As they cross the street in Los Angeles, construction workers are wearing masks. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo California California Democrats are reliably pro-labor. One union is testing their patience.OAKLAND California Democrats are losing patience at a powerful labor ally, just as a recall election and contentious legislative primaries loom.California's State Building and Construction Trades Council, also known as the Trades, has killed many of the Democrats' most ambitious bills to address climate change and the state's housing crisis. Legislators and other workers on the issue are becoming more open to voicing their frustrations.This deep blue state division is a sign of the internal struggle Democrats nationwide will face when their environmental efforts push into once-reliable union jobs. The consensus has been that labor and the party can achieve common goals, such as moving fossil fuel workers to alternative energy jobs. California's cutting-edge state, which sets the standard for other states in green goals, is proving how complex that path is.Tensions flared last month when Democratic state legislators joined with a conservative Republican to oppose a bill that would have effectively required oil companies use union labor. The measure was opposed by lawmakers because they feared it would benefit Trades members while displacing nonunion oil workers.We shouldn't pretend that the Building Trades don't have a lot power in this room or in this building. And we shouldn't pretend like this bill doesn’t help them, stated Susan Eggman, state senator (D-Stockton).The bill was approved by the state Senate, further evidence of the union's power. Some Democrats were disappointed to see the Trades destroy their earlier bill to limit petroleum production. These lawmakers were shocked that the 450,000-member union had thwarted their environmental goals and then asked for their support to increase its membership in the oil fields. Many lawmakers saw it as a stark example of a power imbalance that favors the labor group.In an interview, Monique Limn (D - Santa Barbara), stated that she wants to find a space where it is possible to have difficult conversations with labor and where everyone can agree to disagree. Mistrust will occur when members are subject to personal attacks and bullied constantly, she said.Organized labor is rarely unable to speak up in the Democratic-dominated Sacramento. Tensions between the unions and their legislative allies have grown over the past year as labor blocked Democratic legislation at the Capitol, thereby empowering environmentalists and affordable housing advocates. A further rift was created between Democrats and teachers unions in the past school year when Sacramento leaders rejected attempts to force schools to open.The Trades and its supporters are doing the right thing. They fight to make sure the Legislature includes working people in efforts to build millions more housing units and reorient the economy. Labor has fought against environmentalists by partnering with the oil industry and pushing for affordable housing construction bills that protect union-trained workers.Half a million hardworking people depend on the state building trades, all the local affiliates, to help them live a good life in California. It is not easy to have a decent life in California, stated Erin Lehane chief of staff for Building Trades. It is a privilege to fight such a noble battle.Some Democratic legislators claim the group is wielding more of its power with an ever heavier hand, which is preventing action on climate and housing issues. This tension has serious implications for national Democrats, as President Biden boasts of the creation high-wage jobs through an infrastructure package. It could also include climate programs such as a clean energy standard.A Democratic lawmaker spoke out to say that there is a lot of frustration with the Trades. He requested anonymity in order not to offend a powerful group. It is completely unacceptable that we are not able to make significant progress in climate and housing.Despite being frustrated by some Democratic legislators in California, and sometimes even Gov. Gavin Newsom's labor unions still hold significant influence in Sacramento. Since their early days as politicians, many lawmakers have had long-standing connections to unions. Unions provide not only money, but also boots on the ground to support union members and other Democrats in their campaigns. Labor has committed to providing an "army of volunteers" and already contributed $4.4 Million to Newsom's efforts to defeat the recall.The group has been focusing on bills to reduce petroleum production to preserve its members' jobs. It argues that housing bills should include provisions to ensure that affordable housing construction is accelerated.Labor supporters argue that such provisions will ensure workers receive fair wages and prevent an underground economy full of exploitation. They point out a University of California, Berkeley study that found many construction workers depend on welfare.Lehane stated that our number one obligation is to protect workers in construction from being exploited in the underground economy.Developers and Democrats who support more construction in this state that is housing-starved argue these demands make bills impossible to pass in the Legislature or prohibit builders from building.We've gone further than ever before with labor, only to be met by a flat-out "no, don't do it our way" so there's no negotiation, Ray Pearl, executive director at the California Housing Consortium. Ray was part of a group of affordable housing developers who submitted a compromise proposal that the Trades rejected. It's definitely a scorched earth, kind of my-way or the highway-at-all costs strategy.California voters place housing and climate change at the top of their concerns. Wildfires are becoming more destructive and housing prices rising, and so Californians continue to prioritize housing and climate change. Trades and its allies claim that bills to address either problem cannot ignore blue-collar workers who helped build the state's economy. However, Democrats lawmakers, environmentalists, and affordable housing developers are increasingly blaming the Trades for creating an insurmountable blockade.Trades are always ready to provide reinforcements when they take a position on a bill. Committee hearings feature about a half hour of testimony from other unions who line up to support the State Building Trades.Lehane stated that he believes that there are a lot of people in Sacramento who support working families. We were overwhelmed by the support we receive from Sacramento lawmakers.Labor allies often refer to the Trades leader by their names: Robbie Hunter. Hunter is a well-known, hard-nosed negotiator who has repeatedly clashed with Newsom and legislators in recent years. Although the governor and union have mended their differences, sources claim that the relationship between the Trades and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon has been strained since the attack ads were funded against a Democratic member accused of sexual misconduct.After Jewish groups condemned the ad as anti-Semitic, The Trades also removed ads praising Democrats for their proposals to accelerate housing construction.Legislators are both frustrated and trying to figure out a way forward after the group's "take-no-prisoners" approach, which includes a growing list of legislation that has been left unfinished and what lawmakers call a "barrage of threats."Another Democratic lawmaker spoke candidly about the union, stating that it is one thing to have two bills per year. When you have 30, not all of it can be a relationship-ender. Some of these, however, are relationship-enders.Some legislators are optimistic. Wiener, who was the leading Democratic advocate for housing construction acceleration in the Legislature, lost a sought-after endorsement from organized labor last season and saw his bill to build homes on church land fall under Trades opposition. Wiener stated last week on a housing panel that he believes it is possible to strike a bigger deal that increases housing production and jobs, while also expanding training programs.If we were strategic, I believe we could really reach a great deal and fix this. Wiener stated that we can both build the housing we need, and give construction workers high wages. We can get past this dispute. It is a difficult and tense moment right now.It could be more difficult to end the standoff over California's huge energy sector. Both organized labor and environmentalists have been the mainstays of Democratic power here in California. The Trades are fighting for the protection of well-paid refinery jobs, which they claim green energy employment cannot replace. However, the intensifying efforts to combat climate change through the transition away from fossil fuels has made the two mainstays of Democratic power in California more at odds.The Trades killed two fracking bills and one that would have added environmental justice representatives to the powerful Southern California air quality agency. They are also opposed to a bill that would enshrine the state's goal of carbon neutrality by 2045.Environmental advocates are sharpening the rhetoric after years of diplomacy. Mary Creasman, president of the California League of Conservation Voters, stated in an interview that while the standoff had been ongoing for many years, it has really gotten fever pitch in the past couple of years.At this point, I feel like the leaders of the building trades are kind of in the dumps. They have lost their credibility. Creasman stated that it is almost as if they have become pawns of corporate polluters and are acting against the best interests of Californians in general and their members. It's not about the members anymore. It's all about control and ego.The Trades cite their support for renewable energy projects like large-scale solar and wind, which can reduce carbon emissions and create stable jobs. However, unions claim that the energy economy is not capable of sustaining a change at the speed desired by environmentalists and Democrats.Lehane stated that we don't believe it is right to kill off industries that we still depend on, until they are no more dependent on us. We will eventually stop being dependent on fossil fuels. But we are not there yet.State Senator Henry Stern (D, Canoga Park) wants to play a more extended game. One bill is his attempt to unionize oilfield work and the existing unionized jobs in refineries. Despite the fact that the Trades and Oil Industry have undermined his proposal to accelerate greenhouse gases targets, he is still guiding the bill.He said, "It's trench warfare now; everyone's kind of dug in." "But you have to think about peace while you are in the trench. There's a lot of progress that can be made here and it's important to show some faith to others in the industry.
