Brothers & Sisters:
As most of you have seen over the last two years, a subtle (sometimes loud) anti-worker voice has festered within the California Democratic Party. The issue has nothing to do with leaders within the party, many of whom come from the labor movement. Instead, the root of a lot of labor’s problems within the party can be traced back to anti-worker individuals getting elected as delegates to the party in the last delegate elections.
There are several pathways to becoming an official delegate to the Democratic Party. One of the most common ways, though, is through what’s known as the ADEM elections. Through this process, 14 delegates are elected in each of the 80 California State Assembly districts every two years. In total, that means 1,120 delegates get elected through the ADEM process, one-third of the total California Democratic Party delegation.
For 2023, the State Building & Construction Trades Council of California is leading a push to get more of our own members elected as delegates to the California Democratic Party. We are working with the California Labor Federation, as well as with party leaders, to create and support slates of candidates for the 2023 ADEM elections…but we need your help!
The ADEM elections offer a chance for YOUR union to have a seat at the table within the California Democratic Party. In turn, it also gives us all collectively a stronger voice within the party. Having a stronger voice within the party helps all of us move legislation in Sacramento that supports our members and the entirety of the labor movement.
For the reasons listed above, I’m writing to encourage all of our affiliated unions to help us find candidates within their ranks to be a part of the process this year. We have to assemble these slates fairly quickly, so we are encouraging you to review the linked document and work internally to identify members of your staff, as well as rank-and-file members, to run for these positions.
The SBCTC will help throughout the entire process, including reimbursing the $40 filing fee and providing a template to submit the required ‘Candidate Statement’ for every member that runs. One of the members of our legislative staff, Nichole Trujillo Rice, will be the main point of contact for this process. She can answer any questions you or potential candidates may have.
Let’s take this first step towards bringing the voices of workers back to the forefront of the California Democratic Party!
Fraternally,
Andrew J. Meredith
President
California State Building & Construction Trades Council