Elections

SUP ELECTION 2024

 The California Labor Federation held its 2023-2024 Pre-Primary Convention on December 5th in Oakland. Elected delegates endorsed a full slate of candidates for primary season and beyond. They also took action to support Ballot Measure 1, the Behavioral Health Services Bond Measure to support mental health. The full endorsement list can be accessed here: 

California Labor Federation Pre-Primary Endorsements for State Assembly, State Senate, U.S. Congressional House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate.

 

SUP Election Results 2021-22

The triennial SUP Election concluded on February 1, 2022 with results certified by the SUP Balloting Committee and Unilect Election Services, the impartial balloting agent. All unopposed candidates (President, Vice-President, Seattle Branch Agent, and SF Business Agent) and all sole nominees (Building Corporation Trustees) were elected.

The constitutional amendment to increase dues failed to garner the necessary two-thirds of those voting.

In Honolulu, Acting Branch Agent Pat Weisbarth was elected in Honolulu, and Wilmington Branch Agent Leon Gandy was re-elected in Wilmington. Matt Henning, Roy Tufono, and Dave Connolly were also elected to represent the membership as delegates to at the SIUNA convention later this year.

A profound note of thanks is due to all participants, including the SUP Balloting Committee for their careful oversight over all aspects of the process and especially to all the members who voted to support the democratic traditions of the SUP.

SUP Election Nominations Made in September

The triennial SUP election of Consitutional officers, trustees and delegates opened for nominations in September at the coastwise membership meetings. Nominations were made and the Committee on Candidates met afterwards to check initial eligibility and notify the potential candidates. Their report can be accessed here.

The Committee on Election will meet in October to receive the nomination acceptances, re-check eligibility, notify candidates on procedure, select an impartial and professional balloting agent, and prepare the ballot with both candidates for office and Constitutional questions. 

SUP Election Nominations Confirmed in October

SUP Committee on Election 2021-22

SUP Election Supplement Published in West Coast Sailors

November 2021 Election Supplement

SUP Balloting Period Begins

The SUP 2021-22 Election entered the balloting period on December 1, 2021 with the mailing of ballots. If you don't get a ballot, you may request one following the steps listed and linked below. 

Ballot Request Form

If you did not recieve a ballot at your mailing address, or will not be able to access your mail, you can request a duplicate ballot be sent to an appropriate address at the link below. 

SUP 2021-22 Ballot Request Form.

 

California Victory for Labor: Unions Beat Back Gov. Newsom Recall

A stunning victory for labor opened up as polls closed on September 15, 2021. United efforts of California's Unions to overcome apathy and misinformation proved to be a key element of recall defeat. Read all the details and see the latest information from the California Labor Federation.

 

 

California Governor Recall Election   

The California governor recall election underway now in California is a scam -- it's big corporate anti-Union money forcing a vote where it was neither necessary nor appropriate. 

If a majority votes for the recall, then the next candidate with highest number of votes could be elected by both a slim margin and a few voters -- maybe less than 20% of those voting.

Except during times of extreme incompetence or malfeasance, such a vote is fundamentally anti-democratic. Doing so only two and a half years since a large majority elected the Govenor is a un-American and undermines our election system.  

The SUP is fighting back. Vote NO on the California Governor Recall.

See the NO on the RECALL fact sheet from the California Labor Federation!

The latest numbers against the recall are improving but ballots have been mailed and turnout is critical. 

Read the latest VOTE NO on Labor Day Message from Art Pulaski, the leader of the California Labor Federation. 

 

More on the 2021 California Governor Recall Election.

Following action by the Executive Committee of the California Labor Federation to mount a campaign against the recall of Governor Newsom, the federation released the following announcement:

Boots on the Ground: California Labor Federation Launches Campaign Powered by 2.1 Million Workers to Stop the Recall

June 1, 2021

Volunteers Will Launch a Door-to-Door Campaign, Taking More than 10 Million Steps to Connect with Voters and STOP THE RECALL 

Sacramento, CA – Today workers and union leaders with the California Labor Federation kicked off their sweeping campaign to defend California’s progress from the anti-worker effort to recall Governor Gavin Newsom. What’s at stake for all workers, including the 2.1 million represented by the California Labor Federation, is decades of hard-won progress including increased pay, critical protections like paid sick leave and paid family leave, public education funding, child care and homecare, the right to form unions and so much more.

With the landmark success of Governor Newsom’s aggressive plan to partner with unions to rapidly vaccinate essential workers, today’s announcement from the California Labor Federation marks the return of the worker-powered campaign ground game. Thousands of workers will volunteer in the coming months to walk precincts and knock on doors, communicating with voters face-to-face about the importance of stopping the misguided and anti-worker recall.

“Under Gavin Newsom’s leadership, California has the strongest worker protections in the country,” said Art Pulaski, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Federation. “This reckless recall threatens our values as Californians, and will be met with strong opposition from working people across the state. With thousands of boots on the ground, we will lead the charge to stop the recall to protect decades of progress on workers’ rights in California.”

“When the pandemic hit, Governor Newsom immediately thought of the workers of this state and how the crisis was affecting them, said United Domestic Workers, AFSCME 3930 Executive Director Doug Moore. “He acted immediately to protect essential workers with paid COVID sick leave, mandatory workplace COVID reporting, and increased health and safety enforcement on the job.”

“Our nurses have assessed this election,” said California Nurses Association President Cathy Kennedy, RN. “We see who is behind it, and their real agenda to roll back the ability of workers to have a voice on the job, on their workplace safety protections and economic standards for their families, on environmental safeguards, action on climate change, and much more.”

The unprecedented labor campaign to protect our progress by defeating the recall will feature a robust ground game (conducted safely with masking and social distancing) to turn out hard-to-reach voters. Highlights of the worker-led union campaign include:

Union volunteers spending evenings and weekends throughout the summer and fall going door-to-door, making phone calls, connecting with friends, co-workers and neighbors, including taking over 10 million steps (4,000 miles) of door-to-door canvassing, enough to walk from Los Angeles to the coast of Maine.

In-language outreach in Spanish, Vietnamense, Chinese and other languages to ensure maximum engagement with immigrant families.

The most targeted and technologically advanced campaign labor has ever run, ensuring that union volunteers are connecting with voters, urban and rural alike, on the issues that are most important to working people.

Extensive and targeted digital outreach to maximize turnout among young workers.

“I’m ready to give up my nights and weekends to make phone calls, send texts, and knock on peoples’ doors to make sure every voter says no on the recall,” said Amy Fletcher, a staff research associate at UC Davis, member of UPTE-CWA Local 9119 and volunteer for the Sacramento Labor Council. “My right to a living wage, healthcare, paid sick leave, and an eight hour work day are all at stake – and I will fight with every ounce of energy I have to make sure no one takes that away from me or any other worker in California.”

“Governor Newsom partnered with Orange County unions to put shots in the arms of essential workers, which was critical to getting the COVID crisis under control and protecting workers on the job,” said Gloria Alvarado, Executive Director of the Orange County Labor Federation. “The governor has had workers’ backs since Day One of this pandemic. We will walk through hundreds of Orange County neighborhoods, knock on thousands of doors and take millions of steps to protect California’s progress and stop this recall in its tracks.”

“From the onset of the pandemic, Gavin Newsom has stood up for those who can’t stand up for themselves – fighting for what’s right and saving our members and millions of other Californians’ lives,” said Jacques Loveall, President, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 8-Golden State. “Governor Newsom had our back during the darkest days in recent memory, and we are proud to have his back now to stop this recall so we can get back to the important work of making California the best and brightest it can be.”

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2022 Congressional Elections

In advance of the next mid-term Congressional elections, the SUP remains active to improved and protect our livelihoods. Check back for more as the political landscape develops and the endorsement process unfolds.

 

2020 was an historica presidential election year, with a third of the Senate and every seat in the House on the ballot. See below for more.

President of the United States

ELECTION 2020: HISTORIC, UNPRECEDENTED AND CONSEQUENTIAL

Update: January 24, 2021. It was only on January 6th, with count of the electors of the Electoral College, during a special session of Congress, that the winner of the the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election was declared to be Joe Biden. That count, and the vote that confirmed it, was interrupted by an unprecedented riot (some called it an insurrection), and that breached Capitol security and forced the evacuation of the building. The riot led to the second impeachment of President Donald Trump, and a trial in the Senate is pending. See the January edition of the West Coast Sailors for much more. 

On January 20th, President Biden was sworn in however and began as series of executive orders that changed the direction of the Executive Branch of the federal government. Elections, as the saying goes, have consequences. 

 

The contest between the incumbent, President Donald Trump, and former Vice-President and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, was on election day too close to call. A protracted period of ballot counting looms, as the mail in ballots are accounted for and possibly challenged. Important battleground states were still counting votes on November 4  and the final results appeared to be days or weeks away. Whatever the outcome, a wave or decisive election with a clear path forward for either side is not likely, especially as the Senate looks to remain in Republican control. Say tuned for more updates.

In mid-August, Biden selected California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. They both have the endorsement of the AFL-CIO. The president of the AFL-CIO Rich Trumka said about Harris that “As a senator, she has achieved a perfect AFL-CIO lifetime score, working to create a fairer process for forming a union and protecting our health care and retirement security,” Trumka declared. “We look forward to electing her America’s next vice president.” 

U.S. Congress

The AFL-CIO publishes a useful scorecard on the labor voting records, by both term and lifetime, of every national legislator with continuous updates. Taking into account their districts, this is a quick and revealing check on the actual votes for or against labor supported legislation. It can be accessed here: Congressional Voting Record Scorecards

To aid the membership in its review of political candidates below are links to AFL-CIO labor endorsed candidates by state jurisdictions. 

Washington

The state of Washington is a key delegation for maritime and labor policy in Congress. Here are the candidates who earned labor's endorsement:

1st CD — Suzan DelBene
2nd CD — Rick Larsen
3rd CD — Carolyn Long
4th CD — no endorsement
5th CD — Christopher Armitage
6th CD — Derek Kilmer
7th CD — Pramila Jayapal
8th CD — Kim Schrier
9th CD — Adam Smith
10th CD — Beth Doglio

Here is the full endorsement list of all elective offices on the November ballot from the Washington State Labor Council:

Washington State Labor Council Endorsements

ELECTION UPDATE: preliminary results in Washington:

WASHINGTON SENATE Murray, Patty (D) Next Election: 2022 Cantwell, Maria (D) Next Election: 2024

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st District – DelBene, Suzan (D) (Incumbent) 2nd District – Larsen, Rick (D) (Incumbent) 3rd District – Herrera Beutler, Jaime (R) (Incumbent) 4th District – Newhouse, Dan (R) (Incumbent) 5th District – McMorris Rodgers, Cathy (R) (Incumbent) 6th District – Kilmer, Derek (D) (Incumbent) 7th District – Jayapal, Pramila (D) (Incumbent) 8th District – Schrier, Kim (D) (Incumbent) 9th District – Smith, Adam (D) (Incumbent) 10th District –Strickland, Marilyn (D) won an open seat. Heck, Denny (D) ran for lieutenant governor and won.

Hawaii

The Hawaii AFL-CIO State Federation of Labor's Council of Affiliates met in late Auguest and endorsed Joe Biden for President. They endorsed Kai Kahele for District 2 and left the Jones Act attacker Ed Case in District 1 without unified labor support, as an open endorsement.

ELECTION UPDATE: preliminary results in Hawaii

SENATE Schatz, Brian (D) Next Election: 2022 Hirono, Mazie (D) Next Election: 2024 15 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st District – Case, Ed (D) (Incumbent) 2nd District –Kahele, Kaiali’I (D) won an open seat. Gabbard, Tulsi (D) retired.

California

ELECTION UPDATE: preliminary results in California

SENATE Feinstein, Dianne (D) Next Election: 2024. Harris, Kamala (D)* Next Election: 2022 * If Biden wins the presidency, Harris will become Vice President. In which case, the CA Governor will appoint a new Senator, who could serve until the 2022 election

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st District – LaMalfa, Doug (R) (Incumbent) LaMalfa, Doug (R) 2nd District – Huffman, Jared (D) (Incumbent) 3rd District – Garamendi, John (D) (Incumbent) 4th District – McClintock, Tom (R) (Incumbent) Kennedy, Bryce (D) 5th District – Thompson, Mike (D) (Incumbent) 6th District – Matsui, Doris (D) (Incumbent) 7th District – Bera, Ami (D) (Incumbent) 8th District – Obernolte, Jay (R) Bubser, Christine (D). Cook, Paul (R) ran for other office and won. 9th District – McNerney, Jerry (D) (Incumbent) 10th District – Harder, Josh (D) (Incumbent) Howze, Ted (R) 11th District – DeSaulnier, Mark (D) (Incumbent) 12th District – Pelosi, Nancy (D) (Incumbent) 13th District – Lee, Barbara (D) (Incumbent) 14th District – Speier, Jackie (D) (Incumbent) 15th District – Swalwell, Eric (D) (Incumbent) 16th District – Costa, Jim (D) (Incumbent) 17th District – Khanna, Ro (D) (Incumbent) 18th District – Eshoo, Anna (D) (Incumbent) 19th District – Lofgren, Zoe (D) (Incumbent) 20th District – Panetta, Jimmy (D) (Incumbent) 21st District – Valadao, David G. (R) Cox, TJ (D) (Incumbent) 22nd District – Nunes, Devin (R) (Incumbent) Arballo, Phil (D) 23rd District – McCarthy, Kevin (R) (Incumbent) 24th District – Carbajal, Salud (D) (Incumbent) 25th District – Smith, Christy (D) Garcia, Mike (R) (Incumbent)* 26th District – Brownley, Julia (D) (Incumbent) 27th District – Chu, Judy (D) (Incumbent) 28th District – Schiff, Adam (D) (Incumbent) 29th District – Cardenas, Tony (D) (Incumbent) Duenas, Angelica (D) 30th District –Sherman, Brad (D) (Incumbent) 31st District – Aguilar, Pete (D) (Incumbent) 32nd District – Napolitano, Grace (D) (Incumbent) 33rd District – Lieu, Ted (D) (Incumbent) 34th District – Gomez, Jimmy (D) (Incumbent) Kim, David (R) 35th District – Torres, Norma (D) (Incumbent) 36th District – Ruiz, Raúl (D) (Incumbent) 37th District – Bass, Karen (D) (Incumbent) 38th District – Sánchez, Linda (D) (Incumbent) 39th District – Cisneros, Gil (D) (Incumbent) Kim, Young (R) 40th District – Roybal-Allard, Lucille (D) (Incumbent) 41st District – Takano, Mark (D) (Incumbent) 42nd District – Calvert, Ken (R) (Incumbent) O’Mara Liam (D) 43rd District – Waters, Maxine (D) (Incumbent) 44th District – Barragan, Nanette (D) (Incumbent) 45th District – Porter, Katie (D) (Incumbent) 46th District – Correa, Lou (D) (Incumbent) 47th District – Lowenthal, Alan (D) (Incumbent) 48th District – Rouda, Harley (D) (Incumbent) Steele, Michelle (R) 49th District – Levin, Mike (D) (Incumbent) Maryott, Brian (R) 50th District – Issa, Darrel (R) Campa-Najjar, Ammar (D) Hunter, Duncan D. (R) resigned. 51st District – Vargas, Juan (D) (Incumbent) 52nd District – Peters, Scott (D) (Incumbent) 53rd District – Jacobs, Sarah (D) won an open seat. Davis, Susan (D) retired. *Mike Garcia won a special election on May 12, 2020 after Rep. Katie Hill (D) resigned on November 3,

The California Labor Federation's endorsement process was completed on August 5th at the Federation's Biennial Convention. All of the California endorsement information can be found here or as listed below. See important information on California Ballot measures below including on Proposition 22: Vote NO on Prop 22.

 

California Congressional Representative Endorsements

U.S. REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS
Congressional District 1 Audrey Denney (D)
Congressional District 2 Jared Huffman (D)
Congressional District 3 John Garamendi (D)
Congressional District 4 Brynne Kennedy (D)
Congressional District 5 Mike Thompson (D)
Congressional District 6 Doris Matsui (D)
Congressional District 7 Ami Bera (D)
Congressional District 8 Chris Bubser (D)
Congressional District 9 Jerry McNerney (D)
Congressional District 10 Josh Harder (D)
Congressional District 11 Mark DeSaulnier (D)
Congressional District 12 Nancy Pelosi (D)
Congressional District 13 Barbara Lee (D)
Congressional District 14 Jackie Speier (D)
Congressional District 15 Eric Swalwell (D)
Congressional District 16 Jim Costa (D)
Congressional District 17 Ro Khanna (D)
Congressional District 18 Anna Eshoo (D)
Congressional District 19 Zoe Lofgren (D)
Congressional District 20 Jimmy Panetta (D)
Congressional District 21 T.J. Cox (D)
Congressional District 22 Phil Arballo (D)
Congressional District 23 Kim Mangone (D)
Congressional District 24 Salud Carbajal (D)
Congressional District 25 Christy Smith (D)
Congressional District 26 Julia Brownley (D)
Congressional District 27 Judy Chu (D)
Congressional District 28 Adam Schiff (D)
Congressional District 29 Tony Cardenas (D)
Congressional District 30 Brad Sherman (D)
Congressional District 31 Pete Aguilar (D)
Congressional District 32 Grace Napolitano (D)
Congressional District 33 Ted Lieu (D)
Congressional District 34 Jimmy Gomez (D)
Congressional District 35 No Endorsement
Congressional District 36 Raul Ruiz (D)
Congressional District 37 Karen Bass (D)
Congressional District 38 Linda Sanchez (D)
Congressional District 39 Gil Cisneros (D)
Congressional District 40 Lucille Roybal-Allard (D)
Congressional District 41 Mark Takano (D)
Congressional District 42 No endorsement
Congressional District 43 Maxine Waters (D)
Congressional District 44 Nanette Barragan (D)
Congressional District 45 Katie Porter (D)
Congressional District 46 Lou Correa (D)
Congressional District 47 Alan Lowenthal (D)
Congressional District 48 Harley Rouda (D)
Congressional District 49 Mike Levin (D)
Congressional District 50 Ammar Campa-Najjar (D)
Congressional District 51 Juan Vargas (D)
Congressional District 52 Scott Peters (D)
Congressional District 53 Georgette Gomez (D)

California State Assembly

Assembly District 1 Elizabeth Betancourt (D)
Assembly District 2 Jim Wood (D)
Assembly District 3 No Endorsement
Assembly District 4 Cecelia Aguiar-Curry (D)
Assembly District 5 No Endorsement
Assembly District 6 Jackie Smith (D)
Assembly District 7 Kevin McCarty (D)
Assembly District 8 Ken Cooley (D)
Assembly District 9 Jim Cooper (D)
Assembly District 10 Mark Levine (D)
Assembly District 11 No Endorsement
Assembly District 12 Heath Flora (R)
Assembly District 13 OPEN
Assembly District 14 Tim Grayson (D)
Assembly District 15 Buffy Wicks (D)
Assembly District 16 Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D)
Assembly District 17 David Chiu (D)
Assembly District 18 Rob Bonta (D)
Assembly District 19 Phil Ting (D)
Assembly District 20 Bill Quirk (D)
Assembly District 21 No Endorsement
Assembly District 22 Kevin Mullin (D)
Assembly District 23 No Endorsement
Assembly District 24 Marc Berman (D)
Assembly District 25 Alex Lee (D)
Assembly District 26 Drew Phelps (D)
Assembly District 27 Ash Kalra (D)
Assembly District 28 Evan Low (D)
Assembly District 29 Mark Stone (D)
Assembly District 30 Robert Rivas (D)
Assembly District 31 Joaquin Arambula (D)
Assembly District 32 Rudy Salas (D)
Assembly District 33 No Endorsement
Assembly District 34 No Endorsement
Assembly District 35 Dawn Addis (D)
Assembly District 36 No Endorsement
Assembly District 37 Steve Bennett (D)
Assembly District 38 No Endorsement
Assembly District 39 Luz Rivas (D)
Assembly District 40 James Ramos (D)
Assembly District 41 Chris Holden (D)
Assembly District 42 No Endorsement
Assembly District 43 Laura Friedman (D)
Assembly District 44 Jacqui Irwin (D)
Assembly District 45 Jesse Gabriel (D)
Assembly District 46 Adrin Nazarian (D)
Assembly District 47 Eloise Gomez Reyes (D)
Assembly District 48 No Endorsement
Assembly District 49 Ed Chau (D)
Assembly District 50 Richard Bloom (D)
Assembly District 51 Wendy Carrillo (D)
Assembly District 52 Freddie Rodriguez (D)
Assembly District 53 Miguel Santiago (D)
Assembly District 54 Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D)
Assembly District 55 Andrew Rodriguez (D)
Assembly District 56 Eduardo Garcia (D)
Assembly District 57 Lisa Calderon (D)
Assembly District 58 No Endorsement
Assembly District 59 Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D)
Assembly District 60 Sabrina Cervantes (D)
Assembly District 61 Jose Medina (D)
Assembly District 62 Autumn Burke (D)
Assembly District 63 Anthony Rendon (D)
Assembly District 64 Mike Gipson (D)
Assembly District 65 Sharon Quirk-Silva (D)
Assembly District 66 No Endorsement
Assembly District 67 Jerry Carlos (D)
Assembly District 68 Melissa Fox (D)
Assembly District 69 Tom Daly (D)
Assembly District 70 Patrick O’Donnell (D)
Assembly District 71 No Endorsement
Assembly District 72 Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen (D)
Assembly District 73 Scott Rhinehart (D)
Assembly District 74 Cottie Petrie-Norris (D)
Assembly District 75 No Endorsement
Assembly District 76 Tasha Boerner-Horvath (D)
Assembly District 77 Brian Maienschein (D)
Assembly District 78 Chris Ward (D)
Assembly District 79 No Recommendation
Assembly District 80 Lorena Gonzalez (D)

 

California State Senate

Senate District 1 Pamela Swartz (D)
Senate District 3 Bill Dodd (D)
Senate District 5 Susan Eggman (D)
Senate District 7 No Endorsement
Senate District 9 Nancy Skinner (D)
Senate District 11 OPEN
Senate District 13 Josh Becker (D)
Senate District 15 David Cortese (D)
Senate District 17 John Laird (D)
Senate District 19 Monique Limon (D)

Senate District 21 Kipp Mueller (D)

Senate District 23  Abigail Medina (D)

Senate District 25 Anthony Portantino (D)

Senate District 27 Henry Stern (D)

Senate District 29 Josh Newman (D)

Senate District 31 Richard Roth (D)

Senate District 33 Lena Gonzalez (D)

Senate District 35 Steven Bradford (D)

Senate District 37 David Min (D)

Senate District 39 Toni Atkins (D)

The ballot measure recommendations are as follows:

Proposition 14: Authorizes Bonds to Continue Funding Stem Cell and Other Medical Research. No Recommendation
Proposition 15: Increases Funding for Public Schools, Community Colleges, and Local Government Services by Changing Tax Assessment of Commercial and Industrial Property. Vote YES
Proposition 16: Authorizes California Repeal Proposition 209 Affirmative Action Amendment. Vote YES
Proposition 17: Authorizes California Voting Rights Restoration for Persons on Parole Amendment. Vote YES
Proposition 18: California Voting for 17-Year-Olds Amendment.  Vote YES
Proposition 19: Property Tax Transfers, Exemptions, and Revenue for Wildfire Agencies and Counties Amendment.  Vote YES
Proposition 20: Restricts Parole for Non-violent Offenders. Authorizes Felony Sentences for Certain Offenses Currently Treated Only as Misdemeanors. Vote NO
Proposition 21: Expands Local Government’s Authority to Enact Rent Control on Residential Property. No Recommendation
Proposition 22: Changes Employment Classification Rules for App-based Transportation and Delivery Drivers. Vote NO
Proposition 23: Authorizes State Regulation of Kidney Dialysis Clinics. Establishes Minimum Staffing and Other Requirements. Vote YES
Proposition 24: Amends Consumer Privacy Laws. No Recommendation
Proposition 25: Referendum to Overturn 2018 Law that Replaced Money Bail System with a System Based on Public Safety Risk. Vote YES

           

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