MILESTONES
Celebrate 30 Years of the Instituto
Laboral de la Raza
1982
Jose E. Medina & Labor leaders found the Instituto Laboral
de la Raza. Presented "Latina Women in the Workforce"
conference, endorsed by the San Francisco Commission on the Status
of Women. The Conference highlighted the accomplishments of Latina
Women and the Problems and issues encountered in their quest
for justice, equality and dignity in the working world.
Instituto Laboral de la
Raza participated in "The Right to Earn a living in the
U.S.: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" with the Meiklejohn
Civil Liberties Institute.
1983
The Instituto produced
a half hour video "Hispanic Workers and Community Affairs"
aired on Public Access Channel 25; the film funded by Foundation
for Community Service Television.
1984
Presentation and discussion with the President of Farm Labor
Organizing committee, Baldemar Velasquez, hosted by the Instituto.
Reception for the Nicaraguan
Labor Delegation held.
Instituto implemented a
Sexual Harassment information workshop for Spanish speakers this
year.
1985
Legal staff incorporated into the Instituto Laboral de la Raza
to provide legal counseling and representation to individuals
and groups in the labor related matters.
Instituto Laboral de la
Raza's "El Boletin Laboral" first published.
First Latino Labor Day
Dinner hosted by the Instituto Laboral de la Raza. The dinner
kicked off Labor Day Weekend by honoring guests Teamsters Executive
Vice-President Chuck Mack, San Francisco Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer
Walter Johnson, and Mary Sandoval-Huerta, Former Secretary-Treasurer
of the Ship Scalers and Painters Local 1, ILWU.
Instituto Laboral de la
Raza joined Coalition for a Fair Minimum Wage.
Instituto sent representatives
to join the U.S. delegation at the United Nations Conference
on the decade of women, held July 8, 1985.
1986
Instituto Laboral de la Raza expanded services to a satellite
office in downtown Oakland to better serve workers living in
the East Bay.
1987
Labor Awards dinner at the Sir Francis Drake honoring Oakland's
Curt Flood, professional baseball player with the St. Louis Cardinals,
who later challenged Baseball's reserve clause, thereby releasing
players from indentured servitude with one baseball club. Curt
Flood's heroic actions paved the way for free agents throughout
professional sports.
1988
Instituto Laboral de la Raza addressed youth employment concerns
by arranging speaking engagements at Mission High School and
at Wilson High School.
Labor Awards Dinner honors
the President of Asian Federation of Workers' George Wong, SEIU
Local 535's Louis M. Gray and Dolores Huerta of the United Farm
Workers of America. Senora Huerta was awarded the "Outstanding
Labor Leadership Award".
1989
Labor Awards Dinner honoring Teamsters Local 665 President Ernest
Yates, Transport Workers Local 250-A President Ray J. Antonio,
and American Postal Workers Union member Maryann Medina.
1990
With the support of Mayor Dianne Feinstein, Instituto Laboral
de la Raza completes its first Program Year (1989-90) "In
Defense of the Working Poor" under a block grant funded
through the Mayor's Office of Community Development of the City
and County of San Francisco.
1991
As a result of extensive research on the "working"
poor done by the Instituto, and a six month study of this population
in San Francisco, the United Way choose to target this demographic
population in 1991.
1992
The Instituto implements a campaign to better assist clients
with their workers' compensation and work place abuse cases after
seeing an alarming rise in work related injuries
1993
Lead the Picketing of the North Face clothing outlet. North Face
moved overseas, leaving hundreds of working poor factory workers
without jobs or benefits.
1994
Myrtle Watube of the South Africa domestic Workers Union used
the Instituto's wage and hour guidelines to help establish State
workers rights policies under presidency of Nelson Mandela.
1995
Client numbers served now exceed 1,000 per year.
1996
Executive Director Jose E. Medina elected to the Board of Supervisors
after 15 years of leadership at Instituto Laboral de la Raza.
1997
Labor Awards Dinner held at Ship Clerk's Union Local 34, honoring
Laborers International President Mario De La Torre, AFL-CIO Regional
Director Patricia Lee, Operating Engineers Local 3 Business Representative
Ed Lieberman, and Ignacio De La Fuente, who serves as both Oakland
City Councilman and as an International Representative of Glass
Molders, Pottery, Plastics & Allied Workers Local 164-B.
1998
Awarded Grant through the Department of Public Health to collaborate
with the Latino Family Center, Mission Neighborhood Health Center,
and La Raza Information Center to serve the needs of working
families affected by alcohol and substance abuse.
1999
Awarded Grant through the
San Francisco Foundation to collaborate with Arriba Juntos, La
Raza Information Center, and Mission Hiring Hall to provide workers
rights clinics, job skills training, citizenship and civics education
to low income working immigrant families throughout the City
of San Francisco.
Labor Awards Dinner at the Irish Cultural Center,
honoring SEIU International Vice President Patricia Ford,
San Francisco Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer Walter Johnson,
Owen Maroon, Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus of the Central
Labor Council of Alameda County, and Jose Medina, Founder
of the Instituto Laboral de la Raza.
2000
Labor Awards Dinner
at the Hilton Hotel, with featuring AFL-CIO President John
J. Sweeney in attendance and Guest of Honor, Special Guest,
Actor and Activist Martin Sheen, South Bay AFL-CIO Director
Amy Dean, Judy Goff, Secretary Treasurer of the
Central Labor Council of Alameda County, and Jim Salinas,
Carpenters Local 22 and Member of the SF Planning Commission.
2001
Labor Awards Dinner
at the Irish Cultural Center, honoring Teamsters Local 890 President
Franklin L. Gallegos, SEIU Local 1877 President Mike
Garcia, San Mateo County Central Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer
Shelley Kessler and Stan Warren, Secretary-Treasurer
of the SF Building and Construction Trades Council. Guest of
Honor was Elise Medina, International Executive Vice President,
Service Employees International Union, AFL-CIO, Washington, DC.
2002
Labor Awards Dinner:
James P. Hoffa, General President, International Brotherhood
of Teamsters - Labor Leader of the Year and Guest of Honor; Art
Pulaski, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, California Labor
Federation, AFL-CIO ­ The Jack Henning Award; Bill A.
Lloyd, Senior Advisor to Governor Gray Davis ­ Director
of Labor Affairs & Senate Relations ­ La Raza Public
Service Award; Lilia Marlen Navarro, UNITE Textile Processors
Local 75; Los Bomberos de San Francisco, San Francisco Fire Department,
affiliated with San Francisco Firefighters Local 798 ­ Community
Service Award.
2003
Labor Awards Dinner:
Linda Chavez-Thompson, Executive Vice President, AFL-CIO
­ Labor Leader of the Year and Guest of Honor; Attorney General
Bill Lockyer, Special Guest; Earl "Marty"
Averette, Business Representative, Teamsters Union Local
856, San Mateo County; Roofers Local No. 40, United Union of
Roofers and Waterproofers, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties;
Maria Leticia Gomez & Luis Echgoyen, Television
Anchors, Univision Channel14, KDTV, San Francisco ­ La Raza
Media Award.
2004
Labor Awards Dinner:
R. Thomas Buffenbarger, International President, International
Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers ­ Labor Leader
of the Year and Guest of Honor; United States Senator Tom
Harkin (D-Iowa), Special Guest and Labor Advocate; Josie
Mooney, Executive Director, SEIU Local 790; President, San
Francisco Labor Council, AFL-CIO ­ Woman of the Year; Laborers'
Local 261, Laborers' International Union of North America, AFL-CIO,
La Raza Lifetime Community Service Award.
2005
Labor Awards Dinner:
Robert Morales, Secretary-Treasurer, Teamsters Local 350
and Teamsters Joint Council No. 7; President, Teamsters National
and State Hispanic Caucuses ­ Labor Leader of the Year and
Guest of Honor; Gavin Newsom, Mayor, City and County of
San Francisco ­ Special Guest and Recipient of the Santo
Patricio Award; Tim Paulson, Executive Director, San Francisco
Labor Council, AFL-CIO ­ La Raza Political Leadership Award.
2006
Labor Awards Dinner:
Terence M. O'Sullivan, General President, Laborers International
of North America - Labor Leader of the Year and Guest of Honor;
Michael J. McLaughlin, Secretary-Treasurer, Teamsters
Union Local 856 - Recipient of the La Raza Bay Area Leadership
Award; Honorable Barbara Lee (D-CA), United States Congress,
9th Congressional Dist. - Recipient of the Ron Dellums Congressional
Leadership Award; Larry Del Carlo, President, Mission
Housing Development Corporation - Recipient of the La Raza Community
Leadership Award.
2007
Anna Burger - General
Secretary-Treasurer, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
- Labor Leader of the Year; Robert Alvarado - Executive
Officer, Northern California Carpenters Regional Council - La
Raza Building Trades Leadership Award; Joint Council 7 - Northern
California Teamsters - La Raza Change to Win Leadership Award;
Daniel Kane, Sr. - President, Teamsters Union Local No.
111 - La Raza San Patrico Award; Mike Borstel - President,
United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 101 - La Raza
Bay Area Leadership Award.
2008
Labor Awards Dinner:
Joseph T. Hansen - International President, United Food
and Commercial Workers International Union - Washington DC -
Labor Leader of the Year and Guest of Honor; Honorable Hillary
Rodham-Clinton - U.S. Senate, New York - 2008 Presidential
Candidate - Congressional Leadership Award; Sal Rosselli -
President, SEIU State Council President, SEIU - United Healthcare
Workers West Service Employees International Union - La Raza
Healthcare Leadership Award; Ronald J. Lind - President,
United Food and Commercial Workers Union - Local 5 - La Raza
Unity Leadership Award; German Vazquez - Secretary-Treasurer
Teamsters Local 901, Puerto Rico - President, Teamsters National
Hispanic Caucus - La Raza International Solidarity Award; John
Jatoft - California State Director, American Income Life
Insurance Company - La Raza Corporate Leadership Award.
2009
Labor Awards Dinner: George L. Miranda - President, Teamsters Joint Council 16
- Secretary Treasurer, Teamsters
Local 210 - 2009
Brother of the Year; Maria Elena Durazo - Executive
Secretary-Treasurer, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO
- 2009 Sister of the
Year; Luis V. Gutierrez - United
States Congress (D-IL) 4th Congressional District, IL - Congressional Leadership Award;
Paul A. Kenny - President, Food & Drug Council, Inc.
- Secretary-Treasurer, Teamsters
Local 630 - La
Raza Unity Leadership Award; Jacques Loveall - President,
UFCW
8 - Golden State - Vice
President, UFCW International Union - Chairman,
Loveall
Foundation for Children - La Raza Innovative Leadership Award; John J.
Gerow - Principal Officer & President, Teamsters,
Local 97 - La Raza
San Patricio Award
Instituto Laboral de la Raza celebrates 30 years of serving
the community. Numbers of unorganized working poor families directly
assisted with legal problems now exceed 2,000 per year through
its San Francisco and Oakland offices. Total outreach through
conferences and workshops reaches 3,000 per year.
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