Ford Grant to Help Janitors Move Up Economic Ladder
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.
See "Ford Grant to Help Janitors Move Up Economic Ladder", STEPHANIE CHAVEZ, Los Angeles Times, September 23, 2001