Author: admin
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“We’re sorry we weren’t able to clean your offices last night…”
Read more: “We’re sorry we weren’t able to clean your offices last night…”The glittering skyscrapers that came to dominate the downtown Los Angeles skyline often cost multiple millions of dollars to build, their owners more likely to be banks, hedge funds and multinational corporations, rather than individuals. These corporate owners outsourced their building services to property management companies who, in turn, contracted with cleaning companies who competed […]
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Organizing Downtown
Read more: Organizing DowntownAmong the Justice for Janitors campaign’s first targets in Los Angeles was Bradford Building Services, a cleaning services company with dozens of contracts in skyscrapers downtown. Bradford was one of several new subcontractors providing janitorial services at buildings that had broken long-standing union contracts with SEIU Local 399. Janitors claimed Bradford was taking illegal deductions […]
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Strategic research for union campaigns
Read more: Strategic research for union campaignsThis 1989 study of building service work written by Paul Schimek and published by SEIU Local 399 is an example of the union’s use of research to influence the public debate on equitable development in Los Angeles. Declaring that “Los Angeles should work for everyone,” the report highlighted the contrast between the prosperity of building […]
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Unions review impact of immigration reform
Read more: Unions review impact of immigration reformThe AFL-CIO published this information for unions and workers in the wake of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. The law created a process for many undocumented residents to regularize their status, and the pamphlet highlights organized labor’s role in helping “undocumented workers attain legal status and prevent discrimination by employers.” In […]
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CODIL General Assembly
Read more: CODIL General AssemblyAfter years of fighting deportation sweeps in Los Angeles, activists associated with the Centro de Acción Social Autónomo (CASA) formed special committee to address workplace raids by the INS and to advocate for the rights of undocumented workers generally. The Comité Obrero en Defensa de los Indocumentados en Lucha (CODIL, or in English the Workers […]
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Claiming the right to full union membership
Read more: Claiming the right to full union membershipIn 1978 members of HERE Local 11 launched a campaign to unseat long-time union leader Andrew “Scotty” Allan. United Workers of Local 11 ran a multiracial slate of men and women committed to greater member participation in the 20,000 member union. Their candidate for the office of secretary-treasurer was Daniel Ruiz, a resident immigrant and […]
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United Workers of Local 11
Read more: United Workers of Local 11During the 1970s, the Hotel and Restaurant Employees union (HERE) Local 11 in Los Angeles was losing power as restaurant owners dropped their union contracts and hotels cut wages and benefits. In 1978 a multiracial group of members calling themselves United Workers of Local 11 challenged the union’s long-serving leader Scotty Allan. The group distributed […]
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Bert Corona explains the mission of CASA
Read more: Bert Corona explains the mission of CASAActivities of the Brotherhood of Immigrant Workers, C.A.S.A The purpose of the General Brotherhood of Immigrant Workers is to represent the real life interests of immigrant workers and their families. In so doing it has to fight for the real life interests of all of the workers since workers are in reality inseparable. This is […]
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Challenging Dragnet Immigration Raids: Loya v. INS
Read more: Challenging Dragnet Immigration Raids: Loya v. INSIn 1972-73, the Immigration and Naturalization service carried out widespread raids on workplaces, businesses, and homes in Los Angeles. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California, in collaboration with the Center for Autonomous Social Action (CASA) and other allies in the Latinx community, filed suit to stop the raids–a case that became known […]