My grandfather was a migrant worker and during the 40′s they traveled up and down the state for work. Grandpa settled in the city of Orange as a truck driver and Grandma sorted Oranges. As my Pops would drive us through Santa Ana to the beach My mother was always quick to point out to me all the field workers and say “”Aye pobrecitos”, of course I would ask her why “Pobrecitos” “Because they work long and hard in the fields for their families”

I love the truth and especially your views on Cesar Chavez, La Paz and how it seems as if the UFW are forever locked in a time warp of greed, fraud corruption. At least that is what I read and felt.

During a stint in the “Union Summer” I got a chance to visit “La Paz” before it was remodeled and turned into a non-profit stopover for “the Chavez Family None of You Business What I do With the Money Fund”.

My first thought upon seeing the property is that I loved the land, I may be a city girl but I loved the facility. I slept on a grungy old mattress as did many of the Union Summer participants. I saw the homes the Chavez family lived in.
But as I explored (never alone) I felt an air of distrust, During the day there was to be a luncheon (they have them all the time, possible donors) One of Cesars son’s was speaking about affordable housing for the workers, he was taking questions. I of course asked, Why not establish similar program like “Habitat for Humanity” or network with them. He was seemed offended and responded, “The migrants work all day and should not have to work for their houses, we are thinking about building homes with hay bales”
I though to myself, I am picking my battles and this one is not the day.
I wondered to myself that everyone works hard to raise family, Mexicans have not cornered the market in hard work. Then I got it, it was probably something that was broached up in the past and because money is power, you do not let anyone else get your power.

Okay so we had another project to go to but the new group I was to go with was APALA (not a union, Asian human rights), we had to protest around a Asian restaurant because they were not paying the recent “immigrant Asian hires”, in the end they supposedly got their money after we cost them financial hardship on a Friday night. At the time I felt this was my calling, human rights issues, for some reason it was the beginning of my change in philosophy in unions.

I still believe in unions, but I also believe that Government, corporations and unions need to be completely revamped and overhauled. To put it succinctly,purge all of these entities of all Pyramid Ponzi. They much more similar to each other and humanity is a convenient memory or rather distraction.

I am a union Journeymom/plumber/steamfitter and have seen the storm for years, and the destruction of the union is not because of the Republicans, it is because our own union officials are unwilling to recognize they are at fault.
I mean for a measly example our own UA President, Marty Maddaloni basically took 1.1-2 billion dollars from the members pension along with his buddies at ULLICO, sure it was for the “hotel” with extraordinary overruns.

I can go on on on but I know that if unions are lacking “market share” they have no one to blame but all the cronies they appoint, all the relatives, ya’ know what I mean.

Happy birthday! I just wanted to say thank you, and to let you know how lucky I feel to have been one of your many students over the years. You opened my eyes to things I’d never understood or thought much about.

-Walter

Hope this mail finds you well.

I write to you from India. I am a chartered accountant with no background in economics.

I am seriously contemplating higher studies in economics. Can I request you for advice over an email?

Thanks and regards
Avinash Shanbhogue