Catherwood LibraryILR School

Last April 8,500 unionized janitors shut down Los Angeles' major buildings in a strike that won them wage increases, maintained health benefits, and---perhaps most importantly---developed leaders. This week the Ford Foundation, which supports local activism aimed at helping diverse communities, recognized four of these leaders by awarding them the $130,000 Leadership for a Changing World grant. The four winners, who are members of the Service Employees International Union, have decided to use the money to develop their organizing skills, and to set up a training institute to teach leadership and organizing to their union brothers and sisters.