Maria Elena Durazo

MARÍA ELENA DURAZO
Executive Secretary -Treasurer
Los Angeles County
Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO

María Elena Durazo was elected to serve as Executive Secretary-Treasurer on May 15, 2006. Through over 300 local unions, the Los Angeles County  Federation of Labor represents over 800,000 workers in every key industry, including transportation/goods movement; entertainment/media; services including janitorial and hospitality; teachers and construction; public sector and supermarkets, to name a few.

The daughter of Mexican immigrant farm workers, Maria Elena learned the importance of hard work and determination at a very young age.  As a child, she traveled from Oregon to California with her parents and nine siblings to work in the fields.

Before leading the Federation, Maria Elena was President of the hotel workers union UNITE-HERE, Local 11, one of the most active unions in Los Angeles County.

In July 1996, Maria Elena became the first Latina elected to the Executive Board of HERE International Union. Her election to the Executive Board was followed by her 2001 election as General Vice-President of HERE International, a position that lead her to represent approximately 250,000 workers in the hospitality industry from the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada.

In 2003, Maria Elena became National Director of the Immigrant Workers’ Freedom Ride, a national mobilization campaign initiated by HERE International to address the nations immigration laws. 

One of Maria Elena’s most significant achievements was her election in 2004 to serve as Executive Vice President of the newly formed UNITE-HERE International, leading her to represent more than 440,000 active members and more than 400,000 retirees throughout North America. As Executive Vice President of UNITE-HERE she represented a diverse membership, comprised largely of immigrants and including high percentages of African-American, Latino, and Asian-American workers in sectors such as: apparel, textile, apparel, industrial laundries, hotels, casinos, foodservice, airport concessions, and restaurants.

A resident of Los Angeles, Maria Elena is the mother of two sons, Mario and Michael and the widow of Miguel Contreras former Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO Executive Secretary–Treasurer. Maria Elena is a graduate of St. Mary’s College in Moraga and earned a law degree from the People’s College of Law in 1985.

L.A.UNION, OUR STORY

The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO is the chartered Central Labor Council of the AFL-CIO in Los Angeles County.  Through its various departments, the Federation represents working men and women in forming coalitions with community partners as well as serving as the coordinating center for labor’s political activity.

The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor has been honored with the AFL-CIO Union City award, recognizing the successes of our local unions in electing allies to political office and in organizing new workers.  Over the last few years, affiliates organized more than 100,000 new members in L.A. County, a statistic that put Los Angeles in the top spot in the country in organizing.  With over 350 affiliated locals representing over 800,000 workers, organized labor is acknowledged as a powerful force in Los Angeles metropolitan and state politics.   

The strength of labor’s solidarity was proven in the 1998 defeat of Proposition 226 – the initiative to silence the voice of working people by eliminating unions from participation in the political process.  Our consolidated efforts brought victory for the MTA bus drivers & mechanics in their strike to keep middle class jobs, and for the janitors of SEIU 1877 in their “Justice for Janitors” contract struggles, demanding living wages and dignity for working people.  Labor’s support for the Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA in their contract strike in 2000 maintained entertainment industry jobs vital to Los Angeles, and our campaign for the passage of Measure B in 2002, saved Trauma Centers in L.A. County – keeping jobs for thousands of trauma center workers, and emergency services for tens of thousands of working families.  

We continue our commitment to all workers of Los Angeles County as we bring together Labor and Community leaders to support the struggle of new immigrant workers.  We continue to work with our political allies to change the face of California, to assure that hard fought rights for workers are not lost and that Los Angeles becomes a leader in social and economic justice.