"You can expound any view you want in this country, but if you want to join a labor union, you're in big trouble."
Linda Chavez-Thompson, executive vice president of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations and the highest-ranking woman in the labor movement, made this statement Monday night in a speech in the Campbell Hall auditorium.
About 35 people attended the event, which was sponsored by several organizations on Grounds, including the National Organization for Women, the Women's Center and La Sociedad Latina.
"There are millions of working people who still can't raise their families or pay rent," Chavez-Thompson said.
She said the AFL-CIO is lobbying for a higher minimum wage, expanded health care and increased access to technology and job training for workers.
There is a "secret war" that companies are waging to prevent employees from joining labor unions, she added.
Chavez-Thompson said companies often threaten workers with the prospect of being fired if they voice an interest in joining a labor union.
While Chavez-Thompson said Charlottesville was not necessarily known as a union town, she commended the Women's Center and the Living Wage Campaign.
The University's Living Wage Campaign aims to raise the current minimum wage from $6.24 to $8 per hour.
Chavez-Thompson said she is encouraged by such efforts to raise workers' standard of living, but feels there still is much to be done.
"Workers are demeaned almost every single day," she said. "We can build a community that values us all, regardless of whether our families came here on the Mayflower or on a slave ship."
In his introductory remarks, Asst. Dean of Students Pablo J. Davis said Chavez-Thompson "works in the best traditions of solidarity ... she is one of the most important people in the United States today."
Starting at the age of 10, Chavez-Thompson worked in Texas cotton fields for 30 cents an hour, 10 hours a day. She then became a secretary for a labor union and was an executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.In her speech, she stressed that the AFL-CIO is an advocate for all laborers, not just union members.
"We are partners with anyone who wants to raise the standard of living," she said.
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