Union Influence in the California Democratic Party’s 2013 Convention Resolutions

By Kevin Dayton
04/16/2013
Can you guess which special interest group influenced many of the resolutions approved at the California Democratic Party convention on April 14, 2013? That’s right, unions. Here’s my annotated collection of the 2013 resolutions and the clean version of the resolutions on the California Democratic Party web site. (As the party web site says, “Click...

TAGS: California Construction Industry Labor-Management Cooperative Trust, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Charter Cities, Democrats for Education Reform, Gloria Romero, Greenmail, Michelle Rhee, Prevailing Wage, Project Labor Agreements, Senate Bill 7 (2013), State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, StudentsFirst

CEQA Debate Rule No. 1: Do NOT Mention Union “Greenmail”

By Kevin Dayton
02/21/2013
“Here’s the plan: pretend that unions aren’t exploiting the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as a tool to obtain labor agreements. Maybe no one will notice.” Supporters and opponents of CEQA reform are straining to avoid this uncomfortable subject as influential Democrats in the California State Senate prepare to introduce an alleged reform of CEQA...

TAGS: A Move to Put the Union Label on Solar Power Plants, Adams Broadwell Joseph & Cardozo, California Energy Commission, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California Unions for Reliable Energy (CURE), CEQA Reform, Clark Construction, Corporate campaign, corporate campaigns, Greenmail, Labor Coalition’s Tactics on Renewable Energy Projects Are Criticized, Laborers Union (LIUNA) Local No. 783, Lorena Gonzalez, San Diego Convention Center Expansion, San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council, UNITE HERE Local Union No. 30

Mailers Expose Union CEQA “Greenmail” Against Solar Developers

By Kevin Dayton
09/26/2012
Finally, ordinary citizens in the San Joaquin Valley learn how construction trade unions block solar power plant projects by exploiting the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Residents of Kings County (in the San Joaquin Valley of California) see local opportunities for economic growth and job creation through the construction and operation of proposed solar-powered electrical generation facilities....

TAGS: Adams Broadwell Joseph & Cardozo, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California Unions for Reliable Energy (CURE), Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction (CFEC), Fresno Bee, Governor Jerry Brown, Greenmail, Project Labor Agreements

Unions Threaten Environmental Litigation to Block San Diego Convention Center

By Kevin Dayton
09/20/2012
Whatever your views concerning the wisdom of the proposed $520 million expansion of the San Diego Convention Center and the related expansion of the adjacent Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, you should be outraged at the shameless stunt of top San Diego labor union officials and their lawyers at the September 19, 2012 meeting of the...

TAGS: Adams Broadwell Joseph & Cardozo, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), CEQA Reform, Greenmail, Jerry Brown, Lorena Gonzalez, National University System Institute for Policy Research in San Diego, Project Labor Agreements, San Diego Convention Center Expansion, San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council, San Diego County Central Labor Council, Tom Lemmon, UNITE HERE Local Union No. 30