October 1, 2022

CA Labor Federation Backs Kevin Mullin for Congress

Assembly Member Kevin Mullin is endorsed for Congress in District 15 by the California Labor Federation. Incumbent Jackie Speier announced earlier this year that she would not seek re-election. Rep. Speier endorsed Mullin in February.

Mullin’s positions on federal legislation and policies are fully aligned with the AFL-CIO on trade policy, immigration reform, infrastructure funding, protecting workers’ rights to organize, establishing a single-payer Medicare for All health care program, protecting and expanding voting rights, and supporting public education.

Mullin supports President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda to rebuild America’s infrastructure and create good union jobs, and the $1.8 trillion “American Families Plan” to invest in education, child care and paid leave. He also supports efforts to expand “Buy America” policies, and a national manufacturing policy based on public investment in new technologies and the domestic production of clean energy goods. Mullin told labor council delegates, “I am going to be very aggressive to bring federal dollars to the district, just as I have done in the Assembly. If you want to know what I will do in DC, look at what I have done in Sacramento. I have the experience delivering for San Mateo County, being a champion for job creation.”

A strong supporter of prevailing wage laws that have helped maintain wage standards and guarantee high-quality work on taxpayer-funded projects, Mullin said he will oppose efforts to weaken or repeal the Davis-Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act.

In his candidate questionnaire, Mullin wrote, “A principle of mine as a legislator is to advocate for economic opportunities for all through high quality, debt-free education.” He listed several state bills he voted for that would address issues of student debt, access to preschool, and create a California STEM teacher pathway program to train and support STEM teachers and students. “Education is one of the most pressing economic issues we are faced with. Making education accessible is the way to move our economy forward,” Mullin said. “As a member of the California State Legislature, I have had the privilege of legislating progressive education reforms.”

Mullin, who has served in the California State Assembly since 2013, told Labor Council delegates, “Labor is in my DNA.” His father, Gene Mullin, who served in the state legislature from 2003 until 2008, was a public school teacher in the South San Francisco Unified School District and a union member. Mullin supports President Biden’s proposal to provide free community college and increase Pell Grants; in the Assembly, he voted to urge Congress to increase Pell Grant funding and voted in support of the California College Promise, a state grant to waive tuition and fund wraparound services for California Community College students. “In Congress, I will continue to support legislation and advocate for high quality, debt-free higher education to help working families.” Mullin wrote. He supports the Biden administration’s pauses on student loan repayments and cancellation of student debt.

Mullin pledged to co-sponsor and vote for the PRO Act as well as the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act and the Firefighters and EMS Employer-Employee Cooperation Act if elected. He supports federal legislation to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour, and legislation to guarantee overtime eligibility for all workers making less than $51,000 per year.

As the AFL-CIO noted in its questionnaire for candidates for federal offices, “Today, more than 200 years since our Constitution was ratified, voting rights are not assured for all American citizens.” The AFL-CIO noted that recent Supreme Court rulings that weakened, or eviscerated, provisions of the Voting Rights Act, including making it more difficult to challenge voting laws and procedures that disproportionately impact minority voters. In addition, the federation noted, “New state laws also have been enacted to allow partisan government officials to manipulate election administration procedures and overturn election results. Experienced state, county and municipal election officials who disagree with such partisan election interference have been threatened, harassed and removed from their positions. These changes threaten not only to suppress votes, but also to subvert our democracy.”

Mullin pledged to sponsor and work to enact the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act which would restore the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and the For the People Act of 2021 that would protect and expand early voting, voting by mail and automatic voter registration.

Kevin Mullin is a strong supporter of voting rights, as well as of increasing voter participation by expanding the use of vote-by-mail. His state legislation to set up a pilot program for all-mail elections in San Mateo County and a handful of other California Counties became the standard for elections in the state; as in 2020, elections in 2022 in California will be vote by mail.

“We have fascistic forces trying to undermine democracy and voting rights,” Mullin told labor council delegates. “I want to be a warrior for democracy.”

For more information: https://www.kevinmullinforcongress.com/