Huge Turn Out for LA Workers

Thousands of unionists showed their support for LA’s workers by attending the Hollywood to the Docks March and Rally. Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary–Treasurer of the LA County Federation of Labor addressed the crowd at the kickoff rally on the lawn of the La Brea Tar Pits. After all the politicians and Labor leaders gave their presentations the march began. The ILWU Drill Team who traveled from San Francisco led the march. The East side of Wilshire Blvd. was blocked off by police to accommodate the large crowds of marchers. The first stop was the intersection of Wilshire and Western in front of the historic Wiltern Theatre. Over a thousand SEIU volunteers all wearing their purple t-shirts joined up with the crowd. A flat bed truck with sound equipment was used as a make shift stage. Politicians like Mark Ridley Thomas and others pledged their support for the workers. Spanish radio talk show host El Cucuy broadcast interviews with the workers by cell phone and later gave a rousing speech (in Spanish of course). The next leg of the journey ended at a church basement where a delicious lunch was served. Daniel Villao, Council Representative of the LA/OC Building Trades Council thanked the group for their dedication to workers throughout Los Angeles. The march will continue through Thursday and will conclude with a rally in San Pedro.

Hollywood to the Docks Rally

The Hollywood to the Docks March sponsored by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor is an opportunity to show your support for working families in Los Angeles. The kick-off rally will take place on Tuesday April 15th at 9am at the La Brea Tar Pits, 5801 Wilshire Boulevard. Workers and supporters will march for three days through the city ending up at a rally at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, Berth 87, West 1st Street and South Harbor Boulevard. I know my readers will want to take part in this exciting event.

Press Release
3/31/2008
Mary Gutierrez 213.276.3384 Cherry Hepburn 818.505.1104
Workers to Hold Three Day March from Hollywood to the Docks of San Pedro
As economic insecurity continues to rise across the country and the middle class continues to be squeezed, workers in L.A. take a stand by fighting for good jobs
In a press conference held at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro on Monday, workers representing various industries including actors, port drivers, teachers, janitors and longshore workers announced their plans for a three day, 28 mile march from Hollywood to the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro on April 15th-17th. The march is being held in what L.A.’s workers are calling 2008 – the Fight for Good Jobs.
“As inflation and foreclosures continue to skyrocket and the staples we need to get by such as gas, milk and bread continue to increase, workers in Los Angeles are taking a stand. We are going to fight for good jobs so that we can survive these difficult times. We are going to fight to raise our families, keep our homes, our pensions and healthcare,” said Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. “We are going to help thousands lift themselves out of poverty.”
The March from Hollywood to the Docks will kick – off on Tuesday, April 15th in Hollywood (La Brea Tar Pits) where actors represented by Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) face a joint contract negotiation. The march will conclude on Thursday, April 17th at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, where Longshore workers represented by the International Longshore Warehouse Union (ILWU) face contract negotiations in July. The march will end with a massive rally at 6:00 p.m. on the docks of San Pedro. Thousands of workers and community supporters are expected to attend.
“I’m marching because this year, 20,000 of my fellow janitors statewide face contract negotiations. Like me I know that they too struggle sometimes to pay the rent or have to think twice before driving somewhere because gas is so expensive,” said Myra Tovias, a janitor represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 1877 and a janitor for over 21 years. “That’s why it’s crucial that we win a fair union contract that is going to help keep up with the rising costs of living in Los Angeles.”
This year more than 350,000 workers, belonging to 30 local unions, will re-negotiate their union contracts; this is the largest number of workers in the history of the L.A. Labor Movement. These workers hail from key sectors reflecting the core of L.A.’s economy: actors, longshoremen, homecare workers, teachers and janitors. At the same time over 30,000 port drivers, security officers, car wash workers, hotel workers, construction workers and LAX passenger service workers will continue their fight to move out of poverty by joining a union.
The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO is the chartered Central Labor Council (CLC) of the AFL-CIO in Los Angeles County and is the second largest in the country, representing over 350 unions and over 800,000 workers. Its mission is to promote a voice for workers so they can remain in the middle class, move themselves out of poverty by joining a union, encourage active participation in the political process, by electing pro-union and pro-worker officials and to advance public policies that support workers and their families. As the coordinating center for labor’s political activity, the Federation believes that in educating and mobilizing workers to be politically active they can create and sustain healthy communities, and FIGHT FOR GOOD JOBS that REBUILD THE LOS ANGELES MIDDLE CLASS. Visit the Federation at http://www.launionaflcio.org/.To learn more about the March from Hollywood to the Docks and why L.A.’s workers are calling 2008 - The Fight For Good Jobs, please visit http://www.hollywoodtothedocks.com/.