The Northern California Carpenters Regional Council’s (NCCRC) membership have elected Jay Bradshaw as their new leader. Members of the council, which represents more than 38,000 working carpenters and craftspeople, voted 155 to 123 to elect Bradshaw as the new executive secretary-treasurer of the union.
After unseating 20-year incumbent Bob Alvarado, Bradshaw took office this week at NCCRC’s headquarters at 265 Hegenberger Rd. in Oakland.
“I am honored to have won the trust, confidence and votes of the membership,” said Bradshaw, who added that he will look to “advance this union into a new era, solidify the foundation we have all built together and grow this union to even greater heights” benefitting working carpenters and craftspeople statewide.
In his victory speech, Bradshaw thanked Alvarado for his two decades of service and the membership for supporting him and promised to take “this rank-and-file driven movement to the highest chambers of power: corporate boardrooms, city halls and the state capitol.”
In his speech, Bradshaw also said his first order of business “will be to bring the staff and rank-and-file together to finish preparing for the upcoming negotiations.”
Noting that their industry is constantly evolving, Bradshaw said they must do the same by increasing organizing—including the Carpenters in Action program—and establishing ways for members to have “a voice at every level of the organization.”
“Brothers and sisters, now is the time to build more power for our union. I am honored to be part of this movement,” said Bradshaw.
Prior to being elected to office, Bradshaw served as director of organizing for the NCCRC for ten years and as the executive director of the 46 Counties Conference Board for two years. He is a member of Carpenters Local 22 in San Francisco and also worked as a carpenter apprentice and journeyman before assuming a full-time position at the union.
Photo courtesy of Jay Bradshaw’s campaign website
