I Got Booted

Five years ago I was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to the California Apprenticeship Council.  (That was back when we were fairly certain he was a groper, but didn't know he was an adulterer.)

It was a very big honor for me to serve on the CAC.  The Council is a commission set up to oversee the State's handling of apprenticeship issues in California.  We would hear appeals from apprentices, appeals regarding new or expanding programs, research and try to resolve issues affecting apprenticeship, and draft legislation to fix problems with current laws regarding apprenticeship. 

For many, many, MANY years the CAC has been a very political council.  The politics comes from the union vs. non union sides of the construction industry, even though the council also oversees apprenticeship in other industries.

In a nutshell, here's the political battle (and believe me when I tell you I'm not joking):

The union side truly believes that merit shop (non-union) business owners want to exploit workers in every way possible, and that merit shop programs do not really train apprentices, they are just a way for greedy business owners to pay lower wages.  (Seriously, you can ask any union journeyman about this and they will confirm this belief.)  On the other side of the aisle, merit shop programs don't give a damn about the union programs, they just want to provide a choice to employers that want apprentices but don't want to sign with a union. 

But the key here is that the unions do not want competition. 

You see there are laws in California that to perform public works projects, contractors must make sure that 16.7% of their workforce are state registered apprentices.  If no merit shop apprenticeship programs exist, then employers are forced to dispatch union apprentices and pay into the union pension and benefit plans. 

When Grey Davis was Governor, the 17 member CAC was comprised almost solely of union backed commissioners (most of which were themselves members of one union or another).  It was literally 99% impossible for a merit shop program to be approved.  When Schwarzenegger became governor, he balanced the CAC and it was truly represented half by union leaning folks, and half non-union leaning folks.  And we got a lot of business done. 

Well, most of us Schwarzenegger appointees have terms that have now expired.  And Governor Brown is following in the footsteps of Grey Davis.  Today he reappointed three of the union leaning commissioners, but replaced us non-union leaning commissioners with more union leaning commissioners.  Once again, the balance is gone. 

I am disappointed that my time on the CAC is over.  I have met wonderful people, union and non-union alike.  I have especially enjoyed getting to know "The Ladies of the CAC" - a group of strong, opinionated, wonderful ladies who served with me on the CAC. 

The Ladies of the CAC
Julia Dozier, Kate Leyden, Anne Quick and me. 
Not pictured:  Donna Bechtold & Lucy Wang

But mostly I am just depressed that in this state our politicians and appointees are owned by the unions.  And these commissions, appointees and politicians make rules that the rest of us have to follow, when unions only represent less than 20% of our population.  The more and more I get involved with politics, the more I see that it doesn't represent the people - it represents the special interests. 

And now that I have free time I'll be darned if I can't find a way to actively fight those special interests in favor of the people who live in California.