I’m Grateful to Have Worked Another Year Representing All of You
Every day, I still have to pinch myself when I wake up. Despite constant opposition from greedy corporate interests that attack our very right to exist — to live and work union — it remains the greatest honor of my life to serve on your behalf.
I am so proud to represent you. You’re the most productive, the safest, the most well-trained, and simply the outright best tradespeople anywhere.
I’m grateful for partners like Enrique Landa of Fifth Space (formerly Associate Capital) who continue to show what’s possible when values align with action. Proving that workforce housing can be built 100% union under a project labor agreement and at roughly $650,000 a door is more than just impressive. It’s a model for how we should be doing residential development across San Francisco.
I’m grateful for the leadership team of the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council. These are people who trust me to represent and speak for our 129-year-old council. That trust is a privilege I don’t take lightly.
I’m grateful for the contractors who keep our members working under the highest standards, even as we face uncertain economic headwinds. Your commitment to union labor matters.
“We won’t win every fight, nor will be able to secure every project, but it’s our responsibility to continue to make the case for our work, to fight for project delivery, and to make the difference.”
I’m grateful for our retirees and pension fund administrators, who continue to invest in union-built housing right here in San Francisco. The 1111 Sutter Street investment by the AFL–CIO Housing Investment Trust is a powerful reminder that union dollars can and should build union communities.
I’m grateful for my home union, the teamsters, who took an 18-year-old wise-ass kid and opened his eyes to the power of union solidarity. They trained me to be the organizer and negotiator I am today, and I remain proud to pay my dues as a teamster.
I’m grateful beyond words for my family, which supports the work we do and shows incredible patience when the phone rings nearly constantly from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Last but not least, I’m grateful for you. We can demand the best because we are the best. Our reputation lives or dies with the quality of your skilled work. Every hour you spend mentoring an apprentice secures the future of our trade unions and ensures that what we’ve built endures.
Looking ahead, I’m confident that 2026 will be a banner year for our city, for our council and our local unions, and for our hiring halls. Make no mistake: We face opposition every single day, every step of the way. Sometimes it comes from special interests and corporate-backed agendas, and other times from incompetent or foolhardy politicians and bureaucrats.
We won’t win every fight, nor will we be able to secure every project, but it’s our responsibility to continue to make the case for our work, to fight for project delivery, and to make the difference.
We must also continue to remind the public of a simple truth: Our political power is built by union labor. Our skyline, our hospitals, our housing, and our hotels, as well as our schools and our infrastructure, were all built by union workers.
Happy Hanukkah. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. Here’s to full employment and good health.
Onward — together.