California Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez isn’t afraid of speaking truth to power. In fact, she made national headlines last year when she tweeted, “F**k Elon Musk” in response to the powerful billionaire’s threat to relocate his Bay Area plant during the height of the pandemic.
A former labor leader and lifelong champion of workers’ rights, Gonzalez has brought her strong union ties and fighting spirit with her to State Capitol, where, for the past eight years, she’s sponsored and helped pass dozens of bills that directly benefit California’s working families.
“We’re all about fighting for workers, and for some of us it’s a full-time job. But for Assemblywoman Gonzalez, it’s been a lifetime job — with many, many victories and many, many battles. I personally want to say thank you very much for what you’ve done for the men and women of California,” IBEW 1245 Business Manage Bob Dean said to Gonzalez as he introduced her during a virtual training for Local 1245 organizing stewards held on Zoom in early May.
Gonzalez began by thanking the Local 1245 organizing stewards for all the time, energy and work they have put in to fighting for workers, and urged them to keep on fighting.
“There are no defeats in our battle — because if we stay on it long enough, we end up winning,” Gonzalez told the IBEW 1245 organizing stewards. “We are on the right side. And when we are battling in righteous fights, we might lose one, for the moment … but in the long run, we will prevail, because we don’t give up!”
Gonzalez proceeded to detail the current fight at the California State Capitol over AB 1139, which would reform the net energy metering program to end an unjust cost shift from rooftop solar customer to non-solar customers, while also ensuring prevailing wage for rooftop solar installers.
“Let me start by saying I have nothing against rooftop solar. In fact, I have rooftop solar. It was installed by IBEW 569 members, it feeds into the grid,” said Gonzalez. “But I don’t like the fact that my neighbor right here in my working-class community is subsidizing my rates.”
AB 1139, which is backed by the California State Association of Electrical Workers and IBEW 1245, would fix this “reverse Robin Hood” effect that has resulted in a windfall of profit for many already-wealthy rooftop solar companies, funded by fees paid by lower-income ratepayers. Unsurprisingly, the bill is facing fierce opposition from the rooftop solar industry seeking to hang on to this windfall, and Gonzalez emphasized that she’s relying on the Local 1245 organizing stewards to make sure that members of the legislature hear the workers’ point of view as well.
“I can stand up and make a speech and convince people that [voting for AB 1139] is the right thing to do. But unless the legislators feel the pressure at home, unless they know that working people are going to be affected by this, then my words are just words. You’re the folks who can make this happen,” she said to more than 70 organizing stewards on Zoom. “I think you’re going to have a profound effect on getting this through, and I’m hoping that before too long we’ll be celebrating another win — another win for workers, another win for reliable jobs and reliable power.”
AB 1139 isn’t the only “future win” on the horizon. Gonzalez also touched on the PRO Act, a federal bill that would empower workers nationwide to exercise their freedom to organize and negotiate for better wages and working conditions by removing archaic barriers to organizing. That bill — a top priority for organized labor nationwide — has already passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives and is now heading to the U.S. Senate. California Federation Communications Director Steve Smith came on the Zoom to go over the details of this monumental and sorely-needed bill.
“I don’t think this is a surprise to anybody on this call, but labor law is heavily tilted to employers. As a result of the intimidation, and harassment, and firings that happen when workers try to organize, only 6% of private sector workers in this country have a union on the job. And we’re talking about a country in which more than half of workers say they’d join a union tomorrow, if they just had the chance to do it,” Smith explained. “We know there’s a huge problem with how labor law is constructed, and how it helps employers bust unions. That’s the crux of what the PRO Act is going to fix.”
According to Smith, the PRO Act would, among other things:
- Modernize union elections and adopt new procedures to make sure unions can reach a first contract;
- Repeal so-called “right to work” state laws that lead to lower wages, fewer benefits and more dangerous workplaces;
- Increase wages and improve workplace safety by giving workers a voice on the job;
- Hold corporations accountable by strengthening the National Labor Relations Board and allowing it to penalize employers who retaliate against working people in support of the union or collective bargaining; and
- Restore faith in our democracy and fix our economy by giving workers a real say in their future.
Click here to learn more about the PRO Act.
The organizing stewards found the Saturday morning training to be both educational and uplifting.
“Assemblymember Gonzalez was terrific. Lately it seems we use the word ‘inspiring’ so much it almost loses meaning. But Ms. Gonzalez certainly gives the word a clear definition with infectious enthusiasm and perspective,” remarked longtime organizing steward and recent retiree Kevin Krummes. “I think we’d all follow her into any battle.”
“I love her energy, positivity, and passion that she expressed in our training. She had me fired up and ready to go fight!” echoed Danielle Bonds, a Sacramento-based lead organizing steward. “She is so genuine; who wouldn’t want to help her in any cause that she is fighting for? Thank you Local 1245 for the opportunity to hear from an amazing strong minority woman.”
“I really appreciated all the information Steve Smith provided on the PRO Act and the importance in getting it passed,” added Rachelle Rendon, an organizing steward out of Fresno. “Our trainings are so informative, motivational, and always a pleasure to attend! Thank you to all our guest speakers and leadership!”
–Rebecca Band, IBEW 1245 Communications Director