ABC Communication Shows Worry About SBCTC Bill to Defund Sham Compliance Committees

May 16, 2013 - In the latest communication to its members, Associated Builders and Contractors ("ABC") the anti-union lobbying group, is showing fear about the prospects of SB 776, the State Building Trades bill to stop them from deducting money from workers' paychecks to fund sham labor compliance committees. In actuality, these moneys are being used to undermine these very workers, attack prevailing wage and fund ABC's anti-union activities. The bill passed the Senate last week on a 24-10 vote. (Read More)

Measures to Lower Two-Thirds Local Tax Thresholds to 55% Pass Committe

May 16, 2013 - Several proposed state constitutional amendments to lower the threshold by which voters can enact local tax increases from the current two-thirds to a more realistic 55 percent were approved Wednesday by the Senate Governance and Finance Committee. The measures are supported by the State Building Trades, and all passed on party line votes with Democrats in support, Republicans against. (Read More)

California Labor Leaders Strongly Oppose Newspaper Sale to Anti-Union Extremists

May 14, 2013 - The State Building Trades has joined with nine other labor organizations, that collectively represent 2.1 million working Californians, to strongly urge shareholders in the media group that owns the Los Angeles Times and other major newspapers not to sell those newspapers to the infamous Koch Brothers due to their long history of efforts that are "anti-labor, anti-environment, anti-public education and anti-immigrant." (Read More)

Senate Approves Bill to Stop Funding ABC Sham Labor Compliance Committees

May 9, 2013 - Senate Bill 776 - The California Senate today approved SBCTC-sponsored legislation to stop anti-union contractors and groups like Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) to take earnings from workers' paychecks to fund their sham labor compliance committees. The bill, SB 776 by Sen. Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, does so by eliminating automatic deductions to non-union employer committees. It was approved by a 24-10 vote with one Republican, Senator Anthony Cannella of Ceres, joining 23 Democrats in support. SB 776 now moves to the Assembly. (Read More)

SBCTC Bill to Reform Charter City Elections Approved by State Senate

May 6, 2013 - Senate Bill 311 - Building Trades sponsored legislation designed to increase local voter participation in elections to convert general law cities to charter cities, by requiring that the charter measure be placed on the ballot in a statewide general election, won approval from the state Senate today. Senate Bill 311, authored by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Pacoima, was approved by a 25-9 vote (Read More)

Assembly Approves Legislation to Build North Fork Rancheria Casino

May 2, 2013 - Over 1,200 Construction Jobs! The Assembly today approved legislation to allow construction to start on the new North Fork Rancheria Casino in Madera County. This project will be built under an all-union project labor agreement with the Building Trades, and will create over 1,200 construction jobs and bring a total of 5,000 new jobs to the region. (Read More)

Bills to Protect & Expand Prevailing Wage Approved by Committees

April 10, 2013 - Two important bills, sponsored by the State Building and Construction Trades Council, to protect and expand construction workers' rights to earn prevailing wage on public works projects, were approved by committees of the State Legislature this week. (Read More)

Evidence Grows that CEQA is Good for Working Californians

April 2013 - Since last month, the evidence has grown ever more convincing that California Building Trades workers, and working people from all walks of life, benefit from the safeguards and regulations that CEQA ensures them. (Read More)

State Building Trades' Prevailing Wage Bill Clears First Committee

March 14, 2013 - Senate Bill 7, the legislation sponsored by the State Building Trades to require charter cities to pay prevailing wage on municipal projects in order to receive state funding, was approved Wednesday by the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee. The bipartisan legislation is authored by Democratic Senate president pro tem Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento and Republican Senator Anthony Cannella of Ceres. (Read More)

Broad Coalition Defends CEQA; Building Trades Members Lobby Legislature

March 14, 2013 - A wide coalition of groups at the state Capitol this week announced the formation of a new united coalition in support of maintaining California's landmark environmental protection law, the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA. (Read More)

SBCTC Legislative Update: SB 7 - Fighting for Prevailing Wage

March 5, 2013 -This bulletin is the first in a regular series that will be posted in the coming weeks to provide you information on the substance and progress of legislation sponsored by the State Building Trades. We start today with Senate Bill 7, co-authored by Democratic Senate President pro tem Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento and Republican Senator Anthony Cannella of Ceres. That bipartisan co-authorship alone is great news. (Read More)

SB 7 Will End Loophole to Avoid paying Prevailing Wage

May 2013 - SB 7 Will End the Charter Cities' Loophole to Avoid Paying Prevailing Wage. Of my predecessor Bob Balgenorth's many great legacies from his 19 years as State Building Trades president, one of the most remarkable was his relentless fight for workers on public works projects to earn prevailing wage. (Read More)

Bill Introduced to Keep Charter Cities Paying Prevailing Wage

February 21, 2013 - Bipartisan legislation sponsored by the State Building Trades was unveiled this week to make charter cities eligible for state funds for public works projects only if they pay the prevailing wage. Currently, the anti-union group Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) lobbies charter cities to pay less than prevailing wage, and lobbies general law cities to become charter cities for the purpose of removing prevailing wage. Senate Bill 7 addresses that problem. (Read More)

First they Deregulated the Savings and Loan Industry, Then They Deregulated Wall Street

March 2013 - First they deregulated the savings and loan industry, then they deregulated Wall Street and the California electric grid - now they want to deregulate CEQA and they want you to pick up the tab. Today in Sacramento, big business is waging a war to deregulate the California Environmental Quality Act, commonly known as CEQA. How does this affect California working families? (Read More)

ABC Rages Against Infrastructure & High Speed Rail Construction Jobs

January 24, 2013 - The ABC continues to publish angry reactions to the good construction jobs that are coming to California with the development of high speed rail. In a post on the anti-union website unionwatch.org this week, longtime ABC lobbyist Kevin Dayton complained about the "fantastic return" workers will receive from high speed rail. He complains that we are benefiting handsomely as the result of our long and effective activism on behalf of high speed rail, and that the project will be among the "lasting accomplishments of union labor." ABC's complaints serve to affirm the results we achieve when we are completely unified. (Read More)