Vol. 33-No. 15 4 A.~-<, April 20, 1990 COPE Endorses VanKar~~~~~~Ude John Van de Kamp is labor's can- didate for governor of California. Van de Kamp, currently attorney general, was endorsed by delegates representing two million union members yesterday during the pre- primary election convention of the state AFL-CIO'ss Com mittee on Political Education (COPE). The delegates, meeting 400 strong at the San Francisco Airport Hilton Hotel, voted on endorse- ments for every state office, legisla- tive and congressional seat, and statewide proposition that will appear on the June S Primary Elec- tion ballot. They also endorsed: * Leo T. McCarthy for re-elec- tion as lieuteniant governor. * March Fong Eu for re-election as secretary of state. * Gray Davis for re-election as controller. * Kathleen Brown, daughter of one ex-governor and sister of another, for state treasurer. .0 Ira Reiner, district attorney of Los Angeles County, to succeed Van de Kamp as attorney general. * Bill Press, who served in the Jerry Brown Administration and spoke for labor as an L.A. radio and television commentator, to become the state7s first elected insurance commissioner. John Van de Kamp,, leflt acknowledges cheers of delegates as Al Gruhn,, center, and Jack All are Democrats. Endorse- ments went to none of the candi- dates in Republican primary elec- 9 tion races, although a number of Repusblicans were endorsed for the Stikers Legislature. 0 0 The delegates accepted recom- mendations on partisan races pre- sented to them by the Executive Council of the Californtia Labor ,%W Attorney General Jcohn Van de clothed in the armor of the status governor they won't have to." Those ban Lorenzo signs with a Federation, which interviewed can- dollars of didates and reviewed central body Kamp promised yesterday that with quo and armed with the Earlier, the delegates heard John line slashed through the corporate recommendations along with its him as governor, "labor again will special interests," he declared. Perkins, national AFL-CIO COPE raider's name have, new meaning have its hands upon the levers of "'We canft permit the hypocrites today for Eastern Airlines pickets statewide advisory committee dur- in the to director, call upon local unions to two of to power in this state." Republican Party praise bcome more active in across the country. ing dlays meetings prior entered the con- labor in Poland while politically the convention. Van de Kamp organized order to help set great changes into The Machinists have made good vention hall to cheers and applause attempting to destroy it here at on their pledge to last one day For the non-partisan superinten- after COPE had home!" .motion. dent of public instruction, the coun - shortly delegates longer than Lorenzo, who on Twhurs- voted to endorse his candidacy in Van de Kamp pledged to revital- "Our society is rady to emerge day was removed firom control of cil's recommendation was to from a of endorse the incumbent, Bill Honig. the June Primary Election. ize Cal-OSHtA, restoring it once long twilight princip'le Eastern by a bankruptcy judge. "This is the greatest honor of my again to its full potential. Labor, he into the bright sunshine of pro- Seizure of the airline before But Jack Henning, executive sec- Perkins said. of the state federa- life,," he told the delegates. promised, will be heard and heeded gress," Lorenzo stripped it clean is what retary-treasurer that are in the state of tilon, announced th]at Honig had, in "I promise you wze going again D:epartment "Members will respond to politi- the Machinists have been asking. the meantime, declared his total to win," he said. "Come this Industrial Relations. cal initiatives and incentives of But other creditors opposed it and for Bill the November we are going to shake "SCalifornia has a .moral obliga- local labor unions more than to any the judge refused to act. support Assembly 3300, tion to for medical care as measure that would strip teachers of from this state the dust of indif- provide other force in the labor movement," This changed last week when the to strike. ference and neglect left behind by well as decent housing," he said. Perkcins declared. creditors, finally disillusioned by right Administration. "In the richest state in the union, "I am required to present the the Deukmejian "'Get local unions active," Lorenzo!s shrinking pay-back pro- "SWe are going to beat Pete people shouldn't have to sleep in the your posals, told the judge they, too, council's recommendation to you," (Confinued 2) Henning told the delegates. "But I Wilson, who rides into battle streets, and when I'm through as fiom Page (Continued on Page 4) (Continued on Page 3) m m The California Labor Federation doing any asbestos-related work campaigning to restore it through Hlenn'ing. said the efforts of the has prevented Cal-OSHA adminis- involving 100 square-feet to register passage of Proposition 97, the gov- states Republican administration to trators from washing their hands of with Cal-OSHA so 'that safety ernor's appointees announced that weaken Cal-OSHA enforcement responsibility for a variety of inspectors will know where and any contractor exempted from the demonstrates the necessity for full asbestos-related jobs. when to find them. asbestos qualification examination support by the labor movement of f, . A three-judge panel in the Third A separate law, found in the Cali- also would be exempted from regis- Democratic candidates endorsed District Court of Appeal at Sacra- fornia Business and Professions tering asbestos-related jobs. this week at the convention of the mento ruled unanimously that offi- Code, requires contractors doing This action is overturned in the California AFL-CIO Committee on n ew d eciZs i wh ich w as n_' cials currently in charge of the Cali- .asbestos-related work to pass an on, Political Education (COPE). fornia Dlivision of Occupational asbestos certification examination. announced on Monday. The case The court decision comes as )I. Safety and HIealth cannot exempt Trhose involved with some materials goes into the law books as Henning Republican-sponsored bills to contractors engaged in asbestos containing asbestos that is unlikely et al v. California Division of Occu- wealcen the Asbestos HIazard Emer- I F work from registering with the to get into the air are excused from pational Safety and Health - so gency Response Act of 1986 are agency. taking the certification examination. narned for Jack Henning, executive,, being pushed in Congress. Union It is a victory of far-reaching Included are asbestos cement pipe, secretary-treasurer of the'state fed- \leaders urged preservation of the importance, not only to workers vinyl asbestos flo-or tile, and eration, who was the -head intiff. asbestos safety laws during con- doing asbestos-related jobs but to asbestos bituminous or resinous The decision declares th3 the gressional hearings held last week the general public as well. The materials. Labor Code section requiring rXs- in San Francisco. Charles P. Scully law firm repre- In August of 1988, while Cal- tration of all asbestos work shall There was no immediate word on sented the federation. OSHIA was shut down by order of prevail. It is signed by Justice Keith whether the Deukn-ejian Admitnis- The California Labor Code Gov. George l)eukmejian and while F. Stars, Hugh A. Evans and tration would appeal the decision to requires any employer or contractor the Califomtia labor Federation was Anthony DeCristoforo. the California Suprenie Court. Governor John Van de Kamp, D;.. Lieutenant Governor . Leo T. McCarthy, D Secretary of State March Fong- Eu, D Controller Gray Davis, D Treasurer Kathleen Brown, ..D Attorney General Ira Reiner, D Bill Press Kathleen Brown Ira Reiner Board of Equalization District 1 William Bennett, D District 2 Lo'u Papan, D District 3 Floyd Morrow, D For Actvis District 4 Paul Carpenter, D Insurance Commissioner .Bill Press, D (Continuedfrom 1) profi't of the wealthiest few." Page Non-Partisan he urged. "Enlist volunteers. There He reviewed the labor move- Suiperintendent of are thousands of potential COPE ment's accomplishtiients in Califor- Public Instrucotion No Endorsement volunteers who have never been nia, including last year's major asked." bf-akthrough in workers' compen- sation reform. Delegates also heard from Dave Gregory, regional COPE director. But he warned of the threat Delegats Hono the Adminis- Henning,,in his report to the con- posed by Deukmejian vention, contrasted the worldwide tratioWs convict labor proposal. Harry~~~~Irige upsurge of democratic movements "The measure would pit tens of with the 'situation in the IJnited thousands of state prison and States, where the "'Reagan-Bush county jail inmates working at mini- There were tributes to the late Bridges by th'en-Mayor, Angelo oligarchy enters its second decade mum wage and no benefits, without Harry Bridges, founder of the -Inter- Rossi of San Franci'sco. in 1934 -to March Fong E;u of -governance of, by and for the unions and supervised by armedi national Longshoremef's and. Ware- accolades by Mayor Art Agnos -and guards, against free California housemerfs Union, at the opening others at memorial service's 'last workers in the private sector,"T Hen- and close of.yesterday's state COPE Saturday. ning said. convention. "The real reason for the attacks He promised that labor would In his opening. remarks, Jack was that Harry preacbed, down to fight the' current proposal as-it did Henning, executive secretary-trea- his last days, that the interests ofthe the governor's plan to place convict surer of the California Labor Feder- employer class are always 'in co'n- labor on the statewide ballot ation, contrasted attacks upon flict with the interests of the.