Miguel Contreras: A Terrible Loss
Damn. In case you haven’t heard, Miguel Contreras, secretary-treasurer of the Los Angles County Labor Federation, died suddenly last night of a heart attack. I never had the good fortune of working...
View ArticleOn Labor and Dumb Electoral Politics
I did a stretch of seven years in Los Angeles so I keep my ear to the ground on whatever is happening there in the house of labor. The last couple of weeks, I keep hearing from friends who are holding...
View ArticleNo Strike in SoCal Supermarkets
For those of us who remember the long grocery workers’ strike that went on for almost five months back in 2003-2004, there apparently won’t be a repeat. The Los Angeles Times was reporting yesterday...
View ArticleSpin and Ideology
Interesting to see different takes on the deal reached in Los Angeles for city workers’ contracts. First, the LATimes: Unions representing 6,300 L.A. workers reject Villaraigosa’s labor deal Four...
View ArticleWest Coast Justice
Hey, as someone who lived just up the road from Redondo Beach for a bit, here’s some good news: In a decision that could have a wide-ranging effect on other cities with similar laws, a federal...
View ArticleCleaning Up The Car The Union Way
People who live in New York City and don’t even own cars might shrug about this. But, in the car culture everywhere else, this is an interesting development: Workers at a Southern California car...
View ArticleWhy Labor?
Yes, unions brought us the weekend. But, there are life-changing skills that unions often open up for people who might not have access to them. Something to remember via a strong Labor Day column from...
View ArticleDurazo’s Drive
This is not really an entirely new story. But, it’s good to see something positive about organized labor — and particularly about a dynamic labor leader. I have a strong feeling that I will never...
View ArticleBad Ruling For Teachers–And The Public
One of the dumbest, and pernicious, obsessions has to be trying to tag teachers for the bad state of a lot of schools. Seriously? It’s just mindless, blind ideological hatred that comes straight from a...
View Article
