CARA SHOWS UP BOLD FOR THE CALIFORNIA LABOR FEDERATION and STATE BUILDING and CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL JOINT LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE 

Written by Cindy Young & Keith Umemoto

Every year, the California Labor Federation (CLF) and the State Building and Construction Trades Council (SBCTC) sponsor a joint legislative conference in Sacramento.  This Joint Conference brings together Labor leaders from all over California, including CARA retirees, to deepen their understanding of what’s happening in Sacramento, to lobby for priority legislation, and to network and increase labor’s power and solidarity.

Like past conferences, the CLF provided CARA with an exhibit table to distribute CARA material highlighting the value of partnering with CARA.  It provided us with the opportunity to speak directly with labor leaders and rank-and-file activists about the advantages of joining and working together.

Our attendance enabled us to promote CARA’s priority legislation and seek other union support.  Specifically, we actively sought support for Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR) 3, which sends a strong message to California’s Congressional leadership and the White House that Medicare, Medi-Cal, and Social Security cannot be cut. In addition, we directly lobbied for CARA’s other priority legislation, SB 242: Medi-Gap, and SB 435: Backup power at Assisted Living Facilities. 

Conference highlights included:

·         An evening forum featuring seven gubernatorial candidates, moderated by CLF President Lorena Gonzalez and SBCTC President Chris Hannan with questions centered around labor issues.  

·         Keynote speeches made by Speaker Robert Rivas and Pro Tem Mike McGuire.  

·         A range of informative workshops.

·         Recognition of Legislators who scored a 100 percent rating on the CLF Legislative Scorecard.

·         Meetings between local legislators and their respective Central Labor Councils to advocate support for CLF and SBCTC-sponsored bills. 

The days were long, but packed with valuable educational opportunities to build relationships with legislators and our partners in the labor movement.