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ATPAM: News: HL0601E

NEWS

IATSE West Coast Office Chief Honored by AFL-CIO in Los Angeles
ATPAM Representatives Attend Awards Luncheon

The Head of the IATSE West Coast Office, Joe Aredas (International Representative In Charge) was recently honored by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO with the organization’s Community Service Award. Aredas was one of four prominent members of the labor movement in Southern California to be so honored this year. A native of Los Angeles, Aredas is well known and respected in both the entertainment industry and the labor movement. ATPAM representatives Secretary-Treasurer Gordon Forbes and Southern California Steward Kevin O’Connor attended the awards luncheon, held on Saturday, June 18, 2001 in the Pacific Ballroom in Los Angeles. Also attending were representatives of several other IATSE local unions and staff members of the IATSE West Coast Office. When Aredas was presented his award, he received a standing ovation from the audience of several hundred.

The keynote speaker for the event was Art Pulaski, Secretary-Treasurer of the California State AFL-CIO. Pulaski is an impassioned speaker who praised the honorees as well as the assembled labor and community activists for their dedication and good works. He went on to talk about labor’s role in defending working families and consumers against the shameful energy price gouging that is driving the current California power crisis.

Another featured speaker was Miguel Contreras, the charismatic Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, who received a hero’s welcome from the crowd. Contreras spoke about the importance of building bonds between the labor movement and the community. He talked about the recent passage of the living wage law in Los Angeles as well as grass roots movements such as Justice for Janitors. Contreras also mentioned the problems of workers in the entertainment industry, which by some estimates, generates one out of every ten jobs in Los Angeles. As he spoke, it was easy to see why Los Angeles has become one of the premiere union towns in America under his leadership. Los Angeles now has over 800,000 union members, having grown over 200,000 in little more than two years.

The awards ceremony itself was a fund-raiser for the AFL-CIO Community Services Liaison Program. Among other things, this program works with the United Way of Greater Los Angeles to provide food and other services to striking union workers and their families.