Maria Elena Durazo
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Maria Elena Durazo is the current executive secretary–treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. She was appointed the interim executive secretary–treasurer following the resignation of Martin Ludlow in February 2006, and was voted as the permanent replacement on May 15, 2006. She is the widow of Miguel Contreras, who preceded Ludlow as the executive secretary–treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.
From May 1989 until March 2006, Durazo was the president of UNITE-HERE local 11.
Durazo was asked by Barack Obama to serve as the national co-chair for his presidential campaign.[1]
[edit] External links
- Bio page at the LA County Federation of Labor web site
| Preceded by Martin Ludlow |
Executive Secretary – Treasurer, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor 2006 – present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
 |
This biographical article about a United States activist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Biography
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.
