Union Victory in Santa Cruz!
The City Council of Santa Cruz, California, passed by a 7-0 vote tough new apprenticeship standards for projects in the city. This new apprenticeship language requires that apprentices be used only from programs certified and approved by the California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Apprenticeship Standards.
Among the requirements from the state are provisions that require that the programs must have graduated apprentices annually in each of the most recent five years. Other standards help ensure that the programs used are legitimate, high-quality programs that provide real training for apprentices as they work toward journeyman status. The standards also protect apprentices from exploitation and abuses by programs that fail to meet state-wide education standards. Joint union-management programs consistently meet the highest standards required by the state. By contrast, the Golden Gate Chapter of the ABC failed to graduate a single student in ten years.
The Council's action was the result of hard work by many union members including, Jose Mendez, Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 300, Area 337, Ray Nichols, IBEW Local 234, Mike Fleck, Sheetmetal Local 104, Tim Powers, Laborers Local 270 and Ron Cheshire, Carpenters Local 605.
Office holders in Santa Cruz who deserve our thanks include Mayor Christopher Krohn, Vice Mayor Emily Reilly, Councilman Tim Fitzmaurice, Councilman Scott Kennedy, Councilman Ed Porter, Councilman Mark Primack and Councilman Keith Sugar.
On March 5, 2002, the City of Salinas is expected to vote on the use of these standards for their projects. For information about the time and place of that meeting, please call Jose Mendez at 831-883-0186. We encourage all union members and citizens who support quality programs for apprentices to attend this meeting and show their support.