Los Angeles, CA – Thousands of enthusiastic union members united for a great march and rally in the heart of the historical Wilmington Chicano community, Sept 3.

Held near the port of San Pedro, the annual Long Beach/San Pedro labor march and rally was led by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union wearing their “Remember Bloody Thursday” t-shirts. Steelworkers, carpenters, laborers, machinists, ship scalers and many more union contingents with families, youth, and high school bands marched.

Also present was a loud contingent from United teachers of LA (UTLA). Public school teachers from the Los Angeles Unified School District carried a banner. They were greeted by the crowd with cheers of support. Marching with UTLA was Carlos Montes, an organizer with Centro CSO, calling for solidarity with teachers’ struggle to defend and promote public education.

UTLA members recently voted for a strike authorization, with 98% voting yes.

#LosAngelesCA #UnitedTeachersOfLosAngeles #LaborDay #CentroCSO #PublicSectorUnions #Strikes #UTLA #TeachersUnions

Los Angeles, CA – The featured speaker at this year’s commemoration of the historic 1970 Chicano Moratorium against the War was United Teachers of LA (UTLA) chapter chair at Marvin Avenue Elementary School and longtime Centro CSO member Lupe Torres.

Torres spoke of about the bad conditions in LAUSD schools, including low funding, high student teacher ratios, lack of support staff like counselors and nurses, and the unfair pay for public school teachers. Torres pointed out how private charter schools come to the Boyle Heights neighborhood, taking away students and funding, leading to a crisis in our public schools.

Torres said members of the UTLA took a strike vote, with 97% voting to approve a strike against LAUSD, the nation’s second largest school district.

Centro CSO is a strong ally of UTLA and will stand in unity if a strike takes place.

The Chicano Moratorium event was attended by many union members and leaders, including Dalia Jaramillo, Vice president of SEIU 1000, members of International Machinist Union and local Teamsters.

Mendez High School students, local families and many others filled the house at the Chicano art center, Self Help Graphics, August 29, to commemorate the 48th Chicano Moratorium Against War.

The event was organized by CSO: Community Service Organization, which is based in Boyle Heights.

The Chicano Moratorium is held every year to commemorate the Chicano Liberation Day and the ongoing fight for self-determination.

Raul Ruiz, former editor and photographer for La Raza newspaper spoke as an eyewitness to the killing of Ruben Salazar, the prominent journalist who as killed by LA sheriffs during the 1970 Chicano Moratorium protests.

Gloria Arellanes, a founder of the original Chicano Moratorium, Brown Berets and Las Adelitas – an anti-war woman’s group spoke, of the history of fighting U.S. wars.

Also speaking at the event was Sol Marquez-Freedom Road Socialist Organization, who talked about the right to self-determination for the Chicano Nation, and Carlos Montes of Centro CSO, who called for organizing in our barrios to fight police killings, legalization for all, support for public education and public unions like UTLA, as well as showing solidarity with oppressed nations of the world fighting for freedom from U.S. imperialism.

Join Centro CSO for their public meetings the third Wednesday of every month 6 p.m. at Benjamin Franklin Library. Look for /Centro CSO on Facebook and Twitter.

#LosAngelesCA #AntiwarMovement #Labor #UnitedTeachersOfLosAngeles #ChicanoLatino #SEIU #CentroCSO #ChicanoMoratorium #PublicSectorUnions #Antiracism #TeachersUnions #48thChicanoMoratorium

Los Angeles, CA – Over 200 teachers, community members and students protested at the grand opening of the Broad Museum of Contemporary Art on the morning of Sept. 20. The Broad Museum is named after billionaire Eli Broad. Broad has been spearheading the attacks on public education not only in Los Angeles, but across the country. The United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) called out Broad for using his big money to push for more charter schools

A delegation of Centro CSO (Community Service Organization) participated in the protest to continue to show unity and solidarity with teachers and UTLA. Centro CSO was part of a successful community grassroots protests to keep Colligate Charter School out of Roosevelt High School in the spring.

The protesters chanted, “When public education is under attack. What do we do? Stand up and fight back!”

Broad, as well as other billionaires and politicians have consistently attacked the public education system. In 2012, Broad used his wealth to fight against Proposition 30 in California. Prop 30 raised taxes in order to prevent $5 billion in education cuts. Broad has also used his wealth to create charter schools all over the country. Along with local politicians, they are aiming to have more than 50% of all schools in Los Angeles to be privatized and operated by non-union outside non-profits groups.

Expanding private charters takes money away from public education. It also drives a wedge between teachers, as most charter school teachers are non-union. Students are segregated on the same school site. Also, students do not have equal access to private charter schools. Most private charters pick which students are accepted. This leaves behind many students who are non-English speakers, poor or from oppressed nationality and from working class neighborhoods.

Lupe Torres, a UTLA member and 17 year school teacher said, “This would drastically disrupt our public schools. Charter schools have been found to be mostly unregulated all around. They are able to select their own sites, students and curriculum. This impacts Los Angeles students when their lawful rights are not met once enrolling in a charter school. Some students have a right to special education and English as a second language classes. Many charter schools do not offer this curriculum. In many cases charter schools select students based on their performance record. Students who are not making adequate progress are counseled to return to their home public school. Furthermore, most charter schools do not offer union participation for their teachers. In many cases these teachers are overworked and under-trained.”

UTLA and supporters rallied outside the front entrance of the museum. Many teachers spoke before the crowd. Afterwards two picket lines marched chanting, “U-T-L-A!” and “Art for the masses, fund more classes!”

Torres continued, “Although charter schools boast they are public schools, they rarely function that way. If most of the money and efforts being placed in dismantling public education was placed in building them up, there wouldn't be a need for the excuse of charter schools. People who are not educators or do not have invested interest in honestly supporting public education should stay very far away from our public schools. The damage they cause when they get involved has long term effects on our students.”

#LosAngelesCA #UnitedTeachersOfLosAngeles #ChicanoLatino #CentroCSO #PublicSectorUnions #EliBroad #UTLA

Commentary

Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles United School District (LAUSD) Board voted 4-3 to lay off 2000 teachers and to carry out other cutbacks, forcing the teachers and community to face the brunt of the economic crisis. But the rank-and-file teachers, with student and parent support, have organized a massive fight back campaign. The campaign includes weekly marches, rallies, sit-ins and now a 21-day hunger strike demanding no layoffs, no increases to class size and quality education.

United Teachers of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles teachers’ union, has been supportive of these actions. The actions led to a partial victory when Superintendent Ray Cortines rescinded 500 of the high school layoffs on June 12. But the fight continues to save the other 1500 elementary school teachers.

The main demand is that the LAUSD Board reconsider its 4-3 vote to lay off the teachers, reconsider the cutbacks and that they use the federal stimulus money they now have to avoid the cuts.

The teachers have led daily campouts at local schools, which have majority Latino populations. They have received wide support and are an example to the nation on how communities under attack by the economic crisis and cuts can fight back. Uniting the community of parents, students, teachers, activists and the union to fight – demanding that the crisis be paid for by the rich corporations, high-priced consultants and bureaucrats who milk the LAUSD of its large budget – is a tactic that is having results.

This fight has also exposed the local non-profit ‘education advocates’ who work with the LAUSD Board members and who have been reluctant to oppose the cutbacks. The struggle for an equal, quality education has been part of the Chicano community history dating back to the historic East Los Angeles High School walkouts, when 10,000 students walked out in the late 1960s demanding an equal education. Today the struggle continues to keep education public and equal for our communities.

#LosAngelesCA #StudentMovement #Labor #Commentary #BudgetCuts #UnitedTeachersOfLosAngeles #EducationAccess