Justice on the March: February 2006

A New Century and a New Century Corridor
A broad coalition of community, church, labor and education

leaders has launched a major campaign to help build a better economy for thousands of workers and residents along the Century Corridor area near LAX. Known as the gateway to L.A., the area is host to 13 major hotels where many of the area’s residents are employed, but where wages and benefits are far less than those enjoyed by hotel workers in other parts of L.A. County. Adjacent communities suffer the impacts of the hotels’ low-road approach, enduring high poverty, crime and overcrowding.

On February 3, LAANE issued a report documenting conditions for workers and communities along the Century Corridor. LAANE is working closely with the coalition, which is proposing a “Plan for a New Century,” in which the industry would invest more in its workforce and the city would invest in the Century Corridor tourism industry. Economic development and respecting workers’ right to organize along the Century Corridor would create a win-win situation for everyone: workers, the tourism industry and local communities. More or please go to www.newcenturycoalition.org.

Inglewood Fights On Against Wal-Mart

Last month, Inglewood City Councilmember Ralph Franklin proposed legislation that would require superstore retailers such as Wal-Mart to conduct an economic impact report before their projects could be considered for approvals. The law would also mandate a public hearing, giving community members a greater voice in the development process.

In 2004, Wal-Mart attempted to build a superstore in Inglewood without any public input or planning process through a ballot measure. That measure was overwhelmingly rejected by voters after a grassroots campaign led by the Coalition for a Better Inglewood, LAANE, UFCW Local 770 and the L.A. County Federation of Labor. Despite this setback, Wal-Mart purchased the land several months after the election.

The Inglewood superstore proposal is similar to a law passed by the City Council of Los Angeles in August 2004, making L.A. one of the first cities to enact such a policy. LAANE played a key role in shaping the legislation, and is working with the Coalition for a Better Inglewood to ensure that Wal-Mart
and other large developers are accountable to the
community. More

Stand for Security Campaign Moves Into High Gear

Since late last year, LAANE has been part of a new coalition that is fighting to improve conditions for security officers as well as safety standards at major buildings around L.A. The coalition, Stand for Security, includes SEIU Local 1877, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice and numerous faith-based and community organizations.

L.A. area security officers earn wages and benefits far below those of security officers in other major cities. As the first line of defense in the event of disaster, terrorist threat or other emergency, these hard-working men and women deserve better training and conditions.

Security officers, a majority of whom are African-American, will celebrate Black History Month with a rally and street action. The Coalition is also mobilizing for a City Hall event (please see Calendar for details). More

L.A. City Council Acts to Protect Grocery Workers
In December, the L.A. City Council passed a worker retention ordinance requiring grocery stores to retain existing workers in the event of a change of ownership. In addition, after the initial 90-day retention period, employers are now required to conduct performance evaluations that, if satisfactory, would prevent these retailers from offering those jobs to outside workers.

The law is modeled on legislation championed by LAANE and passed by the Council in 1995. LAANE also advocated for the new retention law.

The Council’s move comes two years after the region’s bitter labor dispute between grocers and the UFCW, and as Albertson’s, with more than 20 stores in L.A., weighs offers from several potential buyers, many of whom are non-union and offer meager pay and benefits. More

National “Hotel Workers Rising” Campaign Set for Launch
UNITE HERE, the hotel workers union, embarks this month on a major national campaign to raise standards and improve working conditions for tens of thousands of workers in the growing hospitality sector. Contracts expire in seven major cities this year, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and Honolulu (San Francisco workers have been without a contract since last year), giving hotel workers much-needed leverage as they bargain with hotels now largely operated by national and international chains such as Hilton and Starwood.

A key component of the campaign is support from a broad array of community and religious organizations. LAANE is helping to mobilize community support for hotel workers in Los Angeles and other cities across the country.

The hotel industry employs roughly 1.3 million workers in this country, many at poverty wages. The average hourly wage for a hotel housekeeper is just $8.67. "What workers in this industry need, what the country needs, is a permanent campaign to do in the service sector what we did in manufacturing 70 years ago: transform low-wage work into decent jobs that give people the opportunity to make it into the middle class," says John Wilhelm, who heads up the hotel side of UNITE HERE.

A Growing Movement Against the Wal-Martization
of America
With recent defeats in Ventura and Northridge, Wal-Mart continues to struggle in its effort to gain market share in Southern California. The retail giant has proven itself unwilling to comply with local economic and environmental review standards. As a result, communities are rejecting Wal-Mart’s strong-arm tactics and its seeming inability to accept public accountability.

Across the nation, Wal-Mart has experienced other setbacks: In January, the Maryland Legislature passed a law that will require Wal-Mart to provide healthcare to its workers. Similar policies are now being considered across the country. In December, leading up to the lucrative Christmas season – Wal-Mart’s worst in 5 years – more than a dozen Baptist ministers sent the company a letter stating: "As all faiths teach us, the current exploitation of those who work to provide us with goods and services, whether at Wal-Mart or its suppliers, can never be morally justified. Under all conditions, it is simply immoral and wrong and goes against the teachings of our spiritual leaders and our commitment to justice, fairness and community."

If that wasn’t enough bad news for Wal-Mart, DVD sales of Robert Greenwald’s groundbreaking film Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price have now passed the 100,000 mark, reaching fifth place on Neilsen Videoscan’s documentary sales rankings. For full coverage of Wal-Mart news go to walmartwatch.com or wakeupwalmart.com.

Partnership for Working Family’s Denver Member Charts Big Victory
The Front Range Economic Strategy Center (FRESC), a member of the Partnership for Working Families, last month announced a major victory for the labor- and community-based Campaign for Responsible Development after a multi-year battle.

A broad and diverse coalition of community organizations, labor unions, low-income advocacy organizations, religious groups and environmentalists successfully reframed the debate over a massive redevelopment project. In Denver. As a result, the project will now include affordable housing, living wage and union jobs, environmental improvements, and community oversight.

Such victories are a prime of example of the vision of the Partnership for Working Families, which was founded by LAANE and several other organizations last year to build a nationwide movement to transform the economic development process. For more information, go to californiapartnership.org.

Living Wage Victories Across the Nation
Emeryville voters approved an industry-wide living wage ordinance for this Bay Area city’s hotel workers in November. Introduced by the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE) and the hotel and restaurant workers union, UNITE HERE Local 2850, the new law ensures workers a living wage of $9 an hour with annual adjustments for inflation, access to health insurance, workload restrictions for housekeepers and job protection when ownership changes hands. More

Also in November, New Mexico’s Court of Appeals reaffirmed the living wage law passed by Santa Fe’s City Council in 2003, which affected businesses of 25 or more employees—a mere 15 percent of the city’s companies. The Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce and other business interests had challenged the law; it s not yet known whether they will appeal the decision to the state’s supreme court. More

The Minneapolis City Council passed a living wage ordinance on November 4. The law, which affects all companies with city contracts as well as those receiving subsidies from the city, strengthens a similar law passed in 1997, providing a better enforcement mechanism for non-compliance, closing loopholes and expanding coverage. More

National Partnership for Working Families Holds Founding Conference
The first convening of the Partnership for Working Families (PWF) National Network was held in Denver on January 10. Launched last year, PWF works to ensure that economic development produces good jobs and community benefits.

Nearly 75 people attended the convening, representing labor-community coalitions in 15 cities, including the leaders of 6 central labor councils. Scholar Lee Cokorinos, UNITE HERE Local 11 President Maria Elena Durazo and SEIU Assistant Director of Property Services Eddie Iny all spoke about the challenges ahead and offered a vision of the impact the network can have, while an advance screening of Lyn Goldfarb’s upcoming PBS film, The New Los Angeles, showed how the progressive movement has already transformed the nation’s second-largest city.

The network has now created a listserv to facilitate communication and cohesion, as well as an archive of all community benefits agreements that have been successfully implemented nationally. In the months ahead, PWF will produce and publish more tools to help network members and focus on meeting the capacity-building needs of members.