LA Labor Fed

Despite some power issues in Los Angeles, it was another wonderful labor day. It was a day filled with optimism for the labor movement. There are many battles to be fought, but LA Labor Fed is strong and growing. The LAT points to a few studies that show the while there is a lot of growth in low paying jobs, organizing in unions can help increase wages for workers.

One study released this week found that nearly one-third of Los Angeles County's 3 million full-time workers in 2006 had jobs paying less than $25,000 a year, with little if any health insurance. Jobs in the local economy's fastest growing sectors -- including food services, retail sales and transportation -- offer low wages and little health insurance, according to the study by the labor-affiliated Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy.

A second study showed that robust labor organizing statewide had pushed up union membership rates in California to 16.5% in the first half of 2007 from 15.7% in 2006. The Los Angeles area posted slight increases, according to the study by UCLA's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment.

The study also found that union membership helped workers win higher pay and better benefits than their nonunion counterparts. In the first half of 2007, for instance, unionized workers averaged $26.82 an hour, compared with $21.58 an hour for nonunion workers.

We need to ensure that we do not build an economy based on low class jobs. Unions are the single best anti-poverty movement in history and their growth will be key to stopping that trend.

At a time when labor ranks are shrinking across the country, it is great to see Los Angeles growing. California has a strong labor movement and it is crucial that we keep it going.