Labor Council Prospers After Bankruptcy

For all the heartaches caused by Orange County’s bankruptcy, there’s been a silver lining for the Orange County Central Labor Council.

Bill Fogarty, head of the umbrella group for the area’s AFL-CIO unions, says the council has enlisted half a dozen locals with 5,000 members in recent months, boosting its total to 50,000.

Fogarty says the bankruptcy brought visibility to the labor council because it was active in advocating security for county employees. Moreover, he says, the locals saw the importance of labor joining forces.

For the labor council, the new membership translates into more dues money for organizing. “It means more opportunities for union members to be involved and more solidarity for the entire movement,” Fogarty said.

Among the locals that recently signed up: American Federation of Government Employees, the American Federation of Teachers, the Air Traffic Controllers and the Service Employees union.

*

Don Lee covers workplace issues for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-7407 and at don.lee@latimes.com