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The University of California union has won its fight to expel an Orange County Democrat from the state Senate for not supporting a bill he sponsored in Congress. But in doing so, the union may have helped elect Republicans with a history of opposition to organized labor.
State Sen. Josh Newman, D-Fullerton, said American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 spent more than $1 million supporting candidates to replace him in the primary, then bashing him in ads and giving him gasoline. He lost re-election because he linked it to soaring prices and crime.
The union, which represents service industry workers across UC campuses, did not endorse Stephen Choi, a conservative Republican from Irvine, but the union’s decision to oppose mostly pro-labor Democrats. probably helped win a close election race.
This was a strategy that demonstrated how much power unions could wield in California politics. In Congress, where Democrats hold more than enough seats to form a supermajority, retaining membership is less important to unions than making a case for the consequences of intersectional labor. It might have been.
“This is an example of a union with a strong labor record, spending well over $1 million in member funds to benefit Republicans who have campaigned anti-labor throughout their legislative careers.” “This is an unprecedented situation that has brought down Democrats,” Newman said. Said. “It’s really wonderful.”
The California Federation of Labor gave Choi a 6% approval rating on its annual Legislative Scorecard in 2022, when he served as a state representative, supporting fast food workers and preserving health benefits for striking workers. He voted against a bill that would have allowed farmers to join unions and protect farm workers who join unions. That year, Mr. Newman received an 87% approval rating and voted in favor of many union-backed bills.
Representatives from AFSCME Local 3299 did not respond to requests for comment.
Newman conceded last month after losing to Choi by less than 2 percentage points (about 6,000 votes). The Democratic Party said the union’s 35,000 members should be “outraged” at the union leadership, which supported Choi’s election to the Legislative Council, which has been unfriendly to workers.
He believes his reluctance to support a measure on the ballot last year asking voters to establish basic labor standards for all University of California employees spurred the union’s campaign against him. There is. The bill was sponsored by AFSCME Local 3299, but it stalled before reaching the governor’s desk, facing a long list of opponents who said it was unnecessary and unfairly singled out a group of public servants.
Choi, an 80-year-old Korean immigrant and former Irvine mayor, has been reluctant to credit the union with his victory. Like Mr. Newman, he said he would not have supported the bill that sparked the union’s ire.
Choi, a conservative who opposes same-sex marriage, said he plans to “achieve a balance of power” in the Democratic-controlled Congress for a four-year term.
He opposed a union-backed measure on the ballot last month to raise the minimum wage to $18 an hour, saying he was concerned about how large unions like the California Teachers Union were. Use their power to donate millions of dollars to support Democratic candidates and win the most powerful pro-worker legislation in the country.
In an interesting development, Mr. Choi has banned his union from financially supporting or endorsing his preferred candidates in elections, saying they are “holding hostage” politicians who don’t vote his way. We are considering a proposal for a bill to do so.
“It’s very unfair how powerful they are,” he said. “It’s a very unhealthy habit.”
Unions spent billions in the 2024 election on organizations such as the Service Employees International Union and the California Teachers Union. It spent more than $1 million in independent spending alone supporting Democrat Michelle Chambers in the tight race for the 35th Senate District. The union spent about $2 million on ads against Democratic opponent Laura Richardson, who narrowly won the South Los Angeles race.
Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor, would not comment on the specifics of Newman and Choi’s 37th Senate District race, but said in an email Friday that “workers are always elected We will hold officials accountable for the promises they make.” For voters, that seems to make people nervous. ”
Choi is unlikely to have much influence in the California Legislature, where Republicans are struggling to get major policies signed into law.
He said the unions that targeted Newman knew this and were willing to risk helping elect candidates they disagree with to send a message to other Democrats about what would happen if they opposed them. I think it may have been infected.
“I think this was a power play to show their strength,” Choi said. “And what kind of penalties can be imposed on uncooperative members?”
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