September 2008

This November will bring a slew of new voters out to the polls on Election Day, many of which will be tempted to vote for Barack Obama without finishing the rest of their ballot. The presidential race may get most voters’ attention, but voting for Obama is just the start of electing worker-friendly candidates.

For 43 years, Raymond Leyba has unloaded ships at the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal.  It’s not a glamorous job, the days can be long and hot and the cargo heavy. But Raymond takes tremendous pride in his work as a union longshoreman. He followed in the footsteps of his father, embarking on a career that, while tough and dangerous, provided a modest income.

As a sign of the nation’s struggling economy, California’s unemployment rate jumped again to a staggering 7.3 percent of those seeking jobs in July of this year.

Our national security is threatened as a result of the decline of unions.  When collective bargaining was not just the law of the land on paper, but widely recognized as the best model for conflict resolution between labor and capital, it had a leveling effect on income distribution. 

Republican San Diego City Councilman Brian Maienschein has been named the September Legislative Hero of the Month.  Councilman Maienschein ensured that companies can’t win city contracts just because they pay less in health care than the city.

More than 125 union members came out to protest the Aug. 13 opening of Tesco’s Fresh & Easy store in Pt. Loma.

We would like to thank the participants, our sponsors for their participation in our 17th annual United Way “Day at La Costa” Golf Tournament held on August 11 at the beautiful La Costa Resort & Spa. 

The AFL-CIO, joined by other worker rights groups, filed a formal complaint with the Federal Elections Commission demanding they look into Wal-Mart’s intimidation of workers.