Unions & Democracy
Nancy Skinner, our California state senator, terms out in 2024. Six candidates are running for her seat: Jesse Arreguín, Jovanka Beckles, Ernesto Falcon, Dan Kalb, Kathryn Lybarger, and Sandré Swanson.
In August, the East Bay Young Democrats hosted a candidate forum that all of the candidates attended. In answer to a question posed by the audience, Swanson expressed dismay about the union endorsement process for this race. A few others on the panel echoed his concerns.
Unions create collective power for working-class people, who otherwise wouldn’t be heard. It’s through union organizing that millions of people can sit at the table and bargain with power structures for their rights. Unions have a democratic process of representation and this brings them credibility, and power.
Union endorsements are even more important in the state senate race because there’s no public finance option — unlike in Berkeley’s elections. In Berkeley, for those candidates who choose the public financing option, every $1 donated to their campaign is matched with $6 of public money.
Sandré Swanson is a child of this district and has devoted his life to serving working-class people and marginalized communities. He began his admirable political career in the early 1970s working for Shirley Chisholm’s campaign. From 1973 to 1998, he served as a senior policy advisor to U.S Rep. Ron Dellums. He then served as chief of staff for Rep. Barbara Lee and was finally elected to the California Assembly.
In 2009, when he was chairman of the Assembly Labor and Employment committee, he lost his chairmanship position because he voted against a budget bill and stood with the unions. He found several components of the budget deal particularly onerous, including one bill that would’ve capped hourly wages for in-home care workers and another that would’ve frozen payments to the poor, elderly, and disabled.
Fast forward to the current state senate race. When Swanson reached out to the unions, he was surprised. The trade unions told him they were endorsing Arreguín and AFCSME said they were endorsing Lybarger. “For 65 unions to not grant an interview is the wrong direction and it’s a slippery slope,” he said. “This is a case of extreme bad judgment. If they had the votes to endorse who they wanted, then what harm would it have been to listen to everyone?”
AC Transit Director Jovanka Beckles has spent over a decade serving the working-class people of Richmond. Among her many accomplishments are increasing the minimum wage; passing Ban the Box legislation and rent control; holding corporate polluters accountable; and making Richmond a sanctuary city. When she reached out to some unions who had endorsed her in the past, they replied that they’d already endorsed Lybarger.
Oakland Councilmember Dan Kalb has been in elected office for almost 11 years and has a strong record of progressive credentials. He shared with us that neither the Alameda County nor Contra Costa County building trades included him in their endorsement process. Similarly, most of the private sector and public employee unions did not follow their traditional interview process this time. He considered this a slap in the face to both himself and the rank and file.
Kalb is also troubled that AFSCME may spend as much as $2 million to fund Lybarger’s campaign. In the past, AFSCME’s statewide focus has been to try to defeat moderates where there’s a clear choice between a progressive and a moderate candidate. This race consists primarily of pro-labor candidates. “This money would then not be used to defeat a moderate Democrat, and that’s irresponsible to the rank and file,” he said.
Kathryn Lybarger is the president of the California Labor Federation, which represents over 2.1 million workers in 1,200 locals across the state, and is seeking her first position in public office with this election.
In response to our questions about the union endorsement process, she said, “Each candidate has secured endorsements from people and organizations they’ve had a long history with. I am the only local union president and state labor federation president running anywhere in California this year. For more than a decade, I have worked with the elected leaders of many unions. My endorsements reflect that history.”
We reached out to Mayor Jesse Arreguín for comment and received no reply.
Traditionally, union endorsements engage a bottom-up process, where the rank and file have a vote. At a time when most elections are dominated by corporate money, special interests, and billionaires, union endorsements are essential because they provide money to fund campaigns.
Until there is a public finance option at the state level, the union endorsement process must be transparent and inclusive so that millions of voices are represented. This is the only way that democracy can be truly safeguarded.
This article was first published in the Berkeley Times on September 21, 2023.
