 | Review waiting, please be patient.
This may take 4 months or more, since drafts are reviewed in no specific order. There are 3,229 pending submissions waiting for review.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
Reviewer tools
|
Legacy of Equality, Leadership, and Organizing | |
| Formation | 1973 |
|---|---|
| Location | |
Key people |
|
| Website | lelo |
Formerly called | Northwest Labor and Employment Law Office |
Northwest LELO is an American labor organization founded by Black construction workers, Asian and Alaska Native cannery workers, and Latine farmworkers to fight racial discrimination in the workplace and in unions. LELO's tactics originally were centered around lawsuits but in the late 1980's became more focused on grassroots community organizing.[1][2]
Background
editThe roots of LELO lie in the work of Tyree Scott and the United Construction Workers Association (UCWA). The UCWA was founded in 1970 by Scott and other Black construction workers to fight racial discrimination in the building trades. In 1970, the US Justice Department sued five unions under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (US v. Ironworkers Local 86). A federal judge found that there had been racial discrimination and ordered a number of measures to be taken, including making the UCWA the point of entry for apprenticeship programs.[3][1]
After the landmark decision, the UCWA began to expand its focus beyond Seattle and the building trades to other industries and areas of the country. In 1973, Michael Woo of the UCWA worked with Asian and Alaska Native cannery workers to form the Alaska Cannery Workers Association (ACWA) to fight the rampant racial discrimination in canneries.[3] Founders and leaders of the ACWA included Silme Domingo, Nemesio Domingo Jr., Gene Viernes, and David Della. Following the model set by Scott and the UCWA, the ACWA filed racial discrimination lawsuits against some of the largest fish packing companies. Though it experienced victories in several cases, the ACWA was unable to win lawsuits and funding at a similar pace to the UCWA.[1]
History
editIn 1973, members of the UCWA, ACWA, and United Farm Workers came together to found the Northwest Labor and Employment Law Office. LELO hired lawyers to assist workers of color in pursuing racial discrimination lawsuits.[1][3]
In addition to anti-discrimination and equal rights, LELO's work also emphasized international solidarity. Scott and other LELO members worked with local groups in Mozambique and South Africa to resist apartheid and fundraised for them.[2] Many activists in the majority-Filipinx ACWA became involved in the Katipunan ng mga Demokratikong Pilipino (KDP), a Marxist organization that focused on resisting the Marcos regime in the Philippines. In 1981, founding LELO members Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes were murdered a month after passing a resolution in their union, ILWU Local 37, to establish a committee to investigate repression of the labor movement in the Philippines under Marcos. LELO joined a broad coalition of organizations calling for justice, and in 1989, the families won a $23.5 million lawsuit that proved the involvement of the Marcos regime in the murders.[1]
In 1989, the landmark decision Wards Cove Packing v. Antonio caused LELO to shift its strategies and focus. The court decision changed the precedent for discrimination cases, placing the burden of proof on the plaintiffs rather than the employers. This made it significantly harder to pursue discrimination lawsuits. As a result, LELO shifted its primary focus to grassroots community organizing to support workers of color.[1][3]
In the 2010's, LELO changed its name to Legacy of Equality, Leadership, and Organizing to better reflect its activities.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f McCann, Michael W.; Lovell, George I. (2020). Union by law: Filipino American labor activists, rights radicalism, and racial capitalism. Chicago series in law and society. Chicago London: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-67990-7.
- ^ a b Johnson, Diana K. (2023). Seattle in coalition: multiracial alliances, labor politics, and transnational activism in the Pacific Northwest, 1970-1999. Justice, power, and politics. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1-4696-7279-3.
- ^ a b c d "Tyree Scott papers - Archives West". archiveswest.orbiscascade.org. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
Further reading
edit- Tyree Scott papers, 1970-1995. 50.5 cubic feet. At the Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
- Cindy Domingo papers, 1973-2019. 50.76 cubic feet. At the Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.