L.A. Story: Immigrant Workers and the Future of the U.S. Labor Movement

Contents

CONTENTS About the Authors vii Preface and Acknowledgments ix Union Acronyms xiii Introduction 1 Chapter 1 The “Wicked City”: Labor and Los Angeles Exceptionalism 26 Chapter 2 Turning the Clock Back: Anti-Union Reaction, the Return of the Sweatshop, and the New Immigration 77 Chapter 3 Organizing the “Unorganizable”: Immigrant Unionization and Labor Revitalization in the 1990s 114 Chapter 4 “Sí, Se Puede”: Union Organizing Strategies and Immigrant Workers 145 With Kent Wong Epilogue and Conclusion 187 Appendix A Labor Union Membership in Los Angeles and Union Density in Los Angeles, California, and the United States, 1933 to 2004 195 Appendix B Adjusting for Changes in the U.S. Decennial Census Industry and Occupation Classifications, 1970 to 2000 198 Notes 201 References 213 Index 231 vi Contents ...