Ironworkers Local 378 Oakland announced their endorsement today for Buffy Wicks to serve as the next Assemblymember for District 15. Ironworkers Local 378 represents tradespeople in the Oakland area, north to Lakeport, south to Westley, east of Highway 101 and west of Vacaville and Tracy.
“Ironworkers Local 378 Oakland is proud to endorse Buffy Wicks for State Assembly District 15,” said Ken Miller, Business Agent and Organizer for Iron Workers Oakland 378. “Buffy understands the critical importance of keeping unions healthy and investing in apprenticeship programs. She is a life-long supporter of Labor and we know she will be our partner in the Legislature to fight for good-paying middle class jobs and the economic prosperity of working people.”
“As dedicated defenders of safer working conditions, better healthcare, job security, and equal pay, labor unions are key to protecting middle class jobs and the health of our local economy,” said Buffy Wicks. “I am ready to work for and with Ironworkers Local 378 Oakland and our local unions, in the State Legislature to preserve and expand worker protections in California,” she said.
Ironworkers Local 378 Oakland the second endorsement from Labor to back Buffy this week, building on the support announced by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 595 of Buffy on Labor Day. Other labor organizations supporting Buffy as the best person to lead AD 15 include the Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County Northern California Carpenters Regional Council, LIUNA Laborers Local 324 and Local 304, Sheet Metal Workers Local 104, and Plumbers & Steamfitters UA Local 342.
Buffy Wicks has spent her career as a grassroots organizer for progressive causes. She served as a leader on the Wake Up Walmart campaign, an initiative founded by UFCW that pressured Walmart to improve wage and health benefits for its employees. She organized throughout the Bay Area against the Iraq War and helped to created the national organizing model for the Obama for America campaigns in 2008 and 2012. Grassroots organizing has been a centerpiece of Buffy’s campaign, with more than 160 house parties and a team of over 500 volunteers who knocked on over 35,000 doors. This grassroots support translated to Buffy winning every city in the District in the primary campaign.
More information on Buffy’s platform and priorities can be found at www.buffywicks.com.