My feet are aching, but my spirits are lifted. On Saturday, Mar. 26, 2011, I participated in the large labor march and rally in downtown Los Angeles. The event was held to support public employee workers in Wisconsin and elsewhere fighting against right-wing attacks on their collective bargaining rights. Thousands of people attended, including members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, United Farmworkers and other unions. The march began Saturday morning at the L.A. Convention Center, stopped at various anti-union businesses along the way to Pershing Square, site of the rally that afternoon.
I'm not in a labor union. In fact, I am one of those uncounted unemployed people who work part-time, but are seeking full-time employment and have had trouble finding any. I call myself a member of the "Union of the Unemployed and Underemployed." Nevertheless, I have friends and family who are in unions, and I am active in progressive politics, so I just had to be there.
I was initially going to attend a local U.S. Uncut demonstration outside of a downtown L.A. Bank of America branch, and then go to the labor rally later, but when I got to the bank, there wasn't much of anything going on. (If you don't know about U.S. Uncut, it's the American spin off of a movement that began in the United Kingdom against corporate tax dodging) A couple of guys standing outside of the bank, whom I assumed were the local U.S. Uncut protest organizers, told me that many people were headed to the labor march instead. Although the U.S. Uncut protest was part of a nationwide event, the local Uncut rally happened to coincide with the labor march. But no matter! My homemade protest sign - "Wall Street Steals While Main Street Starves" on one side and "To Rob a Country, Own a Bank" on the other - would still be relevant to the cause at hand.
So I relocated my car to the L.A. Central Library and walked toward the Convention Center to join the union marchers. I found the marchers lining up at the nearby Staples Center/Nokia Theater complex, headed by a large Teamsters truck carrying a small stage and speakers blasting out music to get the crowd going. Many wore T-shirts indicating their various union affiliations. The atmosphere was pumped up and festive.
Marchers start at Staples Center/Nokia Theater complex
First stop at the Luxe Hotel, where housekeeping staff complain of unfair disciplinary actions
Second stop at T-Mobile, where employees are trying to unionize. The signs are asking people are asked to text "Better" to T-Mobile at the above number.
Third stop at Ralphs, where workers are demanding a fair union contract
Other stops included a couple of banks where Loomis truck drivers are fighting against adverse working conditions. The rally at Pershing Square lasted about two hours, and speakers included labor leader Maria Elena Durazo of the L.A. County Federal of Labor, Teamsters President James P. Hoffa, and Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Wisconsin Professional Firefighters.
More photos from the rally at Pershing Square
And what's a rally without music? Performers included Tom Morello and Ozomatli.