Historic Alliances of California Labor and Social Justice Movements

A Book, A Doc and The Secret Power Of Potlucks

RabbleRouse Moment of Venn honors the City of Angels historic coalitions of labor unions, interfaith organizations, healthcare advocates, immigration rights groups, environmental activists, women’s equality champions, reproductive rights organizations, common-sense gun regulation activists, elder rights, caregiver advocates and civil rights organizations. As Angeleno activists prepare for tomorrow’s Labor Day parades and gatherings, we celebrate and thank them for their work. When they work together, they get sh** done.

Los Angeles labor and social justice organizers are committed to the hard work toward positive change. They volunteer, go to monthly meetings, rallies and marches. They register voters, lobby members of congress, write letters, phone-bank, canvas, and sponsor food, holiday toy and school supply drives. They door knock, table, organize symposiums, debates, and have a profound understanding of the secret power of potlucks, bake sales and folk song singalongs with joyful and steadfast allies.

A stick in a bundle is unbreakable, and through the intersectional solidarity of activists in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and across the state, Californians lives have been saved and our quality of life has improved. Californians can love and marry who they choose because of cross-coalition solidarity and organizing. Women have the right to reproductive healthcare and California workers have rights regardless of their immigration status. Thanks to the labor movement Californians have the right to work in a safe place, protected from unsafe conditions, they have the right to be free from discrimination or harassment and the right to a fair wage for their work.

RabbleRouse News Moment of Venn – Labor Day 2024

The propositions and policies they have fought for and won sometimes get vetoed, stopped at the ballot box, overturned by powerful monied interests in court and indefinitely delayed with the hope that they give up. But they don’t quit. They persevere, teach, learn from the loss, pass the torch… and sometimes they win.

These rights were won, not given. To cede any ground gained by the blood, sweat, years, tears and sacrifice of those that came before is not an option. The struggle continues to secure better conditions for all workers in the gig economy.

Photograph by RabbleRouse News 2024© UCB Entrance, Hollywood, CA

In 2023 the WGA and SAG/AFTRA Strike saw enormous cross coalition actions. UAW, IATSE, UTLA, SEIU Local 99, National Nurses United, AFL-CIO and the DGA joined LA’s creative community, united to fight for humans whose jobs could face annihilation due to AI, automation and greed as their intellectual property, voice or likeness is stolen. This story is still being written but for now WGA and SAG/AFTRA, their sister unions and adjacent businesses heroically organized, marched, picketed and sacrificed during the strike for a better future for everyone.

Know the History

I came across Fred B. Glass’s book From “Mission to Microchip: A History of the California Labor Movement.” Glass is an instructor at City College, San Francisco and producer of an award-winning documentary about California labor history called Golden Lands, Working Hands. It’s a fascinating ten-part master-class series on California workers’ heroic struggle for a better life and how it shaped the state.

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The case for non-violent resistance

Workplace protections we take for granted were hard fought, brutal battles against titans like the notorious owner of the Los Angeles Times in the early 1900’s, Harrison Gray Otis. Otis was the chief architect of the Los Angeles anti-labor organization the Merchants & Manufacturers Association. They had control of the police, the press… and the power.

LA was considered the “Citadel of the Open Shop,” a low wage anti-union town where workers who tried to organize for better conditions were met and driven back with ruthless force by “General Otis” and his Association. The United States has one of the most violent labor histories in the world and alliances of the powerful create a seemingly impossible foe. In 1910 the tragic bombing of the LA Times killing twenty employees by union members crossed a line that set the labor movement back a generation. The tragedy exemplified that non-violent resistance is the only way to meaningful progress.

One Step Forward…

During the 19th century child laborers endured 90 hour work weeks, dangerous conditions and starvation wages. In 1881, American unions demanded child labor protections; however, it took until 1938 for the Fair Labor Standards Act to pass, giving Americans the 40 hour work week, regulated child labor and set minimum wage standards.

NCLC anti-child labor poster from early 20th Century. Library of Congress, creative commons

Women and Children First

The fight for equality has never been a straight forward march, it zig-zags. Battles lost can still lead to progress. A win today could be lost tomorrow if we forget (or never learn) history. Today women and children are having their rights and protections stripped away by extremists and the power hungry. As the Supreme Court removed bodily autonomy from American women, which is a forced labor issue, twelve states have passed laws removing child labor protections threatening the sovereignty of childhood for those who have no representation, no vote.

In 2023 the Department of Labor found Los Angeles-area poultry processing plants, Bran & Exclusive Poultry guilty of endangering children, stealing wages and for retaliating by firing workers who spoke out for better conditions. They were ordered to pay nearly $3.8M in back wages, damages and penalties.

Know Your Rights…

Knowing our rights along with the history of how they were won by labor and social justice movements matters. To paraphrase Spanish American philosopher George Santayana, If we don’t know or remember the past, we are condemned to repeat it. America’s forefathers knew that a well educated population and a public education system is essential to democracy. Is there a reason extremist groups worked to remove Civics Curriculum from graduation requirements and are scheming to privatize our school system? This writer hopes that the next administration reinstates civics curriculum and fortifies our public schools in a robust way.

Fred B. Glass’s book, From “Mission to Microchip: A History of the California Labor Movement” and documentary, Golden Lands, Working Hands is a good place to start.