Special Report: Breakfast with Alejo

Greetings,

Below are some notes from the annual Labor Breakfast hosted by the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council and Assemblymember Luis Alejo on Friday, January 25, 2013:

The meeting took place in the Teamsters Local 890 Hall in Salinas and was well attended—over 70 folks showed up. The following is a partial list of those present at the event: Assemblymember Mark Stone; Ralph Rubio, Seaside Mayor; Peter Leroe-Muñoz, Gilroy City Councilmember, David Serena, Tri-County Association of Latino Elected Officials, Steve McDougall, Salinas Valley Federation of Teachers; Chris Stampolis, Board of Education for Santa Clara Unified School District; Jack Carroll, Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers; and Robert Chacanaca, president, and Francisco Rodriguez, secretary-treasurer, MBCLC. Of course, many more were present including MBCLC staff (Karen Araujo, Cesar Lara, Glen Schaller), representatives from homecare workers, building and trades, and many more.

The meeting structure included a brief presentation by Alejo and then opened up for the attendees to provide brief updates and challenges for their unions and membership.
Alejo provided some highlights of his work in Sacramento. He spoke of his support for and passage of SB 829 (Project Labor Agreements). The PLAs are pre-hire contracts that set standards for wages, diversity, local hire, health coverage and safety on a given public works project. He also spoke of his work with AB 1908 (Reasonable Notice for School Employees), which he introduced. Under this bill, classified employees of school districts and community college districts are given a 60-day notice of layoff and not the past practice of 45 days. The bill passed. Finally, he discussed his work with SB 104 (Labor Representatives: Elections). This bill permits agricultural workers (over 400,000 in the state) to select their labor representatives by submitting a petition to the Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) accompanied by representation cards signed by a majority of the bargaining unit. Although the bill has not passed, Alejo remains committed to the struggle of farmworkers to obtain fair treatment and protections in their work.

The general mood of the morning was positive; as one member expressed it—there was guarded but hopeful optimism. I definitely had a good time, breakfast was great, and it was wonderful to see the good turnout and the positive energy that permeated the union hall.

by Enrique M. Buelna

"The general mood of the morning was positive; as one member expressed it—there was guarded but hopeful optimism. "

Some of the issues shared included:

Immigration Reform. President Obama has come out strongly in support of comprehensive reform with a path to citizenship. The MBCLC, the AFL-CIO, and Mi Familia Vota Education Fund are calling for this kind of reform. (The first planning meeting will be held Jan. 31 at the Teamsters Hall 931 in Salinas)

School Funding Priorities. New state funding schemes proposed by Governor Brown must prioritize programs geared toward English learners. In other words, there needs to be more accountability in how these education funds are distributed.

Healthcare Costs. Healthcare costs are higher in this region than compared to other areas in the country. These costs are detrimental to all families, and wages have not kept up with these increases.

School Safety. We must do more to ensure school safety. Despite California's Gun-Free School Zone Act (1995) schools remain largely unprotected from the dangers of guns in our communities.

Pesticides and Our Schools. Incidents of pesticide exposure continue to afflict local communities. A more recent case occurred at MacQuiddy Elementary School in Watsonville in which school staff fell ill as a result of chemical spraying.

Restore Funding to Education

Restore Jobs / Increase Wages

Review of Teacher Evaluation Procedures

Parcel Tax. Focus on changing the percent of voters needed to pass these taxes.

Retooling Our Workforce. U.S. businesses that return to the country bring back approximately 20% of the jobs they once had.

Community Colleges to Spend Reserves. Rather than laying off or firing workers, colleges need to put into use their reserves.

Increase Minimum Wage