Los Angeles unions enjoy a decided "brand advantage" over corporations among city voters, and the labor movement should use that popularity to advance "union-led solutions" to key public policy issues in 2007, a memo written by top labor strategists says. The two-page memo, which was obtained by The Los Angeles Times, argues for broader, more straightforward engagement on policy issues than many unions have undertaken in the past. Some labor leaders prefer to focus on their own contract issues, and even those who are active in politics often soft-pedal the "union" label.
See "L.A. unions urged to lead policy debate", Joe Matthews, Los Angeles Times, January 2, 2007