Why Labor Is for Chan and Against Wiener
By Larry Mazzola Jr., Kim Tavaglione, and Mike Casey | Guest Writers
IT’S A COMMON MISCONCEPTION that organized labor is a monolith, but this is hardly the case. Our movement is composed of individual unions grounded in their crafts and industries. Each has different histories, traditions, and demographics.
Indeed, often with our varied interests and alliances, it’s common for labor to support different candidates and issues. And when our movement overwhelmingly endorses one candidate over another, it requires the vote of at least two-thirds of the delegates of the affiliated local unions.
In the congressional race to succeed Nancy Pelosi, Connie Chan has won the endorsement and overwhelming support of the SF Labor Council, the SF Building and Construction Trades Council, and the CA Federation of Labor Unions, which represents 2.1 million working people across the state.
In a recent debate between Chan and her competitor, Scott Wiener, Wiener invoked or implied labor’s support several times. Yet, Wiener has been the single most divisive SF elected official for our movement in 20 years. Dividing and pitting union against union and worker against worker has been his path of choice.
Chan, on the other hand, speaks strongly on behalf of working families, immigrants, and others who are disenfranchised and forgotten in today’s predatory economy. A leader who knows personally the struggles of poor, working, and middle-class families, Chan can be trusted to challenge the corrupt corporate hegemony in Washington.
Wiener’s monied backers can count on him to advance their neoliberal agenda of deregulation to increase corporate profits. He’s pushed that approach on behalf of the real estate industry, and you can count on him doing it for the tech/AI industry, too.
For the past four years, Chan has led the city budget process from the legislative side of city government as Board of Supervisors budget chair, working constructively and with no drama with both former mayor London Breed and Mayor Daniel Lurie. Both Lurie and Board President Rafael Mandelman publicly praised her leadership during the recent challenging budget cycle.
Chan believes everybody, including tenants and workers, should have a voice in building housing, whether it’s luxury, market-rate, or affordable. Wiener doesn’t. He stripped that away in state legislation on behalf of the real estate industry.
Chan believes billionaires should pay their fair share in taxes. Wiener doesn’t.
Chan refuses to take money from the AI industry — and, indeed, from all corporations. Meanwhile, Wiener simply takes it all. Just look at his long list of corporate backers, and you’ll know who he’ll serve in Washington.
Between now and November 3, we have a unique opportunity to change the narrative. The prevailing vibe is that the corporate elite and billionaires have already won the day and San Francisco is in the midst of a hyped-up, newfangled Gilded Age.
Sending Connie Chan to Congress says something different: that poor, working, and middle-class people are still heard in San Francisco.
Larry Mazzola Jr., president of the SF Building and Construction Trades Council, co-wrote this column with Executive Director Kim Tavaglione and President Mike Casey, both of the SF Labor Council. A version of this piece has been co-published on 48hills.org.