Advisory Council Reno Meeting
Cruz Serna reports to the Advisory Council on the successful campaign to defeat the anti-union Measure G ballot measure in Fresno. From left: Business Rep Jennifer Gray, Georgette Carillo, Rey Mendoza, (Serna), Valdemar Guzman and Justin Casey. Photo by John Storey
Member organizers reported at the July 27 Advisory Council meeting about Local 1245’s assistance to recent campaigns to defend workers’ rights.
Jose Rey Mendoza, Cruz Serna, Georgette Carrillo, and Valdemar Guzman offered their individual perspectives on the successful campaign to defeat Measure G, a ballot measure in Fresno that sought to contract out the city’s solid waste services. The measure threatened the wages, benefits and job security of municipal workers. The strong effort by Local 1245 members helped defeat Measure G by a razor-thin margin.
Member organizers also reported on the recent bus caravan that converged on Bentonville, Ark for a week of worker actions that drew national attention to Wal-Mart’s failure to respect the rights of its workers. Serna was also active in this campaign, joining Local 1245 member Justin Casey for the Arkansas caravan that culminated at Wal-Mart’s annual shareholders’ meeting in June. They were joined on the campaign trail by Local 1245 staff members Jennifer Gray and Lloyd Cargo.