Labor leader Dolores Huerta talks business

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2010/10/labor_leader_dolores_huerta_talks_business.html

Blanca Torres Reporter Tuesday, October 5, 2010, 1:29pm PDT

At 80 years old and decades after cofounding the United Farm Workers of America, the first union to organize and represent farmworkers in California, Dolores Huerta continues to advocate for the rights of workers and immigrants.

Huerta, however, is no enemy to business. Fighting for better treatment of workers means fighting for the interests of those who employ them.

Just last week, the activist visited Oakland to accept an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Mills College in recognition for being “a lifetime champion of social justice.”

Huerta was awarded the degree during Mills annual convocation ceremony, which is held in the fall to kick off the new school year.

During her acceptance speech, Huerta said the nation's economy is in crisis and one cause is that workers are not valued or compensated for their contributions. "If you could take one person with you to a deserted island, who would you take: an attorney or a farmworker?" she asked. "Most people would say the farmworker."

Huerta’s daughter, Camila Chavez, is an alumna of Mills and is now executive director of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, an organization that trains organizers to improve neighborhoods and communities.

I sat down to talk with Huerta about issues that continue to plague California’s economy such as labor, immigration and what the business community can do to address those issues.

Question: You’ve been doing your work for many decades, what has changed in your fight for workers’ rights?

FULL story at link.