Working for Justice

This book explores the "L.A. Model" of union and worker center organizing through eleven case studies of recent low-wage worker organizing campaigns in Los Angeles. Networks linking advocates in worker centers and labor unions facilitate mutual learning and synergy and have generated a shared repertoire of economic justice strategies. The organized labor movement in Los Angeles has weathered the effects of deindustrialization and deregulation better than unions in other parts of the United States. The case studies are based on original field research on organizing campaigns among L.A. day laborers, garment workers, car wash workers, security officers, janitors, taxi drivers, hotel workers, as well as the efforts of ethnically focused worker centers and immigrant rights organizations. This book is a valuable resource for scholars in labor studies, as well as advocates and policymakers.