Labor Council for Latin American Advancement- Local
The mission of LCLAA is to organize and mobilize Latinos in the labor movement in an effort to impact workers’ rights and their influence in the political process. With 19% of City of Milwaukee residents identifying as Latino, LCLAA has historically been an important voice in the workplace and crucial resource for members in the Milwaukee area. Protecting voting rights and encouraging voter participation is another important role.
The Milwaukee area organizing committee for a new LCLAA Chapter has been working to establish a new group following the closing of the previous chapter that was chartered in 1998. The group pulled together an Organizing Committee from a wide cross-section of unions in the area (including food service and production, hospitality, a number of construction unions, manufacturing, and the public sector) and has held a number of Organizing Committee Meetings, coordinated a “welcome back” fall conference, and are building a strong list of core members who are excited to build an active LCLAA chapter.
On November 13, 2021 the new Organizing Committee for Milwaukee Area LCLAA held the first conference since 2018 and first gathering since the COVID-19 pandemic. Members from different unions and industries gathered together to share information, learn from one another, and build solidarity around issues impacting Latinx workers. Topics included immigration status at the workplace and UFCW's citizenship program, IAMAW member education and training, combatting wage theft which is a particular problem for Latinx workers. Participants expressed appreciation for learning there are programs out there to refer workers who have been taken advantage of by bad employers. There was also good feedback on the presentation of the “Common Sense economics” curriculum by an AFL-CIO staffer and the sharing of worker stories on how people became union members and activists in their respective industries. “We really tried to honor that history of quality presentations from the conferences in years past, and we got really good feedback from attendees,” notes Pam Fendt, president of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council who also is a member of the Organizing Committee.
With important fall elections on the horizon and historically low voter turnout among the Latinx community in Milwaukee, there is a need to mobilize Latinx union members who are able to vote. In addition, organizing committee members are excited to bring information on good union jobs to the community. There is no shortage of work to be done in 2022 as we continue to fight for social, economic, and labor justice.
Ivan Herrada, a member of the Heat and Frost Insulators Local 19 emphasized the importance of our work, “When I look back at my family’s journey as immigrants in the US I realize how little to no knowledge we had of the support a union provides workers and their families regardless of their legal status. Today, I form part of the organizing committee for both LCLAA and Local 19 to provide that knowledge and support to my community, to the workforce, and to our union members. It is important to me to take action and empower our community.”
Milwaukee Area LCLAA has since held a resource fair and two socials to bring new members into the group to see what LCLAA is all about. Do you or someone you know want more information on how to get involved with Milwaukee Area LCLAA?