Filipino Trade Union Leader in LA; Appeals for Solidarity, Extends Solidarity

By Mark Friedman, Associate Member of the International Association of Machinists Local 1484.

WILMINGTON — Two meetings totaling more than 200 participants  Oct. 14 were held for Filipino trade union leader Elmer Labog, also known as “Ka Bong.” He spoke in Long Beach at the Filipino migrant center and at the Machinists Union Hall in Wilmington. He is chairman of the Kilusang Mayo Uno or KMU, the independent and democratic labor center and former president of the Hotel, Restaurant and Allied industries Union.

This is the second tour of Filipino trade union leaders in LA in the past month, organized by BAYAN, a coalition of Filipino organizations. Participants were welcomed by regional coordinators of BAYAN, Min Valmocena and Jaz Tabar, a Cal State University Long Beach alumni.

The purpose of the tour was to seek solidarity with workers organizing efforts in the Philippines and to extend solidarity to workers fighting and striking in the U.S. Ka Bong just returned from speaking at a UAW strikers rally in Chicago with United Auto Workers Union International President Sean Fain.

He began by describing the “brutal killing” of the young union organizer, Jude Fernandez, by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the primary investigative arm of the Philippine National Police, for allegedly resisting arrest. 

“This is the 72nd extrajudicial murder of union activists and organizers since 2016,” said Ka Bong. “This violent response is a reflection of Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s antipathy to any people’s campaigns for economic and political rights. Since 2019 there have been 68 cases of filing of trumped-up charges, arrests and detentions of unionists, labor organizers and leaders.”

For seven years in a row, the International Trade Union Confederation has listed the Philippines as one of the most dangerous countries for workers.

“Last May Day, 2023, various trade union centers and groups united to demand urgent wage increases,” Ka Bong said. “Thousands participated pledging to intensify our efforts and strengthen our ranks. … As the economic crisis worsens, the process of contractualization intensifies with 42.6% sites with 20 or more workers.”

Contractualization, he explained, as did Mylene Cabalona, a union organizer for Philippines’ call center workers, who spoke in LA recently, is the process of hiring individuals, on low wage contracts, and hindering the formation of unions. As reported in the Aug. 31 Random Lengths news article: “U.S. businesses are offshoring the business here in the client country, the global south, due to minimal labor costs and few labor standards to protect workers. The Philippines has $14 trillion USD in debt, 20 million living in poverty with 4.5% unemployment, 2.33 million looking for jobs (June 2023).”

The RLn article continued  “The minimum wage is about 610 pesos a day or roughly $10 to $13. In the call centers we received 660. I’m getting around 15000 pesos which is around $300 a month but wages are even lower in the regions outside of Manila.”  

Mike Miller, UAW region six director, told the audience of youth and activists in the fight for Filipino workers rights the following: 

The big three auto companies, GM, Ford, Stellantis, made $21 billion in profits just in the first half of 2023 so they’ve got the money and we’re finally going to win back what we gave up in concessions. We’ll make improvements in working conditions in a way that reflects the value of our work. The workers are the ones who make the economy work; workers are the ones that make politics work and this strike is also about making these companies work in a way that’s good for the planet. It’s not just about wages but the future. It’s about a transition to a future of electric vehicles, the struggle to have a clean energy future. Workers at Tesla, the world’s biggest builder of electric cars … are organizing for the UAW. 

The strike expanded this past week. We just started striking the Kentucky truck plants which is the place where Ford water company builds the F150, their most profitable vehicle. There’s a huge crisis all over the country and world in terms of horrible housing; we’re fighting for having public transit passes free for everyone. 

A member of the Machinists Union thanked the speakers for coming to the union hall in solidarity with BAYAN and the union movement in the Philippines. The member noted: “This is real international solidarity, not just platitudes, and it’s what the labor movement must get back to. I’m wondering if you could tell us what we can do? Are there picket lines? What can we do to help the UAW win this strike?” He then invited speakers and audience to come speak with Liz Oliver Fernandez, a young Afro-Cuban journalist in solidarity with a labor movement here and speaking out against the U.S. blockade of Cuba.                                                                                                       

Miller replied, “People can plug in and help on the picket lines which are 24/7 at one of the two warehouses, the closest in Ontario.”

A lively question and answer period followed with LA area Filipino students and workers discussing racism and horrible working conditions. There are over 130,000 Filipinos in LA county, hundreds were just on strike at Kaiser Permanente covered by this reporter.  https://wp.me/p3AltZ-cbc.

For more information contact PUSO.SOCAL@GMAIL.COM; bayan.socal@gmail.com

Belly of the Beast Tour 

Time: 6:30 p.m., Nov. 6, 6:30 pm,

Venue: Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 668 S. Catalina, Los Angeles