On October 24, the CityBuild Academy held a graduation ceremony marking the end of an 18-week training cycle. The program has equipped 42 graduates with a solid foundation to work as carpenters, laborers, cement masons, iron workers, painters, tile setters and several other trades. Women made up 20 percent of the graduates and 37 finished the Academy with jobs already lined up.
November 6 is one of the most important midterm elections in recent memory. Power in Congress is at stake, and more locally, there are five seats up for grabs on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors; important positions to fill on BART and school boards; and a number of local and statewide ballot measures.
A plan to build 253 new market rate apartments and a new Safeway grocery store at the Safeway at 4950 Mission has fallen through as Safeway pulled out of the deal with developer Emerald Fund last month.
Building Trades union representatives turned out in force on September 27 to advocate for project labor agreements for courthouse construction at a meeting of the Judicial Council of California’s Court Facilities Advisory Committee in San Francisco. The Judicial Council of California manages real estate, new court construction, renovations, operations and maintenance for the state.
The San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council endorsed candidates for Board of Education and BART Board of Directors at its delegates meeting September 6.
With the memory of the Janus v AFSCME Supreme Court decision still fresh and increasing attacks on labor in general coming from the Trump White House, SFLC Executive Director Rudy Gonzalez disputed the assertion that the Bay Area is in a protective bubble against such attacks.
The San Francisco Building Trades Council has endorsed candidates for Board of Supervisors in the November 6 general election, based on their support for labor unions and building trades priorities. Building Trades Council delegates conducted candidate interviews in August. In two districts, the SFBCTC made sole endorsements; in the other three, more than one candidate was endorsed, ranked as the first, second or third choices.
The State Building and Construction Trades Council and California Labor Federation strongly oppose Proposition 6 on the November ballot. The proposed initiative would repeal California’s Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act passed last year that has enabled California to increase its annual investment in roads, bridges, highways, transit systems, bike paths and pedestrian facilities by $5.2 billion annually through a small increase of 12 cents a gallon in the state tax on gasoline.
Tim Paulson took office officially August 2 as the new Secretary-Treasurer of the San Francisco Building & Construction Trades Council. The SFBCTC hired Paulson earlier this year as a Business Representative with the aim of him succeeding Michael Theriault upon retirement.
