CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES

Seeking to draw attention to legislation that would make it easier to organize workers, union members plan to march from downtown to Westwood today to promote the proposed Employee Free Choice Act.

The march will begin about 10 a.m. at the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor office on James M. Wood Boulevard, near MacArthur Park. The demonstration is expected to reach Beverly Hills about 1:30 p.m. and continue along Wilshire Boulevard, with three more short stops before reaching Westwood Park at 5 p.m., where a rally is planned. Some streets will be closed for the demonstration.

Mary Gutierrez, a spokeswoman with the Federation of Labor, said Olympic Boulevard would be closed this morning for the first three miles of the march. For the rest of the route, police and traffic officials on hand will determine whether to direct marchers onto sidewalks or continue to close roads, she said.

The Employee Free Choice Act would require employers to recognize a union once a majority of workers signed membership cards, in what is known as a card-check system. Typically, companies exercise their right to require an employee election organized by the National Labor Relations Board.