Alameda County Labor Day

LABOR DAY: IT’S ALL ABOUT HEALTHCARE Central Labor Council of Alameda County gathering focuses on Prop. 72. Through songs, skits, and speeches, more than 2,500 union members and their families joined together at the East Side Club of the Oakland Coliseum on Monday, September 6, to celebrate Labor Day and demonstrate their support for YES on Proposition 72. This year’s celebration was held with the Oakland A’s who were playing the “red hot” Boston Red Sox, but the heat was really on in the East Side Club where over two dozen community allies and major elected officials from California came out to join our working families. Speakers included Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante, Attorney General Bill Lockyer, State Treasurer Phil Angelides, and State Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi. Others in attendance included Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, Assemblywoman Ellen Corbett, Assembly candidates Johan Klehs and Alberto Torrico, and Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. One of the key goals of the Central Labor Council in the fall elections will be YES on Proposition 72. While we work toward universal health care coverage for all working families, this critical law bridges the gap and extends health care coverage for over one million workers who need it today. Lt. Governor Bustamante called Proposition 72 "an initiative that will affect generations to come." The highlight of the day was a healthcare skit, written by Susan Chacin of the Central Labor Council and performed by members of AFT Local 771, HERE Local 2850, Teamsters Local 70, OPEIU Local 3, OPEIU Local 29, SEIU Local 616, UFCW Local 870, and the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (AFSCME Local 206). As bullhorn sirens wailed, stretchers with workers needing healthcare converged to the stage from all corners of the East Side Club. Workers from Wal-Mart, Safeway, and the Claremont then spoke of their need for affordable healthcare, and came together in a rousing chant, “YES ON 72!” to the applause of the crowd. Other activities of the Labor Day celebration included children’s games, a visit from Stomper, the Oakland A’s mascot, and an appearance from Oakland A’s pitcher Rich Harden who signed autographs for union members and their children. Keeping the focus on healthcare, Diane Powe, a grocery worker at Safeway and member of UFCW Local 870, was chosen by the Central Labor Council to throw out the first pitch of the Oakland A’s vs. Red Sox game. Link to Oakland Tribune article http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82%7E1865%7E2385117,00.html Link to Contra Costa Times Article http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/9598470.htm