Two October
Labor Events
Attended by Local 700 Members
by Mary Prange
The Saturday, October 9 AFL-CIO Working Families Convocation and Rally was held at the LA Convention Center. It was attended by nearly 10,000 workers and their families and was a pre-event for the AFL-CIO's 23rd Biennial Convention held in Los Angeles this year (see their web site for more convention information). Among the attendees was Editors Guild Local 700 past Board Member Maureen O'Connell and current Board Member Mary Prange. The event was a great success, and we both felt solidarity and strength united with our brothers and sisters involved in the labor movement.
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Mary Prange at the rally. |
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The event included speeches by Tipper Gore, US Senator Diane Feinstein, US House Representative Maxine Waters, Governor Gray Davis, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, a video-taped speech from President Clinton, and a highly charged and inspiring speech by the Reverend Jessie Jackson.
The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO et al hosted a dinner at the Biltmore Hotel on Tuesday, October 12 in connection with The Voter Improvement Program. "VIP believes that democracy in America is built on the strength of an informed and involved electorate..." They have been successful in the past for many accomplishments including defeating Prop. 226. Which was, to quote the program, "A mean spirited attempt to muzzle America's workers."
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Jack Valenti, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America and David M. Lawrence, MD, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals were both VIP 1999 Outstanding Honorees in acknowledgement of their service to the working people of the State of California.
Jack Valenti was the recipient of The 1st annual Lew Wasserman Award. The award was named for Lew Wasserman, Chairman Emeritus of Universal Studios for among other things, "his belief in collective bargaining as the best way to protect the dignity of working men and women."
The Editors Guild provided a sequence of labor film clips from "Norma Rae", "Hoffa", "The Grapes of Wrath", "F.I.S.T.", and "Matewan". Guild Board Member Sharon Smith Holley and Guild member Peter Fandetti edited this sequence.
The night was topped off with a lively set from Gladys Knight. The AFL-CIO should be congratulated for their choice of entertainment. Gladys and her band had the guests wanting to dance.
Reprinted from
The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter
Vol. 20, No. 6 - November/December 1999
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