SoCal unions celebrate Labor Day with solidarity, mutual aid
The Los Angeles Harbor Labor Coalition celebrated Labor Day this year with a food giveaway, dubbed the “Labor of Love,” that fed nearly 1,000 area families. The Labor Day Parade and picnic that usually draws thousands of union members and community supporters for a march through Wilmington and a festive picnic and celebration in Banning Park was cancelled due to the pandemic for the second year in a row.
The park became a staging ground for hundreds of volunteers who staffed distribution stations that allowed families to drive up and have their trunks loaded with food, diapers, and backpacks filled with school supplies. ILWU members from Locals 13, 63, and 94 turned out with scores of volunteers. Casuals, pensioners, and Federated Auxiliary members also showed up to give back to the community. This year’s Labor of Love came at a crucial time as federal unemployment subsidies designed to offset the economic impact of the pandemic are set to expire.
Labor working together
The Harbor Coalition collaborated with the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, South County Labor, AFL-CIO and Labor Community Services (LCS). LCS is a non-profit organization that has been assisting unemployed and underemployed union families with groceries for more than six decades, and has provided food assistance to approximately 150,000 families in Southern California since the start of the pandemic.
42 years of unity
The annual Labor Day Parade was started in 1979 by the Harbor Labor Coalition as a demonstration of solidarity and labor unity. ILWU Local 26 President Luisa Gratz was one of the coalition’s co-founders. What started as a small parade and The Los Angeles Harbor Labor Coalition celebrated Labor Day this year with a food giveaway, dubbed the “Labor of Love,” that fed nearly 1,000 area families. The Labor Day Parade and picnic that usually draws thousands of union members and community supporters for a march through Wilmington and a festive picnic and celebration in Banning Park was cancelled due to the pandemic for the second year in a row. The park became a staging ground for hundreds of volunteers picnic with a few hundred union members 42 years ago has grown to become the largest Labor Day event west of the Mississippi River.
Workers protecting workers
The “Labor of Love” food distribution event also included 117 people receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. Larry Barragan, Chairman of the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Coalition introduced the speakers at the event’s press conference.
“Last year, we came together, and we fed thousands of people here in the South Bay, harbor area, instead of staying at home and hiding from the pandemic,” Barragan said. “Today we’re back because we wanted to be safe and make sure that we didn’t have another epidemic amongst the union community. We are back for the Labor of Love distribution number two here in the harbor area.”
ILWU Local 13 President Ramon Ponce de Leon was among the day’s speakers. “Since 2020, we’ve had plenty of deaths, but labor keeps working because we are essential for this country to survive,” Ponce de Leon said. “All labor is essential. Unions built this country, and we will continue to build and rebuild.” Ponce de Leon thanked all of the union members for showing up on their holiday to give back. “That’s who we are. That is what we do. We give back.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn echoed that sentiment. “That you have taken your day off and are giving back to these families means so much to them and so much to me,” Hahn said.
State Senator Maria Elena Durazo praised the response of labor unions throughout the pandemic for organizing direct and immediate assistance through food donations, while fighting for improved health and safety standards in the workplace, and fighting for important policies to benefit all workers like paid sick leave. “That’s the stuff we fought for as a labor movement and that’s what we all should be very proud of,” Durazo said. “We will not let families or workers suffer. We will step up. We will fight back. We will make sure that people are protected.”
Los Angeles City Councilmember Joe Buscaino, whose district includes the harbor area, also celebrated the daily efforts of the working class to keep the country going throughout the pandemic.
“We are reminded where labor was during the pandemic,” Buscaino said. “Labor was out front working, not missing a day of work. It was longshoremen who moved our goods, our nurses who cared for the sick. It was our city workers who made sure that trash was picked up and that streets were paved. Let’s be reminded of the impact of our brothers and sisters in labor, and our unions who’ve been at the forefront during this deadly pandemic. Let’s remind ourselves of how crucial it is to have representation at all levels and make sure that our workers are protected.”
Standing up against the recall
Many of the speakers, including Representative Maxine Waters and Representative Nanette Barragan, spoke out against the effort to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom and urged union members to vote “No.” Speakers noted that recall effort could lead to an extremist like Larry Elders being elected by a small minority of voters. Elders opposes the minimum wage and his anti-worker values are out of step with the majority of California voters.
“We can’t let malcontents push an agenda that is anti-union called a recall,” said Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, whose father was a 47-year member of the ILWU. “Without hesitation, with all the courage that we have in our bodies, as union members, and as workers, we have to vote no on this recall. Together, we can defeat any force that comes against us. Together, we can defeat anyone or anything that challenges labor. Together, we can win a better tomorrow for workers.”
