--- title: California building trades learn to appeal to both political parties description: The AWF Podcast is the nation’s premier daily labor program. Michael Mark of SJ Building and Construction Trades Council joined us on today’s show. image: https://awf.labortools.com/hubfs/AWF-blog-image-template_buildingtrades.jpg --- 1 min read Season 3, Episode 233 # California building trades learn to appeal to both political parties [ awfblog ](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/author/awfblog) November 25, 2022 [Building Trades](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/building-trades) [America's Work Force Union Podcast](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/americas-work-force-union-podcast) ![san joaquin BCTC](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/san%20joaquin%20BCTC.jpg?width=407&height=407&name=san%20joaquin%20BCTC.jpg)   Guest Name: --- Michael Mark Guest Website: --- [https://nabtu.org/communities/san-joaquin](https://nabtu.org/communities/san-joaquin-volunteer/) Guest Social Media: --- [ Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/SanJoaquinBuildingtrades/) [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/sjbuildingtrade) [ YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/) [ LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/) Supportive Documents: ---   San Joaquin County Building and Construction Trades Council Financial Secretary-Treasurer Michael Mark joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the challenges of living in a purple county and working with both political parties to create work opportunities for members of the building trades. The San Joaquin County Building and Construction Trades Council represents about 10,000 affiliated members in California. Despite California’s reputation as a Democratic powerhouse, many of the areas outside of L.A. and the Bay Area tend to lean purple or even red politically, Mark explained. In San Joaquin County, the Republican party holds considerable influence and he talked about the the SJCBCTC’s efforts to court both sides of the aisle. For example, thanks to the work of the building trades council, nearly the same number of Republicans and Democrats support Community Workforce Agreements, which operate similarly to Project Labor Agreements, he said. Mark also talked about the council’s apprenticeship readiness program and the Sam Kharufeh Memorial Scholarship Fund, named in honor of the Council’s former Financial Secretary-Treasurer, who passed away in 2020. Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics: --- America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues. America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers. - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ##### SUBSCRIBE ON: --- [![Group 342](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png?width=171&name=Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/id1511224946) [![Group 341](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Spotify%20Button-Dark.png?width=100&name=Spotify%20Button-Dark.png)](https://open.spotify.com/show/0GzkHxFSBxiXvuX0lZpQBn) [![Group 343](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20343.png?width=135&name=Group%20343.png)](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast-62567752/) [![Group 339](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20339.png?width=110&name=Group%20339.png)](https://www.pandora.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/PC:47979) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20397.png?width=125&name=Group%20397.png)](https://americasworkforceradiopodcast.podbean.com/) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/YouTube_button.png?width=125&name=YouTube_button.png)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuQo1PAtRAel1_tS7-PQOkA)   #### [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/brotherhood-of-railroad-signalmen-on-the-union-pacific-merger-threat) : July 6, 2026 # Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat Brandon Elvey, Secretary-Treasurer of the [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen](https://www.brs.org/),... 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