California’s Building and Construction Workers Back Barrera for Superintendent of Public Instruction

(San Diego) The State Building and Construction Trades Council of California has chosen Democrat Richard Barrera as their endorsed candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction in the upcoming November election. This umbrella organization represents construction industry workers from 157 affiliated unions, 22 local building trades councils and 125 Joint Apprenticeship Training Committees.

“Construction workers build our state – from airports to bridges to schools,” says Barrera. “They are truly the backbone of our communities and I am honored by their endorsement. From almost the moment I was sworn in as a trustee for the San Diego Unified School District nearly twenty years ago, I worked with the San Diego Building Trades Council to create the first ever Project Labor Agreement for an education district in San Diego County. PLAs ensure that work on the buildings our students attend daily is completed on time and within budget by fully qualified construction experts.”

Barrera’s partnership with the Building Trades has resulted in voter approval of $11.6 billion in taxpayer bonds for San Diego to replace aging schools with state-of-the-art, environmentally sustainable facilities. In addition, Barrera spearheaded efforts to convert under-utilized public school properties into affordable housing for school employees, creating nearly 350 housing units on the sites of former elementary schools, with five additional properties on track to create at least 1,500 affordable homes. Barrera also facilitates the creation of workforce housing throughout the state in his role as Senior Advisor to the current State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond.

A Project Labor Agreement (PLA) is a pre-hire commitment by a contractor or public agency that guarantees livable wages, contains no-strike and no-lockout provisions that prevent project delays, and provides a clear process for resolving disputes. PLAs ensure that the workers who build publicly-funded projects receive fair wages, high quality affordable healthcare, retirement security, and the protection that comes with union representation. Under San Diego Unified’s PLAs, 100% of the construction jobs are designated for residents of San Diego County and 70% are allocated to residents of the school district. 35% of the jobs target people living in high-poverty zip codes, where the majority of the students Barrera represents grow up.

In partnership with the Building Trades, Barrera has also championed enhanced educational and career opportunities for students at San Diego Unified through courses that lead to construction, technical and other apprenticeships.

In addition to the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, Barrera is endorsed by a host of Building Trades labor organizations, including the California State Association of Electrical Workers, the San Diego Building Trades Council, Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, and local unions representing groups such as the Sheetmetal Workers and the Laborers. A complete list of those supporting Barrera can be found at https://www.barreraforedu.com/641677865886 .

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Barrera is available for one-on-one interviews. Learn more about him at https://www.barreraforedu.com/

For more information contact Dale Kelly Bankhead, 619.549.3140, dkbankhead@yahoo.com