By Dr. John E. Warren
Publisher
The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper both appreciates and and welcomes letters to the Editor, even when they disagree with something we have said. In the case of this week’s letter from Ms. Rosalyn Hackworth’s on our editorial concerning “Our Pastors, The Candidates and the Community”, she rightly pointed out that “Labor Unions have done a lot of good for a lot of people”. Her comment reminded us that not all people in organized labor should be judged by the bad decisions of a few. There are more than 135 labor unions that make up the reportedly 200,000 membership of the San Diego & Imperial County Labor Council. The comments that we made about labor seeking to silence the African American community should have been more directed toward the few individuals in a particular union attempting to leverage the growing political support that labor has enjoyed, toward their own agenda. The upcoming United African American Ministerial Breakfast provided is a good example where the leadership of that organization was told that financial support of this year’s breakfast would be withheld because the ministers have invited Pastor Miles McPherson of the Rock Church as its keynote speaker. Yet in the midst of this action at least two other Labor organizations have purchased tables and members plan to attend the event.
Perhaps it would be a good thing if the leadership of organized labor took a close look at which locals are attempting to use the growing weight of the entire Labor presence on behalf of their own local agenda. The actions of these few local union members and their leadership; the role of organized labor in the election of City Councilwoman Cole and Assemblymember Weber should not be allowed to be used as a bully pulpit against those who disagree with the politics of at least one local in particular.
We appreciate Ms. Hackworth’s letter to the Editor and we shall make sure in the future that no general reference is made because of a few that harm the hard work and good will of the many.
