SEIU California, one of the state’s most influential and wealthy unions, has un-endorsed state Sen. Scott Wiener in his bid to succeed Nancy Pelosi in Congress. Supervisor Connie Chan is now SEIU California’s sole endorsee.
SEIU attributed the withdrawal of support to Wiener’s opposition to San Francisco’s Proposition D, informally known as the “Overpaid CEO Tax.”
Prop. D, a measure put onto San Francisco’s ballot for the June election by San Francisco labor unions — including local branches of SEIU — would levy taxes on companies in which the CEO earns 100 times or more his or her median income employee. The measure is intended to fill the city’s $650 million deficit and stave off layoffs.
“A candidate’s stance on the Overpaid CEO Act is more than just another policy choice — it reveals who is standing with working people in this moment as we fight the Trump Administration’s attacks on our healthcare and our communities,” said Theresa Rutherford, president of SEIU Local 1021 and board member of SEIU California. “We need elected leaders ready to fight — not equivocate.”
Supporting the tax “should be an easy choice for San Francisco’s congressmember when it means saving the city’s mental health programs, public hospitals, and emergency response services,” she added.
Prop. D is supported by a supermajority of the Board of Supervisors. But other local politicians, including Mayor Daniel Lurie and Wiener have opposed it, saying that, if approved by voters in June, it will push businesses to leave the city and paint San Francisco as unfriendly to business.
“Downtown is still recovering from the pandemic, and I strongly support Mayor Lurie’s economic recovery work,” Wiener said in a statement. “In Congress, I will fight for progressive taxation, ensuring the largest corporations pay their fair share, starting with reversing the Trump and Bush tax cuts and closing loopholes that enable corporate tax dodging.”
That SEIU’s statewide chapter even endorsed Wiener in the first place was a shock to many — including some of SEIU’s San Francisco branches.
SEIU 1021, a large San Francisco union of government and healthcare workers, did not support Wiener’s endorsement, instead advocating for a sole endorsement of Chan. SEIU 1021 members didn’t like Wiener’s state-level push for YIMBY housing policies and his reluctance to call Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide.
But they were outvoted by other SEIU locals across the state, which supported Wiener, citing his record at the state legislature on budget and transportation issues. In the end, a co-endorsement of Chan and Wiener was put forward.
Chan had been expected to gain widespread backing from labor, and has racked up endorsements from other progressive unions including the San Francisco Labor Council, the California Federation of Labor Unions, and the California Teacher’s Association.
“She will be the best representative in Washington for working people,” said Martha Hawthorne, a member of SEIU 1021’s San Francisco political committee. “Her record speaks to our issues: union rights, affordable housing, tenant protections, funding for public services, and taxing billionaires.” In 2024, San Francisco unions spent hundreds of thousands on her reelection as District 1 supervisor.
With the sole endorsement, Chan may get funding for her congressional race from SEIU. Previously, any funding would have had to be split evenly between the two campaigns.
“The choice is clear: Connie Chan is the candidate of working people,” said Julie Edwards, Chan’s campaign spokesperson. “We’re proud to stand with the healthcare workers, janitors, in-home caregivers, school and city employees of SEIU as we work to reach every voter in San Francisco with a simple message: Connie will take on Trump, the billionaires and big corporations to fight for us.”
Critics of Wiener are celebrating. “It’s about time,” Hawthorne said. “The lesson is that all rank and file members should be listened to. Ages ago we endorsed Connie Chan, but our union’s opinion was not taken.”
“I commend the state council for having the courage to change an endorsement,” Hawthorne said. “That’s not easy.”