LAX Officers Report Abuse

A rally for Airport Security Officers at Los Angeles International Airport attracted hundreds of supporters. Activists wore signs that read, “Stand with Front-Line Defenders of Airport Safety” and “The Union Is Here” – Another Union Member in Solidarity with Transportation Security Officers and their Union – AFGE, AFL-CIO. The labor dispute arose from alleged intimidation and firings of airport security personnel for complaining about poor working conditions at LAX. Several local politicians and labor leaders took the stage to speak in support of the Security Officers and their union. The demonstration took place outside Gate 1 near the South West Airlines Arrival Gate.

Community Backs Greuel for City Controller

Councilwoman Wendy Greuel hosted a traditional community picnic at the Sherman Oaks-Van Nuys Park to kick off her campaign for Los Angeles City Controller. A delicious lunch was served by volunteers. The crowd numbered in the hundreds bolstered by working families and key community groups. Children took center stage holding signs and eventually joining Greuel on the platform. She announced her support for energy audits of city buildings to identify opportunities for utilizing green technology to save money and reducing traffic by expanding programs to give incentives for not driving a car to work. She spoke about the budget crises and the need for more fiscal responsibility. Councilman Tom LeBonge and Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield spoke and enthusiastically announced their support.

Recommended Viewing

If you haven’t already seen the segment shown on KCET, Bill Moyers Journal about the “Hollywood to the Docks March” here is your chance. Go to http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/06132008/watch.html to watch this extraordinary piece on the struggle of American working families highlighted by this march by Los Angeles union members. Sometimes it takes an outsider to be able to explain exactly what is really happening and put it all in focus in a way that the public can understand. They did such a great job this time explaining the complexities of the class-war that’s been ongoing for decades. How the workers have been taken advantage of by corporate interests leaving many with little or no safety net. When CEO’s like Brian Robert’s of Comcast and others are paid just obscene amounts of money and the average employee scrapes by barely keeping up with inflation. It’s great to see someone finally articulating the growing disparity between the super rich and the working poor. You will recognize many familiar faces from the LA labor movement in the video. The march from Hollywood to San Pedro was led by Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles Federation of Labor back in April. Enjoy!

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/.