Monday, 2/24/97
Going west
At the UCLA teach-in, the American labor movement reaches out to
students in Los Angeles, home of the nation’s largest population of
manufacturing workers.By A.J.Harwin
Daily Bruin Contributor
National labor leaders convened in Moore Hall Thursday night,
officially kicking off the first leadership meeting of the American
labor movement ever held in California.
The labor teach-in continued through Friday with panels and
workshops for labor, university, and community leaders to learn how
to work together on labor issues in Los Angeles, home to the
country’s largest concentration of manufacturing workers.
Speakers included Congressman Xavier Becerra, State Senator and
city mayoral candidate Tom Hayden, and AFL-CIO President John
Sweeney.
The two-day conference, titled "Fighting for Social Justice — A
Teach-in With the New Labor Movement," marked the first time a
sitting AFL-CIO president has spoken at UCLA.
Thursday night’s opening session also included speeches from
strike leaders of the "Justice for Janitors" movement at USC,
Detroit Free Press newspaper strikers, and leaders working for the
national drive to organize strawberry workers.
The UCLA Labor Center co-sponsored the teach-in, according to
Kent Wong, director of the UCLA Labor Education and Research
Center, and conference organizer.
"There is tremendous enthusiasm about what is happening in the
American labor movement" among students, he said. "This teach-in is
an opportunity to involve students and faculty to learn what unions
are all about."
The teach-in gave many political and labor leaders the
opportunity to voice their opinions on the problems caused by low
wages and the inability to move up the economic ladder.
While there are a handful who take home exorbitant wages, that
is heavily offset by the Los Angeles laborers that earn very low
wages — a disparity that could lead to economic trouble later down
the road, Becerra said.
"My country doesn’t let me help you earn a decent wage," Becerra
said. "In 1960, for every dollar the average factory worker made,
the president of that company earned $41. Today, for every dollar
that the average factory worker makes, the CEO makes about
$178."
In his speech Thursday night, Senator Hayden said that he sees
Los Angeles as the focal point for the next labor battle. He
pointed to the fight of the "Justice for Janitors" as an example of
how the poor will fight against injustice at almost any cost.
The USC janitors are currently on strike due to a slash in wages
and long-term benefits, which included the ability to send their
children to school there. A recent demonstration of 600 janitors,
supporters, union members and students resulted in fifty
arrests.
At the same time, Hayden attacked the policies of Mayor Richard
Riordan as encouraging the gap in earnings to continue.
"Los Angeles is the capital of sweatshops. That is why I think
Los Angeles is going to be alive with labor activity, with
organized activity," Hayden continued.
Hayden also looked at students as a huge untapped resource who
can organize improving economic conditions.
"The students have a role to play," Hayden said. Under a
proposed program Hayden would like to implement if elected,
"Students can get their tuition credit for going into the
inner-city, teaching, mentoring and helping kids with homework to
prevent the drop-out rate from climbing," he said.
"It’s got to become a UCLA for all L.A. and not just West L.A.,"
Hayden added.
Other UCLA student organizations also attended the teach-in,
including members of the UCLA Friends of the Labor Coalition.
"Our project is to do community outreach in the manufacturing
sector," said Will Yamada, a fourth-year political science
student.
"Part of our group is actually focused on researching the
companies, the kinds of conditions they have, the types of workers
they have, finding out if they do meet safety standards."
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney was also in attendance Thursday
night. Earlier last week, Sweeney led 2,000 supporters in a
demonstration for the unionization of workers at the New Otani
Hotel and Garden in downtown Los Angeles.
Sweeney will also travel to Japan in the beginning of April to
meet with New Otani executives and bargain on behalf of the
workers.
While labor concerns have traditionally been based in the
eastern part of the United States, he sees the support of unions
spreading to the west with events like the teach-in.
"From what I’ve seen and heard this week, I am convinced that
the heartbeat of American unionism is becoming bicoastal," Sweeney
said.
Sweeney feels that the addition of more union members will help
the working class gain control of the national agenda and the
federal government.
"A bigger, stronger labor movement can be the core and a
catalyst for a new social movement extending well beyond our
ranks.
"That movement itself will help bridge some of the racial and
social gaps in our country, and restore a sense of purity to public
life," Sweeney said.
(top) AFL-CIO President John Sweeney joins over 300 others in
pro-labor cheers.
(midle) Ruth Milkman (r.), a UCLA sociology professor, listens
to a speaker as her son Jonathan Laks (l.) peers curiously from her
lap.
(below) The teach-in included representatives from Justice for
Janitors, who are currently fighting for better working conditions
at USC.
United Farm Workers President Dolores Huerta raises a fist.