California AFL-CIO

(California Labor Federation)
600 Grand Avenue, Suite 410
Oakland, CA 94610-3561
Membership

Represents 2.1 million members from more than 1,200 unions.
Structure
An executive secretary-treasurer and a president govern the California Labor Federation. In addition, 42 vice presidents representing affiliated unions and central labor councils are elected by biennial convention into the executive council of the Federation.
There are 23 central labor councils (CLCs) in California. These regional coordinating bodies bring unions from many industries together to take action on local and statewide issues. Labor councils organize, mobilize, and give working families a voice in the political process. Central labor councils are organized by county and/or region.
Executive Secretary-Treasurer: The full-time officer who runs the Council’s daily operations, such as implementing policy, serving as spokesperson, managing staff and finances, and directing programs.
President: Presides over the Labor Council’s monthly Delegates meetings, chairs the Executive Committee meetings, and represents the Council. The president is an ex-officio member of each committee.
Executive Committee: The steering committee of the Labor Council. It includes 23 at-large members in addition to the officers. The committee meets monthly to prepare policy recommendations to the Delegate Body; review and recommend action to the delegates as may be necessary on correspondence; act on Labor Council business between meetings of the delegates; and engage in long term planning for the Council.
Trustees: Regularly examine the financial records of the executive secretary treasurer. Three treasurers are chosen to review all receipts, bills, and disbursements, and periodically report their findings to the delegates.
Political director: Leads campaigns, elections, and political organizing at the Council and plays a central role in expanding political and legislative power for working people.
Executive Board
Art Pulaski, Executive Secretary-Treasurer
Art Pulaski is the chief officer of the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO.
Early in his career, Pulaski built coalitions with union and community groups to reform energy policies and protect retirees. He has helped build stronger alliances between unions, community groups, and faith-based organizations for numerous reform campaigns. Pulaski also played a leadership role in the Apollo Alliance, a national coalition for cleaner energy and better jobs.
Since he took office at the California Labor Federation in 1996, the labor group has more than doubled in size.
Connie Leyva, President
Connie M. Leyva serves as President of the California Labor Federation and as President of UFCW Local 1428 (Pomona/Claremont), the first woman to hold either of these positions. Leyva also serves on the International Executive Board of the UFCW. During the 2008 Presidential Election campaign, Leyva was one of 20 national leaders chosen by then-Senator Obama as a member to the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee where she worked alongside other notable democrats to author the Democratic Platform, which is being used as a ruling guideline by President Barack Obama within his current administration. As the chief executive of UFCW Local 1428, Leyva performed a critical role during the 2003-2004 grocery strike and lockouts in Southern California. She testified before a congressional panel on the need for affordable health care, coordinated the UFCW Region 8 Women’s Network, and took prominent roles in the UFCW International Conventions in 1998, 2003, and 2008.
UFCW International President Joe Hansen appointed Leyva to co-chair the International Union’s Committee on the Future. In addition, she is a senior officer of the UFCW Western States Council. Leyva has been honored by The Latina and Latino Roundtable of the Pomona and San Gabriel Valley, the UCLA Labor Center, SOL (Strengthening Our Lives) and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor all for outstanding leadership.
Leyva joined Local 1428 in 1985, her senior year in high school, while working for Alpha Beta. She worked her way through college, graduating in 1991 from the University of Redlands with a bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders. She started working at Local 1428 in 1994 as a temporary employee in the Benefits Department. She was appointed a Union Representative in 1995 by the then president of the Local, the late Joe Barragan, whom she was elected to succeed after his sudden and untimely death.
In early 2002, she became the first woman president of a UFCW local in Southern California. In Spring of 2004, the California Teachers Association saluted Leyva as one of its Thirteen Amazing Women.
Vice Presidents
- Rome Aloise
- Bob Balgenorth
- Jim Beno
- Nick Berardino
- Russ Burns
- Randy Cammack
- Gabrielle Carteris
- Allan Clark
- Tom Dalzell
- Thom Davis
- Rose Ann DeMoro
- Maria Elena Durazo
- Ron Espinoza
- Rob Feckner
- Enrique Fernandez
- Warren Fletcher
- Mike Garcia
- Lorena Gonzalez
- Jack Gribbon
- Eugene Hudson
- Shelley Kessler
- Ron Lind
- Bill A. Lloyd
- Jacques Loveall
- Gunnar Lundeberg
- Kathryn Lybarger
- Malinda Markowitz
- Larry Mazzola
- Michael Miller
- Doug Moore
- Mike Mowery
- Oscar Owens
- Lou Paulson
- Joshua Pechthalt
- Willie Pelote
- Mike Quevedo
- Clyde Rivers
- Bob Schoonover
- Robert D. Smith
- Joseph Standley
- Oscar de la Torre
- William Waggoner
- Yvonne Walker
- Jim Weitkamp
- Shane Werner
- Nancy Wohlforth
Central Labor Councils
Alameda County CLC Josie Camacho, Executive Secretary-Treasurer 100 Hegenberger Rd, Ste. 150 Oakland, CA 94621 Phone: (510) 632-4242 FAX: (510) 632-3993 www.alamedalabor.org josie@alamedalabor.org |
North Bay Labor Council Lisa Maldonado, Executive Director 2525 Cleveland Avenue, #A Santa Rosa, CA 95403 Phone: (707) 545-6970 FAX: (707) 544-6336 http://www.ca.aflcio.org/nblc/ lisa@northbayclc.org |
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Butte – Glenn Counties CLC Mickey Harrington, President PO Box 840 Magnolia, CA 95954 Phone: (530) 873-3680 FAX: (530) 873-3680 www.butteglennlabor.org/ bgclc@sbcglobal.net |
North Valley Labor Federation Tim Robertson 538 McHenry Ave., Suite C Modesto. CA 95354-0367 Phone: (209) 522-4900 FAX: (209) 949-2652 facebook.com/northvalleylabor twrobertson@gmail.com |
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Contra Costa County CLC Mary Harms 1333 East Pine St., # E Martinez, CA 94553 Phone: (925) 228-0161 FAX: (925) 228-0224 www.cocolabor.org/ mary@cclabor.net |
Orange County Labor Federation Tefere Gebre, Executive Director 309 N. Rampart St., Suite A Orange, CA 92868 Phone: (714) 385-1534 Fax: (714) 385-1544 www.oclabor.org tefere@oclabor.org |
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Five Counties CLC Dwight Evans, President Ruth Rhodes, Secretary-Treasurer 900 Locust St., Room 7 Redding, CA 96001 Phone: (530) 241-2468 devans@ibewlocal340.org apwu960rhodes@yahoo.com fivecountiesclc@ymail.com |
Sacramento CLC Bill Camp, Executive Secretary 2840 El Centro Rd., Suite 111 Sacramento, CA 95833 Phone: (916) 927-9772 FAX: (916) 927-1643 www.sacramentolabor.org/ bill.camp@sacramentolabor.org |
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Fresno-Madera-Tulare-Kings CLC Randy Ghan, Secretary-Treasurer 3485 West Shaw Ave. Suite #101 Fresno, CA 93721 Phone: (559) 275-1151 FAX: (559) 276-2150 http://myunionworks.com/ fmtkclc@aol.com |
San Bernardino-Riverside CLC Laurie Stalnaker, Executive Secretary-Treasurer 1074 La Cadena Drive, Suite 1 Riverside, CA 92507 Phone: (909) 825-7871 FAX: (909) 825-0110 http://www.sb-rivclc.org/ sbrivclc@earthlink.net |
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Humboldt and Del Norte Counties CLC John Fram 840 E St, Ste 9 Eureka, CA 95501 johnfrahm@hotmail.com |
San Diego-Imperial CLC Lorena Gonzalez, Secretary-Treasurer 3737 Camino del Rio South Suite 403 San Diego, CA 92108 Phone: (619) 283-5411 FAX: (619) 281-1296 www.unionyes.org sdlc@unionyes.org |
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Kern, Inyo and Mono Counties CLC Donny Williams, President 200 W. Jeffrey Street Bakersfield, CA 93305 Phone: (661) 324-6451 FAX: (661) 324-0799 www.kim-clc.org donlyn5302@sbcglobal.net |
San Francisco Labor Council Tim Paulson, Executive Director 1188 Franklin St., Suite 203 San Francisco, CA 94109 Phone: (415) 440-4809 FAX: (415) 440-9297 www.sflaborcouncil.org tpaulson@sflaborcouncil.org |
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Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer 2130 W. James M. Wood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90006 Phone: (213) 381-5611 FAX: (213) 383-0772 www.launionaflcio.org |
San Joaquin-Calaveras CLC Catherine Houston 115 Sutter St. Suite 200 Stockton, CA 95202 Phone: (209) 948-5526 FAX: (209) 948-2652 chouston@usw.org |
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Marysville Central Labor Council Ed Ritchie, Secretary-Treasurer 468 Century Park Drive Yuba City, CA 95991 Phone: (530) 743-7321 FAX: (530) 743-1613 eritchie@oe3.org |
San Mateo County CLC Shelley Kessler, Executive Secretary-Treasurer 1153 Chess Drive, Suite 200 Foster City, CA 94404 Phone: (650) 572-8848 FAX: (650) 572-2481 www.sanmateolaborcouncil.org smclc@sbcglobal.net |
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Merced-Mariposa CLC Jerry Hunsucker 625 W.Olive Ave., Suite 103 Merced, CA 95348 Phone: (209) 722-3636 FAX: (209) 722-9640 jhunsucker@ufcw8.org |
South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council Ben Fields, Executive Officer 2102 Almaden Road, Room 107 San Jose, CA 95125-2190 Phone: (408) 266-3790 FAX: (408) 266-2653 organize@atwork.org www.atwork.org |
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Monterey Bay CLC Cesar Lara, Executive Director 931 E. Market St. Salinas, CA 93905 Phone: (831) 422-4626 x11 FAX: (831) 422-4676 www.mbclc.org LaborDirector@gmail.com |
Stanislaus-Tuolumne CLC Astrid Zuniga 1125 Kansas Ave Modesto CA 95351 Phone: (209) 523-8079 FAX: (209) 523-2619 http://www.ca.aflcio.org/stlaborcouncil/ azunigastclc@gmail.com |
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Napa-Solano CLC Jon Riley 445 Nebraska St Vallejo, CA 94590 Phone: (707) 552-6601 FAX: (707) 552-6602 www.napasolanoclc.org btruckcap@comcast.net |
Tri-Counties CLC Marilyn Valenzuela, Executive Secretary-Treasurer 816 Camarillo Springs Rd., Suite G Camarillo, CA 93010 Phone: (805) 987-0101 FAX: (805)-383-6071 www.tricountiesclc.org marewol@aol.com |
Sustainability Profile

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, AB 32, established what is claimed to be the first-in-the-world comprehensive program of regulatory and market mechanisms to achieve real, quantifiable, cost-effective reductions of greenhouse gases. This has established a context for significant labor involvement with climate change policy in the state. The California Labor Federation quickly acclimated to the progressive laws surrounding environment and climate protection and has become one of labor’s biggest green advocates.
The California Labor Federation and the State Building and Construction Trades Council (SBCTC) have consistently monitored the implementation of AB 32. The SBCTC participated in state committees to shape the AB 32 draft-scoping plan. The CA AFL-CIO has gone to bat for the climate change law multiple times, the most recent of which was in 2012 against a group tied to the Koch brothers. This “secretive group” channeled money into the insidious Prop 32, a measure eerily similar to the earlier Prop 23. Both propositions aimed to repeal AB 32. Labor and environmental groups united to defeat Prop 23 and, in November 2012, after $75 million dollars, they defeated Prop 32, showing their real dedication to climate protection.
The CLF’s Workforce and Economic Development Program (WED) is focused on worker training and re-training aspects of climate protection. Each year WED hosts a “Building Workforce Partnerships Conference” where “high road labor-management training partnerships are highlighted and workforce development, labor, academic, and community allies can come together to talk about workforce and economic development from a progressive perspective.” The last conference on March 14th and 15th, 2012, incorporated a panel whose sole focus centered on “the potential for climate change efforts to jumpstart the economy. The discussion ranged from climate policy in California to economic drivers for creating California jobs and high-road job training programs.” The unique nature of the conference allows for coalition creation and green economy innovation.
The CLF helped draft AB 118, the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. It is designed to develop and deploy innovative technologies that transform California’s fuel and vehicle types to help attain the state’s climate mitigation goals. In early 2011, the Employment Training Panel (ETP) “awarded $1.2 million in funding for just this type of training — and almost $1 million of that $1.2 million was awarded to the California Labor Federation to support joint labor-management training programs in public transit. The funding will provide advanced technology training for about 900 bus and rail technicians and mechanics working with energy efficient and green transportation vehicles and equipment.”
The California Labor Federation is pushing hard for a green economy within the state. In the Federations 2012 “Jobs Plan for the 99%” (also known as “Invest in California”), the six-point plan aims to “Speed up businesses’ ability to create jobs without weakening worker protections or environmental standards.” Additionally, the plan calls for the creation of “a clean and green revolving loan fund to help manufacturers to meet AB 32 requirements and create good jobs. Retrofit public buildings and schools to capture savings with high standards and union labor.”
This March (2013), the CLF renewed its support for the California Environmental Quality Act in the face of potentially harmful reforms to the Act. A meeting of its Executive Council resulted in a resolution calling for the preservation of the CEQA. According to Secretary Treasurer Art Pulaski, “For decades, CEQA has been a firewall for California communities, protecting our environment and promoting cleaner, more sustainable development. Efforts by big corporations to roll back this important law put California families, workers and our natural resources at risk.” Some are concerned that weakening the act could open the door to fracking and other equally harmful practices.
As a result of the interest in green energy in the region, “IBEW Local 569 and the San Diego and Imperial Counties Chapter of NECA just announced they will invest an additional $300,000 in the Imperial County Electrical Training Center in 2013 to expand skilled training, hire staff and continue to ensure local residents are first-in-line to build clean energy projects.” The CLF says “this infusion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure is creating much-needed green jobs for IBEW 569 electricians at a time when California continues to struggle from the effects of the Great Recession.” CLF has clearly had a high success rate in keeping alive the green economy in CA.
Additional Comments and Analysis

The Federation has participated jointly with other Western US and Canada labor organizations in the Western Climate Initiative. It has criticized the WCI’s lack of concern with the impact of its proposed cap-and-trade system on jobs, but has indicated its desire to remain a participant in the process.
The CA AFL-CIO is perfectly positioned to be a tremendous ally in the fight against climate change and the negative corporate interests that spur on the warming and degradation of our planet.