It’s a common misconception that organized labor is a monolith. This is hardly the case. Our movement is comprised of individual unions grounded in their crafts or industries, with different histories, traditions and demographics.
Indeed, often with our varied interests and alliances, it is common for labor to support different candidates and issues. And when our movement overwhelmingly endorses one candidate over another it requires the vote of at least two-thirds of the delegates of the affiliated local unions.
In the congressional race to succeed Nancy Pelosi, Connie Chan has won the endorsement and overwhelming support of the S.F. Labor Council, the S.F. Building and Construction Trades Council, and the California Federation of Labor, representing 2.1 million working people across the state.
In a recent debate between Chan and state Sen. Scott Wiener, Wiener invoked or implied labor’s support several times. Yet Scott Wiener has been the single most divisive SF elected official for our movement in 20 years. Dividing and pitting union against union and worker against worker has been his path of choice.
Chan, on the other hand, speaks strongly on behalf of working families, immigrants and others who are disenfranchised and forgotten in today’s predatory economy. A leader who knows personally the struggle of poor, working, and middle-class families, labor believes Chan can be trusted to challenge the corrupt and corporate hegemony in Washington.
Wiener’s monied backers can count on him to advance their neoliberal agenda of deregulation to increase corporate profits. He’s pushed that approach on behalf of the real estate industry and count on him doing it with the tech/AI industry.
For the past three years, Connie Chan has led the city budget process from the legislative side of city government as Board of Supervisors budget chair, working constructively and with no drama with both Mayor London Breed and Mayor Daniel Lurie. Both Lurie and Board President Rafael Mandelman publicly praised her leadership during the recent challenging budget cycle.
Chan believes that everybody, including tenants and workers, should have a voice in building housing, whether it’s luxury, market rate or affordable. Scott Wiener doesn’t. He stripped that away in state legislation on behalf of the real estate industry.
Chan believes billionaires should pay their fair share in taxes. Scott Wiener doesn’t.
Chan refuses to take money from the AI industry and all corporations. Scott Wiener takes it all. Just look at the long list of his corporate backers and you’ll know who we think he’ll serve in Washington.
Between now and November 3, we have a unique opportunity to change the narrative. The prevailing vibe is that the corporadoes and billionaires have already won the day and that San Francisco is in the midst of a hyped-up, newfangled Gilded Age.
Labor unions have made it clear that they believe sending Connie Chan to Congress says something different: that poor, working and middle-class people are still heard in San Francisco.
Larry Mazzola Jr. is president of the Building and Construction Trades Council. Mike Casey is president of the SF Labor Council. Kim Tavaglione is the Labor Council’s executive director.
