PIPELINES TO POWER UA Local 393 News | Spring 2021
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UA Local 393 News | Spring 2021
PIPELINES TO POWER
Unity to Advance Good Jobs
THIS ISSUE: Fred Hirsch | Sec. of Labor Marty Walsh | Jean Cohen Leads Labor Council | Resources
“We must create
an historic river of
organizing power...
Go beyond just local to
national and international
– to what is good for all
working people.”
– FRED HIRSCH (1933-2020)
Local 393 Member & Activist
COVID-19 PANDEMIC RESPONSE
Because of COVID-19 and mandated public health regulations, the union hall will be closed to
protect the safety of our members, staff, and families. However, we are conducting business
remotely. For questions about your job, benefits, and other concerns, contact a business agent.
Go to WWW.UALOCAL393.ORG for up-to-date information.
Union Meetings During COVID
All meetings have been moved to Zoom the 2nd Wednesday of the month. To join, go to the website or
check your email. Use the Zoom registration and give your UA card number, and we’ll send you a link.
Campaign for a Secure Future meetings have been cancelled until further notice.
Out of Work List Holiday Calendar
Members can sign out of work by leaving a message on
Construction: 2X Pay
the emergency out-of-work line 408-755-5627. Please
speak clearly and leave the following information: * HVAC/R Service: 1.5X Pay
• First and last name Plumbing Service/Repair: 2X Pay
• The last four digits of your social security number ~ Residential: 2X Pay
• Specify the list pertaining to your craft
Local 393’s News & Events ~
Get all the info you need on the web:
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• www.instagram.com/ualocal393
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the way things used to be, tell them to:
~
Buy American!
Tax Millionaires!
SUPPORT OUR
UNIONS!
AFL-CIO
Business Manager Column Dear UA Local 393 Members, Before I say anything else, I want to thank you for adhering to Covid health and safety protocols. Our jobsites have remained open and safe because of the diligence of our membership. At the onset of the pandemic, Local 393 and the building trades proactively worked with elected leaders and employers to set up worksite policies that allowed us to re-open and stay open. In fact, we haven’t faced large unemployment and have been able to work through almost the entire crisis. But the policies are only good if workers like you are sticking to them in the field. To that end, I can say our union brothers and sisters have maintained a standard of excellence on the job sites to ensure people have remained safe. Our industry has been lucky, and not many construction workers have died in the pandemic. So thank you, and please keep up the good work. For those who have passed away across the As more people are vaccinated, we can also look country because of Covid, let us take a moment to forward to coming together as a union in person. remember them on April 28th, Workers Memorial I am looking forward to the end of 2021, when I Day. Let us also recommit to fighting in their hope we will all be vaccinated and can gather for honor to lift all working people through our labor meetings, for education, for protests, and for our movement. powerful union political program. As more people are vaccinated, more of our Until then, please stay safe. Our health and well country will open up, and we will be faced with being are only as secure as the worker next to us new economic and workplace challenges. And and the worker next to them. Our lives and the lives we will also have new leadership to drive forward of our coworkers and families are on the line. our pro-worker agenda: from President Biden, to Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, to all the local In solidarity, elected leaders we helped win this past November. We also have Jean Cohen, one of 393’s own, taking the helm of the South Bay Labor Council. Together, we can continue to fight for pro-union, pro-worker, pro-community policies in 2021, and in 2022 in the Steve Flores midterm election. UA Local 393 Business Manager
In Memory of Fred Hirsch
A legacy of pushing the labor movement to be better (1933-2020)
Fred Hirsch spent 60 years engaging in tireless Activism was Fred’s life, and justice was in his
work as an activist with Local 393, the South blood. Doing nothing, doing something half way, or
Bay Labor Council, the United Farm Workers, and doing something without complete integrity was
countless local and global struggles. Regardless of not acceptable. He could not be a silent witness
how you crossed paths with Fred, he undoubtedly to injustice. So even when something wasn’t right
pushed you to be better and do more. He was an within our own ranks in the labor movement, Fred
unyielding force for justice, not for a narrow group would be the first to call it out.
of people locally, but nationally and internationally
to do right by all human beings and improve the Part of what made Fred’s leadership so visionary
lives of working people everywhere. and ahead of his time was that he saw the
interconnectedness of all people’s struggles.
Fred was a skilled mechanic – a great plumber. Whether it was workers building Silicon Valley’s
He worked hard every day and raised the tech campuses, Black youth in the city, immigrant
craftsmanship of people around him. At break farmworkers in the fields, or the casualties of
time, he would talk about the union. Then he’d go war in Latin America, Fred would make those
home, where there’d be a constant flow of guests connections, and make sure everyone around him
from the movement: farm workers, Black Panthers, did too.
and anti-war demonstrators. They would talk,
argue, and strategize, create activist literature on In Fred’s final years, he battled illness, sidelining
his garage printing press, and assemble picket his activism. He couldn’t remember there was a
signs for the week’s demonstrations. pandemic, but he always remembered our monthly
union meetings. The 393 union hall was closed,
At his memorial, Fred’s children, friends, and but his partner, Martha, would drive him past the
colleagues recalled his steadfead presence and building to satisfy that itch. Hopefully, that itch for
leadership at rallies, marches, and picket lines. union camaraderie, activism, and justice can live
Afterward, they’d break bread, debrief, and plan for on in all of us. Fred would have wanted it that way -
the next action without a moment’s rest. in fact, he would have insisted on it...
Left: Fred as a young activist. Right: Speaking at a 2010 rally in downtown San Jose, during a
3-day hunger strike to protest the firings of workers because of their immigration status
Fred Hirsch’s grandson, Sascha Dubrul, described him as a “badass internationalist,
anti-racist, and anti-fascist.” Sascha recounted Fred’s words describing his own life
and unyielding dedication to activism.
“Most of what I have I done has kept me from being an adequate father when my
daughters were young. It has made me a somewhat distracted lover when I should
have shown my love. It has kept me from going fishing and rocking around on the sea
as a good man should. It has distracted me from writing the great novel of our time. It
has kept me from taking the political mantle where I might use the public
megaphone of the city council, county board of supervisors, or state legislature…
It has kept me from working on my trade full time, making a good living, and
feathering my nest. But all in all, I probably have done what I do best. I am
happy and have done what I might to fight the good fight and generate a good
network of working class love, power, and light.” – Fred Hirsch
Clockwise: At an immigration reform march; in 1997 supporting the drive to organize the
strawberry workers in Watsonville; with his partner Martha Bertholf; and with Cesar Chavez
Fred Hirsch & May Day
The following is an excerpt from David Bacon’s Even by the 1970s, fear of redbaiting still kept
article “Doing the Work that Needed to be Done,” most delegates away from the May Day events
which was published in OrgUp’s blog. Bacon is a Fred would organize among delegates to the Santa
writer, photographer, a former factory worker, union Clara County (now South Bay) Labor Council.
organizer, and immigrant rights activist.
In 2006, though, everything changed. Millions of
When Adriana Garcia heard about his death, it immigrants chose May Day, a holiday they knew
was a blow. “The whole South Bay is hurting,” well from back home, to pour into the streets,
she mourned. Garcia heads MAIZ, a militant protesting a law that would have made it a felony
organization of Latina women in Silicon Valley. For to lack immigration papers. Tens of thousands
many years she and Fred co-chaired the annual marched in San Jose. In the years that followed,
May Day march from San Jose’s eastside barrio to when Fred and Adriana asked unions to come out
City Hall downtown. for May Day, they’d bring banners and arrive by the
busload.
The recovery of May Day was one of the great
political changes that took place during Fred’s To Fred, May Day wasn’t merely a radical symbol.
lifetime. May Day commemorates the great It was a chance to connect union and community
demonstrations in Chicago in 1886 for the eight- activists in San Jose to people far beyond the
hour day, and the execution of the Haymarket country’s borders, and to talk about a shared set
martyrs a year later for leading them. of politics. Making those connections, seeing the
world joined by the bonds of a common class
When Fred became a political activist and struggle, was the thread that ran through Fred’s
Communist in the 1950s, the holiday had become politics throughout his life.
virtually illegal, a victim of Cold War hysteria. It
was called the “Communist holiday,” celebrated In the outpouring of messages from activists
everywhere in the world but here. hearing of his death, it was apparent that plenty
of people had absorbed Fred’s ideas. Virginia
Fred grew up in New York, where police on Rodriguez, the daughter of farmworkers and a
horseback attacked the May Day rally in the city’s lifetime labor organizer like him, passed away
Union Square in 1952. They clubbed down mothers before he did. But she shared his confidence in a
with strollers who were holding signs calling for vision of an ongoing core of politically committed
justice for Willie McGee, a victim of legal lynching activists.
in Mississippi.
“I came to believe,” she said, “that there will always
Years later it was no surprise that Fred helped be those individuals who will respond to the outer
organize a local support network for the Student edges of what needs to be done, and who will
Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. SNCC step forward to take up responsibility for what is
fought the racism and political repression in the called for if change is to take place. In so doing,
South that killed McGee, and its courageous these people help move others to come along. It
student activists helped end the dark years of underscores the principle that if enough of us carry
McCarthyism. out a piece of what needs to be done, then change
will most certainly come.”
On May Day (May 1) and beyond, let us remember Fred Hirsch and take up
the spear of justice in his honor. In our work, in our lives, and in our hearts.
Fred Hirsch (1933-2020) was a fixture on picket lines in the South Bay whether it was for Local 393, the South Bay Labor Council, the farmworkers, anti-war groups, or any issue where there was injustice.
Marty Walsh:
After four years of anti-union leadership at the representing 35,000 construction workers. He
U.S. Department of Labor, President Biden picked worked with business and community leaders to
Marty Walsh to head the department. Walsh was promote high-quality development, and he created
the mayor of Boston, a former union leader, and a Building Pathways, a program for increasing
strong labor ally of the building trades. diversity in the workplace and providing career
opportunities for women and people of color.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said. “For four
years, working families have lived with a Labor The building trades and the UA hailed Walsh’s
Department devoted to serving a handful of elite selection as a strong victory for workers. UA
interests. Now, the power to enforce safety and General President Mark McManus said, “On day
equity in our workplaces has been handed from a one, Marty Walsh will get to work fighting for
ruthless corporate lawyer to a proud union brother.” American workers like the brothers and sisters of
the United Association. Marty Walsh has a strong
Walsh is a union man. He was a lifelong union history in the Building Trades receiving the UA’s
member before his mayorship, joining the Laborers’ National Elected Official of the Year Award in 2018.
Union Local 223 at age 21 — the same union his We could not be more thrilled with this pick.”
father joined shortly after emigrating from Ireland,
and the one his uncle ran as president. At his confirmation hearing, Walsh spoke of pivotal
moments in his life -- from having cancer as a
Walsh served as Local 223 president until he child, to following in the footsteps of his father’s
became the mayor of Boston in 2014. In 2010, he union job, to recovering from addiction -- all of
was elected head of the Boston Building Trades, which inform his work at the Department of Labor.
President Biden selected Marty Walsh, former union leader, to head up the U.S. Dept. of Labor.
The New Secretary of Labor
“Workers’ protection, equal access to good jobs, Because of the pandemic, workplace issues are
the right to join a union, continuing education more central to the national political discussion
and job training, access to mental health and than at any other time in recent history. The agency
substance use treatment. These are not just administers pandemic emergency unemployment
policies to me, I lived them,” Walsh said. “Millions programs and oversees OSHA and all the Covid
of American families right now need them. I’ve workplace health and safety protocols.
spent my entire career at different levels fighting
for them.” “I think that as we continue to move forward, as
we get more people vaccinated, as we continue
The Senate confirmed Walsh by a vote of 68-29, making sure that we have the safety protocols in
clearing him to take the helm of the Department of place across this country, we’ll be in a lot different
Labor amid the pandemic, historic unemployment, place in September than we would be today,” said
and economic uncertainty. Walsh. “The virus is unpredictable. We don’t know.
But that’s our hope.”
Whether the issue is worker organizing, worksite
safety, or being a voice for working families, Marty
Walsh will fight for our interests. “I spent my entire
career fighting for working people, and I’m eager
to continue that fight in Washington,” he said.
The UA’s Mark McManus touted Walsh’s
selection as part of a broader pro-worker agenda
in the federal government. “The Biden-Harris
Administration is shaping up to be the most pro-
worker White House we have ever seen. I have
every confidence that Secretary Walsh will work
At Walsh’s senate confirmation hearing tirelessly to expand the rights of workers, grow
good-paying union jobs, and ensure our members
“I feel unions are important because they built the have a seat at the table. The entire UA is ready to
middle class, and they can preserve the middle get to work with Marty Walsh.”
class,” said Walsh. “If you look at the decline of the
middle class, and you look at the decline of the
labor movement, there’s a correlation...When you
see more people joining unions and getting into
them, you’ll see more people in the middle class.
“Income inequality certainly has worsened over
the years, workers of color being worse off. In
the wealthiest country in the world, every worker
should be able to get a piece of the American
Dream. It starts with giving workers a voice.
“Everything I want to do here in the Department of
Labor will be about addressing inequality.” Getting sworn in by VP Kamala Harris
Jean Cohen Leads Labor Council
Jean Cohen, Local 393’s former political and
communications director, was tapped to be the new
executive officer of the South Bay Labor Council.
Following are some of her thoughts on her new role.
“Right now is a transformational moment for the
South Bay Labor Council and the labor movement.
The pandemic has shifted perceptions, and the
public is aligned with workers more than it has
ever been since World War II. We can harness that
empathy to pass policies that improve working
conditions and the standard of living.
“Working people are facing four overlapping issue Jean Cohen leads the
areas that create organizing opportunities: South Bay Labor Council.
1. The economic impacts of the pandemic and
how to create a just recovery with good-paying transformative leaders who have won cutting edge
jobs – not just low-wage, gig-economy jobs policies that lift all working people in Silicon Valley.
2. The rise of automation and ensuring that
today’s workforce is trained and has a seat at “We need to continue to shift the imbalance of
the table in regulating the future of work capital and power between employers and the
working people who make them successful. We
3. The lack of affordable housing and the need
are always going to have fewer resources , so we
to find immediate solutions as part of workers’
must out-organize them by using the weight and
basic need to be able to live where they work
influence of our collective action.
4. The intersection of race and class with ongoing
worker struggles and bringing curiosity and “We can build on our successful history, grow
openness to discussing these issues our movement, and lift our communities. Only by
coming together can we address the struggles
“The South Bay Labor Council is building upon 50 and injustices faced by workers. And through
years of championing causes for working families, organizing, we can win, change workplaces, and
and I enter this job following in the footsteps of change people’s lives.”
LET’S PASS THE PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE (PRO) ACT TO:
• Empower workers to organize and bargain
• Hold corporations accountable for union-busting
• Repeal “right to work” laws, which significantly weaken a union’s
ability to have “union shops”
• The PRO Act strengthens unions and the power of working people
CALL YOUR SENATOR TODAY: 866-832-1560 to pass the PRO ACT!events & Resources
April 28: Workers Memorial Day
Workers Memorial Day is April 28, and we
continue to battle Covid in our workplaces,.
The labor movement will commemorate those
we have lost on the job and call to renew the
promise of a safe job for every worker and fight
for stronger safety and health protections. This
year’s theme is “Renew the Promise. Safe Jobs
for All.” On April 28, let’s take a moment to reflect
and renew our fight for all working people.
Covid Questions & Resources
SAFETY PROTOCOLS: If you have a question about work-
site Covid protocols, first check 393’s website. Given that
local and state policies are shifting, 393’s law firm is also
answering your questions at COVID-19@local393.org.
VACCINES: For information about vaccine eligibility, test-
ing, and public health policies, please go to www.sccgov.
org/sites/covid19.
FINANCIAL HELP & SERVICES: To navigate services like
unemployment, food, housing, legal aid, etc. contact the
Santa Clara County Covid-19 Assistance Navigation hot-
line at 408-809-2124 or email scc-can-info@wpusa.org.Presorted
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