

SEE LAX PAGE 12

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NATIONAL BUILDING TRADES NEWS

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Jeff Flake’s badly informed call for the repeal of the federal Davis-Bacon Act is a shining example of a politically tone-deaf maneuver backed by discredited research and misguided special in-terest groups.

Flake has introduced SA 39, a bill to elimi-nate Davis-Bacon prevailing wages on feder-ally funded highway and bridges, and on any transportation infrastructure.

And on Feb. 1, a national “Right-to-Work” bill, HR 785, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by longtime mouthpiece for anti-union construction contractors, Congress-man Steve King (R-Iowa). This legislation is designed to lower workers’ wages, shut down unions, and maximize CEO profits.

“Right-to-work” laws thrust the government into the middle of labor-management negotia-tions. They eliminate “union security” clauses in collective bargaining agreements, which simply require workers who benefit under an agreement to pay their fair share. “Right-to-work” laws even allow an individual worker to avoid paying a dime for the cost of taking up a grievance on their behalf. Yet the union still has a duty to represent the worker.

“Right-to-work is wrong,” said Robbie Hunter, President of the State Building Trades of California. “It is wrong for workers and em-ployers, and is simply un-American.”

On a national level, the State Building Trades and local Building Trades Councils urge mem-bers to call their U.S. Representative and urge

them to vote “No” on HR 785. Senators need to vote “No” on SA 39.

It does not matter if a Representative is Dem-ocratic or Republican, Hunter said. “No matter their party affiliation, they need to hear from the voters of their district that we will not tolerate this, not now nor at any point in the future.”

With Sen. Flake’s bill to repeal the federal Davis-Bacon Act, he aims to cut the wages of American construction workers, both union and non-union. Equally absurd is the fact that Senator Flake is calling for a wage cut at the exact moment when some areas of the U.S. construction industry are having a difficult time attracting new workers. Cutting wages will not be the way to attract new workers.

“Senator Flake must be living in an alterna-tive universe,” said Sean McGarvey, President of North America’s Building Trades Unions.

“First off, he is completely oblivious to the political undercurrents relating to blue-collar economic anxiety that propelled Donald Trump into the White House. And secondly, he pos-sesses a warped sense of empathy when he believes that wages of $17.37 and $15.49—which are the current Davis-Bacon prevailing highway construction wages for a Backhoe Operator and Laborer, respectively, in the state of Arizona—are simply too high for taxpayer-funded construction projects.”

At those wage rates, these workers would earn, respectively, roughly $35,000 and $31,000 annually. Not exactly a king’s ran-som, especially when both of those incomes are roughly 150 percent of the federal poverty level for a family of four.

And this holds true for the Laborer whose Davis-Bacon wage is $8.50/hour in Texas, or

the Painter making $11.94/hour in Florida, or the Concrete Finisher making $15.58 in New Mexico, or the Iron Worker making $14.22/hour in Arkansas.

“When people like Senator Flake suggest that savings of as much as 10 percent on public-ly funded construction can be realized through the repeal of prevailing wage laws,” said Mc-Garvey, “then it must follow that construction wages will have to be reduced by as much as 50 percent. The reason for this is that on public construction, 20 percent of labor costs are blue-collar labor costs. So, that Backhoe Operator in Arizona would need to have his or her wages reduced to $8.70 an hour, and the Laborer would have to have his or her wages cut to $7.80 an hour in order to achieve the savings that Senator Flake touts.

“And this is especially disconcerting for our nation’s military veterans, where recent research has shown that prevailing wage stat-utes greatly improve economic outcomes for our nation’s military veterans, and that attacks on prevailing wage, such as what is being pro-posed by Senator Flake, disproportionally hurt the hundreds of thousands of post-9/11 veterans who are returning to the workforce, including the tens of thousands who have transitioned into careers in the construction industry thanks to our Helmets to Hardhats program.”

Senator Flake’s posture on this issue is that of another slick politician who traverses the talk-show circuit spouting policy proposals that

anTi-Worker congress THreaTens Trades JobsCall representatives to Vote No on ‘right to Work’ and repeal of Prevailing Wage

The anti-worker nightmare has begun in the 115th Congress. See p. 15 for a list of Representatives to call.

SEE CALL ConGrESS PAGE 15

7

los angeles countY

FEBrUArY 28Burbank

MArCH 7

34th Congressional District (replacing US rep. Xavier Becerra)AzusaBell BellflowerBeverly HillsClaremontCovina

GardenaGlendoraHuntington ParkLa Canada FlintridgeLa MiradaLa VerneLakewood

los angeles citY: PriMarY, council districts 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15Building Trades endorse: Councilman Gilbert Cedillo, District 1Councilman Bob Blumenfield, District 3Councilman Paul Koretz, District 5 7th District: No current

endorsement Councilman Curren Price, District 9Councilman Mike Bonin, District 11 Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, District 13Councilman Joe Buscaino, District 15 Mayor: Eric GarcettiCity Attorney: Mike FeuerLos Angeles City Measure S: Would kill 7,000 Building Trades jobs a year. Vote No.Los Angeles City Measures M, N and P: No current position

los angeles unified school district board of education: districts 2, 4 and 6Building Trades endorse:Monica Garcia, District 2Steve Zimmer, District 4 District 6: No current

endorsement

los angeles coMMunitY college district: trustee seats 2, 4 and 6Building Trades endorse:Ernest Moreno, District 4 District 2 and District 6: No current endorsement

Manhattan BeachMonterey ParkNorwalkPalos Verdes EstatesParamountPasadenaPasadena Unified School Districtredondo Beach: Vote No on Measure C redondo Beach Unified School DistrictSan DimasSan FernandoSan GabrielSignal HillSouth El Monte

South GateWest HollywoodArcadia Unified School District Special ElectionAPrIL 4

Glendale CityGlendale Unified School District Glendale Community College DistrictInglewood CityInglewood Unified School District

APrIL 11BurbankCerritosMonroviaVernon

APrIL 18 Compton PasadenaArcadia Unified School District Board of Education

MAY 16Los Angeles City runoff redondo Beach runoff

JUNE 6Compton runoffCity of Industry

JUNE 13Inglewood runoff

BUILDING TRADES ACTION

ELECTION CALENDAR: WINTER/SpRINg 2017march 7 Is Election day for Los Angeles and many Cities

aRe you RegisteRed to vote?

CheCK at:https://www.lavote.net/vRstatus

los angeles countY Measure h:

sales tax for hoMeless services

and Prevention

VoTe Yes

Measure H would levy a quarter cent sales tax for 10 years in order to fund mental health services, substance abuse treatment, health care, education, job training, rental subsidies, emergency and affordable housing, transportation, outreach, prevention and supportive services for homeless children, families, foster youth, veterans, battered women, seniors, the disabled and other homeless adults.

los angeles citYMeasure s:

construction ban

VoTe no

Measure S is a recipe for recession in Los Angeles. It will ban most building projects for two years and possibly longer. It will cost 12,000 jobs a year, 7,000 of them in construction. It will take $640 million in wages from workers each year. It will cost the local economy $2 billion a year.

The Building Trades endorse, above, Monica Garcia and Steve Zimmer for LA Unified School District Board of Education.

The Building Trades endorse for LA City Council, Mitch O’Farrell.

The Building Trades endorse for LA City Council, Paul Koretz.

The Building Trades endorse for LA City Council, Curren Price.

9

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LA Building Trades Ad.indd 1 2/13/17 2:04 PM

By RoBeRt BusCeMi

With the project ahead of schedule, Jan. 12 was the right date for the AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust to throw a worker appreciation lunch for 125 skilled Trades hands at the emerging all-union C3 office building in Culver City. C3 is being funded by the BIT with pension money from Building Trades affiliate unions, on the condition that all labor be union.

By its June 2017 completion date, the enterprise will have generated 1.25 mil-lion work hours for the Trades. After com-pletion, maintenance on the grounds will be done all union as well.

That finish date was in fact moved for-

aT Union siTe, afL-cio Honors Trades Workers C3 at Culver Pointe Is Ahead of Schedule for June Completion

LA COUNTY NEWS: CULVEr CITY

SEE C3 PAGE 10

Building Trades union members share a laugh and lunch at the worksite in Culver City. Randy Kinder, AFL-CIO ITC vice president.

10

ward from an original target of August, since crews are operating ahead of sched-ule on the seven-story high-tech structure with its 280,000 square feet of customiz-able workspace.

Ron Miller, Los Angeles/Orange Coun-ties Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary, said that that kind of legendary Trades efficiency enhances a client’s bottom line. “The fact that this building is ahead of schedule is due to your efforts, your superior training

and your dedication to your craft,” Miller told the workers. “Success stories like this help me sell the idea of top craftsmanship bringing efficiency to projects, which helps investors make money. So thank you very much for that, and keep up the good work.”

Lynn Fieldman, vice president of con-struction and labor relations for BIT, himself a 42-year veteran of IBEW, said Trades quality always pays off in the end. “We’re told this project is three months

ahead of schedule,” Fieldman said. “That’s living proof that you can make money by hiring union. And that’s good news for all the pension funds and ev-eryone who’s invested in this. This area has been hot for us. We had the Pasadena Playhouse Plaza, we’ve got the Los Feliz Apartments and we’ve got this project. Always 100 percent union.”

Ground Broke Last JuneThe project broke ground June 22, 2016, at 5800 Bristol Parkway, on three acres just east of the Westfield Culver City shopping mall. It includes a 1,000-car ga-rage connected to the office building by two pedestrian bridges.

Culver City Vice Mayor Jeffrey Coo-per said the area will benefit. “I just want to say thanks to all the workers from the Trades for your hard work on this proj-ect,” Cooper said. “I’m happy we can sup-ply lots of work for you, but also to know that what you’re creating will supply lots of jobs here in the future. So thank you on behalf of Culver City.”

IDS Real Estate Group senior vice pres-ident Dave Saeta said he couldn’t be hap-pier with the crews’ efforts. “I’m pleased

to report that the rumors that this project is ahead of schedule—and also below bud-get—are actually true,” Saeta said. “And that is no small accomplishment. The very best craftsmen are union craftsmen, and my hat is off to all of you for all the great work that you do on this project.”

Jill Russell, West Coast managing di-rector for PNC Realty Investors, said the Trades excel at modern design. “You are building the structure of the future, with the newest, most energy-efficient infra-structure. We respect the work you do and admire the unique skills and knowledge that you possess.”

The BIT takes union pension funds and turns them into union construction jobs, while creating impressive returns. Pen-sions fuel union projects, creating union jobs and a stream of revenue back into future pensions, while also training to-morrow’s labor force through world-class apprenticeships.

As AFL-CIO ITC senior vice president Randy Kinder put it, “The BIT is fueled by union members like you. We invest your pension money into projects around the country that put your brothers and sis-ters to work, and also get a great return, to make sure you get a great retirement.”

taking Pride in Building rightBusiness representative for Painters and Allied Trades DC 36 Ernesto Toscano said that Trades workers take deep satisfaction in being the best. “Things are built right when everything is built union,” Toscano

C3CoNTINuEd From PAgE 9

Photos by

MARK SAVAGE

Council Executive Secretary Ron Miller.

“You can make money by hiring union,” says Lynn Fieldman, vice president of construction and labor relations for the AFL-CIO BIT.

Aaron Cendejas, 41Operating Engineers Local 12Apprentice

“I’m in the middle part of my ap-prenticeship. They really give you the tools and the classes to help train you and make you more aware of the equipment and how it works. I like the benefits, and the way we have each other’s backs. This is a dangerous industry, and everyone has to look out for each other. When people don’t, that’s when bad things can happen.”

Jaime Velasquez, 41Cement Masons Local 600Journeyman

“I’ve been a journeyman for 15 years, and I just started on this project three weeks ago. I’m liking it a lot. I enjoy the work that we do. It’s always a learning experience. It helps me take care of my family, helped me buy a house. I take pride in my work. I’m proud to be a Cement Mason in Local 600.”

glenn Shorten, 50IBEW Local 11general Foreman

“I’ve been with Local 11 for 30 years. My crew here is exceptional. They’re all handpicked, and I’ve had a lot of these guys for a long time. They’re very productive, and we’re doing a lot with a very small crew. It starts with our training. Our apprenticeship is top notch. They learn all the skills they need at school, so when they come out here on the job, they’re ready to go.”

Nick Ward, 41Iron Workers Local 433Field Superintendent

“I’ve been in since 1999. Being a union Iron Worker means good benefits, good people, fun work, the outdoors. On this job we’re using high-tech gear as far as rigging steel. For a lot of our steel, we don’t have the option of using cranes, so we’re having to use a lot of rigging and hoisting to get our steel in position.”

C3 features two pedestrian bridges between offices and a parking structure.

“Thank you on behalf of Culver City,” says the city’s vice mayor, Jeffrey Cooper.

11

said. “We take pride in that. Our appren-tices learn things right from the very be-ginning. These workers build with pride, because they know what they’re doing.”

Business agent for UA Local 78 Plumb-ers Scott Pearson said that keeping one step ahead of technological advances is

crucial. “Plumbing has changed so much throughout my career, and even in the last ten years,” Pearson said. “So a job like this is challenging, but they’re highly

skilled guys, and they can conquer any-thing that’s put in front of them.”

UA Local 250 Steamfitters business representative Gus Torres agreed. “I’m impressed with the quality, and I under-stand they’re ahead of schedule,” Torres said. “But that’s what you get when you hire union labor. It starts with our appren-ticeship program. They learn all the new technology that comes out.”

IUPAT Glaziers Local 636 business

agent Sammy Alvarez said he was glad to hear that Trades crews were exceed-ing expectations and beating deadlines. “A building like this is a reflection of the skilled Trades out here,” Alvarez said. “To be three months ahead of schedule means tenants can get in quicker. The crafts I rep-resent are drywall, glass, floor and paint, but in talking to the superintendents and general contractor, they welcome all the skilled Trades, because the job becomes

so much easier for them. It goes up faster, cleaner and more efficiently.”

BIT has existed since 1988, investing more than $6 billion in over 200 real es-tate transactions, earning an average an-nual return of 8 percent and generating 7 million union construction hours and thousands of permanent jobs.

Scott Pearson of UA Local 78 Plumbers.

David Saeta of IDS Real Estate Group.“You are building the structure of the future,” says Jill Russell of PNC Realty Investors.

Lee Koedyker, foreman, UA Local 398 Plumbers & Fitters.

Randy Wilcox, 57SMART Local 105general Foreman

“My crew is very impressive on this job. Really sharp, really productive. We stay in school, and we stay on top of all the computer programs and all the architectural programs. Everything is done by computer—the building is built by computer before it’s actually built. So whatever the architects are using, we have to stay sharp on it.”

Daniel Navarrette, 33UA Local 78plumbers Apprentice

“I’m starting the second year of my apprenticeship, and it’s all going good. It’s very challenging, but I like it all. I like plumbing, period. And the union offers a brotherhood. It’s like a family. My teachers are great. They show you a lot, and they’re there to help. They don’t complain when you ask questions.”

Clyde Jeffries, 54UA Local 709Sprinkler Fitters Foreman

“Today I have five guys in this build-ing and two in the garage. I’ve been with Local 709 for 20 years. Fire sprinklers save lives. That’s our motto. So I love what I do. I take pride in what I do. My son’s a Sprinkler Fitter too. We do a lot in LA County and across the nation. And union is the way to go. There’s a big difference between union and non-union. We get a pension and benefits, and we do the job right.”

Eric Hernandez, apprentice with UA Local 709 Sprinkler Fitters.

First-year Local 709 Sprinkler Fitter apprentice Richard Rollice prepares to cut a piece of pipe with a cut-off saw.

12

ing down the pipeline and the local worker participation goal, the need for a skilled and trained workforce is critical, said Dan-iel Sloan, director of labor relations and general manager of Parsons Constructors Inc.

“One thing that’s become important as LAWA looks forward to its multi-billion dollar access modernization program is to make sure we have the construction craft workforce to meet the demand that will be created, not only from this multi-billion dollar construction program at LAWA but the region’s other big projects, like the new

NFL stadium in Inglewood,” Sloan said. “We’re going to have a huge demand for construction craft workers.”

Enter the HireLAX Program, which con-nects residents to an apprenticeship-readi-ness program offered by various agencies and using a Building Trades-approved cur-riculum.

Parsons Constructors Inc. is the airport’s PLA administrator. “We’re extremely proud of the positive impact the PLA at LAX is having for the local labor force,” Sloan said. “HireLAX provides an oppor-tunity for residents from the communities surrounding LAX to participate in the con-struction of the airport’s capital improve-ment program, in turn maximizing local economic benefits and generating numer-

ous positive community impacts.”Parsons matches program graduates

with contractors and local Building Trades unions.

“Then we have the wonderful result we saw here today—successful community members who have started their construc-tion careers as union apprentices,” Sloan said.

Flint was especially happy to see women on the job site.

“When we look at transportation and how they’re underrepresented, it’s really special when I can see firsthand the women that are involved in creating and redefining LAX as the best, most modern world-class airport,” she said.

One of the women Flint met with was In-glewood resident Monica Brogdon, a first-year apprentice for the International Broth-erhood of Electrical Workers Local 11.

Brogdon wanted to transition out of be-ing a small business owner and enter a Trade that would help her become a con-tractor.

“I knew it was one of the most challeng-

Moving LA Forward

Phase 1 of the Metro Purple Line Subway Extension, constructed by Skanska-Traylor-Shea JV

LAXCoNTINuEd From PAgE 4

Donniel Richard of Laborers Local 300, above, works on demolition and excavation.

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Inglewood resident and first-year IBEW Local 11 apprentice Monica Brogdon.

Los Angeles resident Joel Castro, 32, a first-year apprentice with the IUPAT Local 1247 Resilient Floor, entered the Trades after losing two retail jobs when companies went out of business. “I had to re-evaluate myself and think about what’s going to really benefit me in the long run,” he says.

13

ing fields, and in order to be an Electrician, you have to have an understanding of all of the Trades because you start from the base up,” she said. Including all is a top priority for LAWA, Sloan said.

“It’s making sure we not only have the craft manpower to meet the high demand, but also a local workforce that is reflec-tive of the diversity of the community,” he said. “It’s a key priority for how we hire at LAX.”

The economic impact to the area sur-rounding the airport will be tremendous, said Mitchell Ponce, business agent for Iron Workers Local 433.

“A lot of people here don’t have oppor-tunities and what Building Trades and Iron Workers do is offer those opportunities to come into our apprenticeship program and have a career in the Building Trades with us,” he said.

Inglewood resident Antonio Vidales, 23, a first-year apprentice with Local 433, en-tered the Trade because he wanted more opportunities than what his former job as a catering supervisor could offer.

“I did my research to see where I could

expand and construction was it,” he said. “The best part is not being far from work. I hate traffic.”

Los Angeles resident Joel Castro, 32, a first-year apprentice with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 1247 Resilient Floor, entered the Trades af-ter losing two retail jobs to companies that went out of business.

“I had to re-evaluate myself and think

about what’s going to really benefit me in the long run, and retail wasn’t going to do that,” said Castro, one of 10 siblings. “If I have to start all over, it will be in something with more security.”

Jeffrey Lasher, COO of M.S. Rouse, a longtime commercial flooring company, said he’s been impressed by Castro’s work.

“He’s done nothing but good things in the four months he’s worked for us,” Lash-er said.

Local hiring is something his company

has been doing for 30 years, Lasher said.“It’s our mission to reach out to people in

the local area, to give them a hand up and make a better living,” he said.

Castro said he enjoys the work he is do-ing.

“I see this opportunity as a golden ticket because it gives me something to come to work for, something to look forward to,” he said. “Every day, I come to work and give 110 percent. It’s only going to better myself and my life.”

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Inglewood resident and Iron Workers Local 433 first-year apprentice Antonio Vidales.

“We see here today successful community members who have started their construction careers as union apprentices,” says LAWA CEO Deborah Flint.

Jeffrey Lasher, COO of M.S. Rouse, a commercial flooring company, says he’s impressed by ap-prentice Castro’s work.

IBEW Local 11 apprentice Anne Crawford at the Southwest Terminal.

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By RoBBie hunteRPresident, State Building Trades Council

As we begin 2017, preparing to continue the long and never-ending quest to main-tain and improve the financial well-being and quality of life for California’s Building Trades workers and their families, it is an appropriate time to reflect on our history of struggles and accomplishments.

Let’s remember the terrible conditions workers were forced to endure until the relatively recent past, and how the rise of unions in the 1930s helped pull our nation out of the Great Depression, and then to unprecedented economic prosperity in the decades following World War II. Millions of American workers brought this progress

about with tenacious and unflagging unity.Looking back at the way things were

before unions enables us to see clearly the great dangers we continue to face if we ever lose our resolve and our unity. His-tory proves that many in the wealthy ruling class, if left to their own devices, will hap-pily sacrifice the quality of life, economic well-being, the health and safety, and the very lives of working people if it pads their profit margins.

Before unions, wages were so poor that workers considered themselves lucky if they could afford an occasional decent meal for their families. The rest of the time they lived on scraps. There were no mini-mum wage laws, so employers paid as little as they could. In fact, some operators paid workers not in cash but in company scrip, redeemable only at the company store. “Work for nothing or starve.” That was the choice.

appalling conditionsLikewise, there were no limits on the hours a worker could be forced to endure. There was no law mandating an eight-hour day or 40-hour week. So workers contributed vir-tually every waking moment of their day, 16 hours or more, seven days a week, with-out meal or rest breaks or overtime pay.

Conditions were appalling. Workers were commonly sickened, injured and even killed by their workplaces. There

were no laws mandating health and safety standards. Dangerous conditions and haz-ards were the norm.

There were no restrictions on child labor. Children were expected to work alongside their parents as part of the deal for a job; in mines, fields, mills and everywhere else their labor could reap extra profits for the owners.

Workers Force changesThere was no thought of providing health care for workers. When workers got sick, there was no sick pay or medical care. If someone became too sick to work, they were simply discarded. There was no job and no paycheck; no way to stay alive.

In fact there was no safety net of any kind. There were no pensions, no social se-curity, unemployment insurance or work-ers’ compensation.

None of this changed until the Great De-pression arrived, and workers forced the changes by organizing and forming unions, acting in unity to elect public officials who listened to their voices.

The election of President Franklin Dela-no Roosevelt in 1932, and the launching of the New Deal policies in the years that fol-lowed, inaugurated the period of the great-est improvement for quality of life for the greatest number of workers. It is no coinci-dence that this was the time of great union ascendancy, giving workers an effective

political voice.What followed were the first child labor

laws, the minimum wage, the Social Secu-rity Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act to ensure living wages and hours for work-ers. Unions got the federal Davis-Bacon Act and state laws passed to assure area prevailing wages for construction work-ers on public works projects. That was followed by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, to ensure workplaces didn’t threaten the lives and health of the people working there. Workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance laws followed.

This was also a time of massive, un-precedented investment in public works projects, allowing workers to make a liv-ing wage building the Hoover Dam, the Golden Gate Bridge and other projects that continue to serve us well almost a century later.

Here in California in recent years, we have accomplished even more, making workers and their families even more se-cure, and workplaces and communities safer and less hazardous.

This progress can be sustained only by a never-ending quest by determined work-ing people, who are united in their mission never again to allow the wealthy ruling class to condemn us to lives of poverty and misery. We must never allow this unity and determination to weaken. Our children and grandchildren are counting on us.

Building Trades’ Mission To iMproveWorkers’ QualiTy of life ConTinues in 2017

FROM THE STATE BUILDING TRADES PrESIDENT

15

screw American workers. In this case, the cost to taxpayers does not go down, it just gets taken out of the pockets of construction workers and put into the bank accounts of the contractors and developers. “The question that needs to be asked,” said McGarvey, “is why Senator Flake is not asking the contractors, or the architects, or the engineers, or even the company that sup-plied the Port-O-Johns to cut their pay in order to save taxpayer dollars? Why is it only the workers who are being targeted?”

It is also worth noting the special interest groups that have pushed for the introduction of Senator Flake’s Davis-Bacon repeal bill, as well as Senator Flake’s previous policy propos-als when it comes to immigration reform.

In addition to seeking the elimination of Davis-Bacon Act community wage and benefit standards, contractor groups like the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) are also at the forefront of efforts, and have previously been assisted by Senator Flake, to secure a drastic increase in the number of H2b foreign guest workers allowed to work annually in the U.S.

“Sanctioning the destruction of commu-nity wage and benefit standards for construc-tion workers while simultaneously advocating for an increase in the number of foreign guest workers allowed into the U.S. is being blin-dingly oblivious to the working-class anger that permeates throughout America today, and it sends a chilling and unmistakable message that American workers have, once again, been conned by the political establishment,” Mc-Garvey said. “Their economic interests shall, indeed, remain subservient to the interests of well-connected contributors, special interests and crony capitalism.”

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La/Orange counties/Inland EmpireSteve Knight – 25th district Palmdale – 661-441-0320 Judy chu – 27th district Pasadena –626-304-0110 adam Schiff – 28th district Burbank – 818-450-2900 tony cardenas – 29th district Panorama City – 818-781-7407 Brad Sherman – 30th district Sherman oaks – 818-501-9200 Pete aguilar – 31st district San Bernardino – 909-890-4445 Grace Napolitano – 32nd districtEl monte – 626-350-0150 ted Lieu – 33rd district Los Angeles – 323-651-1040 34th District VACANT Norma torres – 35th district ontario – 909-481-6474 raul ruiz – 36th district Palm desert – 760-424-8888 Karen Bass – 37th district Los Angeles – 323-965-1422 Linda Sanchez – 38th district Cerritos – 562-860-5050 Ed royce – 39th district Brea – 714-255-0101 Lucille roybal-allard – 40th district Commerce – 323-721-8790 Mark takano – 41st district riverside – 951-222-0203 Ken calvert – 42nd district Corona – 951-277-0042 Maxine Waters – 43rd district Los Angeles – 323-757-8900 Nannette Barragan – 44th district San Pedro – 310-831-1799

Mimi Walters – 45th district Irvine – 949-263-8703 Lou correa – 46th district garden grove 714-621-0102 alan Lowenthal – 47th district Long Beach – 562-436-3828 Dana rohrabacher – 48th district huntington Beach – 714-960-6483 Darrell Issa - 49th district Vista – 760-599-5000

central californiaDavid valadao – 21st district hanford – 559-582-5526 Devin Nunes – 22nd district Visalia – 559-733-3861 Kevin Mccarthy – 23rd district Bakersfield – 661-327-3611 Salud carbajal – 24th district Santa Barbara – 805-546-8348 Julia Brownley – 26th district oxnard – 805-379-1779

San Diego areaDuncan Hunter - 50th district El Cajon – 619-448-5201 Juan vargas - 51st district Chula Vista – 619-422-5963 Scott Peters - 52nd district San diego – 858-455-5550 Susan Davis - 53rd district San diego – 619-280-5353

Northern californiaDoug LaMalfa – 1st district oroville – 530-534-7100 Jared Huffman – 2nd district San rafael 415-258-9657

John Garamendi – 3rd district davis - 530-753-5301 tom Mcclintock – 4th district roseville – 916-786-5560 Mike thompson – 5th district Napa – 707-226-9898 Doris Matsui – 6th district Sacramento – 916-498-5600 ami Bera – 7th district Sacramento – 916-635-0505 Paul cook – 8th district Apple Valley – 760-247-1815 Jerry McNerney – 9th district Stockton – 209-476-8552 Jeff Denham – 10th district modesto – 209-579-5458 Mark DeSaulnier – 11th district richmond – 510-620-1000 Nancy Pelosi – 12th district San Francisco – 415-556-4862 Barbara Lee – 13th district oakland – 510-763-0370 Jackie Speier – 14th district San mateo – 650-342-0300 Eric Swalwell – 15th district Pleasanton – 925-460 5100 Jim costa – 16th district Fresno – 559-495-1620 ro Khanna – 17th district Santa Clara - 408-436-2720 anna Eshoo – 18th district Palo Alto – 650-323-2984 Zoe Lofgren – 19th district San Jose – 408-271-8700Jimmy Panetta – 20th district Salinas - 831-424-2229

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Joined by a diverse coalition, the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building Trades have made a decisive push to counter a campaign of misinformation and inform

voters about the anticipated impact of Measure S.

Measure S will appear on the March 7 Los Angeles City ballot, in an off-year

election where turnout is historically low. Interests behind “S” have purchased prime billboard space throughout the city, but or-ganizers behind the campaign to defeat it

are rallying members to staff phone banks and spread the word.

The mood and mobilization are similar to what the Building Trades and allies did in 2012, when the anti-union Prop. 32 threat-

ened union members. That measure went down in defeat.

“We’ve done this before and we can do it again,” said Ron Miller, Council Execu-tive Secretary. “You can’t vote one of the pillars of our economy—construction—out of business.”

The deceptive two-year Measure S mora-torium on development may stretch to 10 years. It would put 12,000 people out of work each year, 7,000 of them in construc-tion.

During a recent press conference at the UA Local 250 apprenticeship center on Hill St., men and women from a variety of

Trades organize To figHT MeasUre son march 7, the future of our economic recovery is at stake

unions align with historic coalition to fight the moratorium on development

BUILDING TRADES ACTION

“If we can’t build in LA, we lose a major tool to bring Los Angeles residents into good-paying careers,” says Council Representative Chris Hannan, left, at a rally to oppose Measure S on the LA city ballot.

Photo

s by T

y Was

hingto

n

You can’t vote the construction

industrY outof business.

—ron Miller

17

Trades stressed the importance of economic recovery and put a face to the 12,000 jobs Angelenos stand to lose each year if the measure is not defeated.

Council Representative Chris Hannan said he was proud of the Council’s diverse and growing membership, including out-reach to people from high-unemployment areas, formerly incarcerated individuals and those emancipated from foster care—those who “find themselves with no support and no future.”

In the last 10 years, he said, the Building Trades “has been a pioneer, bringing jobs

to the poorest areas of Los Angeles, and its most challenged residents. We provide and support a future.”

If Measure S passes, he said, it will hurt local residents the most. “Because of our ef-forts, LA residents are well represented on LA projects, more than they’ve ever been before. If we can’t build in LA, we lose a major tool to bring Los Angeles residents into good-paying careers.”

These 7,000 jobs are 7,000 people, he

said. “They’re mothers and fathers provid-ing for their families, they’re single parents, they’re LAUSD grads, they’re sometimes the first person in their family in generations that has had a chance to earn a decent wage, to have a career with good pay, benefits and retirement.”

Glenn Santa Cruz, Business Manager for Local 250, said the ban would particularly impact downtown, as well as commercial and school work.

“And it will affect future work, especially with the possibility of maybe getting the Olympics here, so there’s quite a bit of con-cern about this measure,” Santa Cruz said. “And I just don’t think it’s the right time to introduce this type of legislation, with the amount of people out of work and trying to get the economy back.”

Charles Slay, 52, a second-year apprentice with IBEW Local 11, told his own story to

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SEE VoTE no on S PAGE 18Apprentice Aaron Marlowe works and fights Measure S to help her daughter, Leila.

“I was looking for a better job, more pay, and the union provided that along with skilled training,” says UA Local 250 apprentice Ashley Kollar. “Measure S is threatening all of that.”

“This is my first time in the workforce,” says Charles Slay, a second-year IBEW Local 11 apprentice. “I have a career. It’s changed my life.”

18

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shed light on the vulnerability thousands face.“This is my first time in the workforce,”

said Slay, who served 27 years of a life sen-tence in prison starting at the age of 21.

At first dependent on his family and the County, Slay found his calling with the Electricians, and an opportunity to prove himself.

“I stand before you now, an independent man. I don’t have a job—I have a career. It’s changed my life.

“I’m a visible and vocal model in my community, showing them by example, that one can succeed in spite of adversity. I put all my eggs in one basket and that’s the IBEW. I don’t have a Plan B, a Plan C. This is it for me. And that’s why I take Measure S so personally.”

He expressed concern for at-risk individ-uals if Measure S takes its predicted $2 bil-lion bite out of the LA economy each year.

“Without a doubt there are a lot of good men and women coming home from lengthy incarcerations. I see in them the ju-bilation of freedom slowly give way to the reality of life, and I see the quest to survive. I understand firsthand the magnitude of the struggle ahead of them. I often ask myself, where would I be without the IBEW.”

Since the introduction of Measure S, he said, “my questions have been what obsta-cles are there for these vulnerable parts of our community, if the Trades are not there for them?”

Ashley Kollar, 30, a 5th-year apprentice with UA Local 250 Steamfitters, learned welding to put herself through college be-fore she found the Trades.

“I was looking for a better job, more pay, and the union provided that along with skilled training,” she said. “But there have been apprentices in my class that haven’t been as fortunate, they’re behind in their hours, they’re not going to complete the program in the five years, because they’re short on on-the-job training hours.”

For the people who dedicate their lives to these programs, waking up at 4 am to work long days toward a mastered skill set, a mor-atorium on development is more than just a setback; it has the potential to undo years of progress.

For Aaron Marlowe, also a 5th-year ap-prentice with Local 250, the push to join a

union was underscored by determination to succeed in a male-dominated field, but one that nonetheless offered a chance at equity.

“I really wanted equality, equal pay. And I knew that doing that through a union would get me that,” Marlowe said. “Apprentices work by on-the-job training, and without jobs available you cannot advance in your education.”

Like Marlowe, Joseph Gaytan, a third-year apprentice with SMART Local 105, waited to get into the union, and has been working steadily since. “I’m worried it will affect the amount of jobs that are out there for us,” he said.

Antonio Sanchez, political director of

IBEW Local 11, said his local began orga-nizing efforts about six weeks ago at regular union meetings.

“We’ve had great response from mem-bers against Measure S. We’ve done several mailings to our membership with info on Measure S and volunteer opportunities. We set up a phone bank at our training center, and we tend to have about 20-25 guys show up, Mondays and Wednesdays,” he said, noting that phone banking will continue un-til the election.

Sanchez stressed the importance of cut-ting through the propaganda.

“The statistic I’ve heard is this will only affect 5 percent of the projects that go

VoTE no on SCoNTINuEd From PAgE 17

SMART Local 105 organizer Ricardo Garcia, center, and Local 105 apprentices say ‘Vote No on Measure S’ to protect their future in their Trade.

19

through the permitting process. But it’s in-credibly misleading, because one project can be huge. So the percentage of projects being processed doesn’t matter. This is go-ing to stop the big projects.”

For Trades members, it is those big proj-ects that provide thousands of jobs and keep apprentice opportunities open.

Delfino de la Cruz, of Laborers Local 300, has been helping get the word out to more than 8,000 members.

“We let them know it’s very important to us. Especially because now you start to see all these big signs around the city saying it’s good for the community to vote yes on S. So I think a lot of members were confused. So when they asked us, we said, ‘Wait a min-ute, don’t believe the sign, look at what it means for us.’”

Gus Torres, business representative for Local 250, has also been addressing the issue at regular union meetings, as well as one-on-one with members.

“We try to express to them that this needs to be voted down because it’s going to cost a lot of construction jobs. If this passes a lot of the work we have coming up might not

happen,” Torres said.Some members, like Local 105 first-year

apprentice John Blanco, 27, take the mes-sage directly to their friends and neighbors.

“I have a neighbor who’s a roofer and I’ve urged him to get in on the campaign as well. He’s a father, and I let him know he’ll also lose out on a job, even though he’s not union,” Blanco said.

At a press conference in January, Los An-geles Mayor Eric Garcetti joined dozens of leaders to voice his opposition.

“We’ve fought hard to recover from the recession, to see jobs coming back. We have members of the Building Trades who were losing their homes, who were living in cars, who were unemployed. Now, they’re able to support their families. Now they’re able to build housing. Now they’re able to do those things that allow them to have a middle-class life,” Garcetti said.

The conference was held at Casa Heiwa, a landmark multicultural affordable housing complex in Little Tokyo—exactly the kind that would be banned under Measure S.

“If Measure S passes, rents will rise even more quickly than they are today, and our strategy to move people from the streets into housing will be stopped,” Garcetti said.

Rusty Hicks, Executive Secretary-Trea-surer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, put job loss in the context of a broader decline.

“Measure S won’t just destroy jobs and raise rents, it won’t just ban good develop-ment. It will also give us more bad devel-opment. More crowding into maxed-out neighborhoods, more of the creeping densi-ty that clogs our streets, instead of the smart growth that creates jobs and helps fight cli-mate change,” he said.

“Everyone is ultimately going to suffer.”

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IBEW Local 11 members Jonathan Diaz, David Colon and Cameron Line, from left, participate in a phone bank, urging households to vote “No” on Measure S, which will be on the March 7 LA City ballot.

Esther Woody, in blue shirt at center, was sworn in as an apprentice with Local 250 and on the same day, rallied against Measure S with members of other local unions.

Photo by Victor Posadas

LA CITY rESIDEnTS:

VoTE AGAInST the construction ban

VoTE noon MEASUrE S,

MArCH 7