Category: Documents
Organizing leaflets, press releases, and other print documents from the UCLA Library
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Press Release Commenting on Beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police
Read more: Press Release Commenting on Beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles policeLocal 399 condemned the LAPD beating of Rodney King, while connecting it to the LAPD attacks on a Justice for Janitors demonstration in Century City on June 15. The press release reflects the suspicion that working people and communities of color held for the LAPD during the late ’80s and early ’90s and supports demands for civilian oversight and accountability in the LAPD. Watch: an “Eyewitness Account: J4J in Century City, 1990″ here. From the…
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Stop the Cooperation between the Police and the INS
Read more: Stop the Cooperation between the Police and the INSA flyer announcing a protest rally and march organized by the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) in the fall of 1990. Formed in the wake of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, CHIRLA drew together organizations and activists from many communities to demand inclusion for immigrants. Reflecting growing progressive coalition in Los Angeles, co-sponsors of this rally included labor unions, religious, civil liberties, and immigrant rights organizations Los Angeles. From…
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Bruised But Not Beaten | Herridos pero no vencidos
Read more: Bruised But Not Beaten | Herridos pero no vencidosOn June 15, 1990, the LAPD armed with nightsticks attacked group of 500 peaceful demonstrators outside Century City that included women and children. LAPD officers in full riot gear chased janitors into a covered parking structure and beat them with clubs and when union officials tried to approach the officer in charge, they were pushed back on to the ground. More than 100 people sustained injuries that day, some 40 people were sent to emergency,…
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“Trabajador Inmigrante” Conoce Tus Derechos! | Immigrant Worker: Know Your Rights!
Read more: “Trabajador Inmigrante” Conoce Tus Derechos! | Immigrant Worker: Know Your Rights!The Justice for Janitors campaign frequently used street theater to enliven their demonstrations and dramatize their cause. Among their most recognizable characters was a luchador named Mop Man, who (in comics and performances) defended janitors against abuses by the boss. In this flyer, Mop Man explains that employers may not require workers to present immigration paperwork, and instead must accept other forms of identification like a drivers license. Workers are encouraged to contact the National Immigration Law…
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Seguro Medico? Si Se Puede! Mopman y Local 399 Luchando por tus Derechos!
Read more: Seguro Medico? Si Se Puede! Mopman y Local 399 Luchando por tus Derechos!The Justice for Janitors campaign frequently used street theater to enliven their demonstrations and dramatize their cause. Among their most recognizable characters was a luchador named Mop Man, who (in comics and performances) defended janitors against abuses by the boss. In this cartoon from the Justice for Janitors campaign, two workers worry about the cost of healthcare. The superhero Mopman tells them that having good health insurance is like “having extra money in your pockets.” Mop Man…
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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 to offer the lowest cost services. Their customers, those who rented space in their buildings, often didn’t realize that the…
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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 owners–mainly white citizens–and the workers who cleaned buildings–mainly immigrants and women. Among other facts, the report noted that only 3%…
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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 Los Angeles, the Labor Immigrant Assistance Project (LIAP) supported workers’ amnesty applications, and the California Immigrant Workers Association (CIWA) served…
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Jobs with Peace
Read more: Jobs with PeaceHow can progressive political movements win power in geographically expansive and multiracial cities like Los Angeles? The answer, according to the Los Angeles Jobs with Peace campaign was “coalition architecture,” an intentional strategy to link the interests of organized labor with the peace movement, the women’s movement, and the African American civil rights movement through the shared goal of creating good jobs for all by redirecting money from military to domestic spending. In 1984 and…
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Somma waterbed workers win back pay
Read more: Somma waterbed workers win back payIn 1984, workers at the Somma waterbed factory in East Los Angeles began organizing fellow workers at neighborhood soccer games and decide to join the ILGWU. Most of the workers were immigrants from Mexico and Central America, many without documentation. Their employer was Angel Echevarria, a prominent figure in the Latino community and in Los Angeles politics. In January 1985, Somma workers voted 117-48 for a union. The company refused to negotiate with the workers…