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 Maria Elena Durazo
SOL Board Vice President
Executive Secretary -Treasurer, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
Emerging as one of the most dynamic labor leaders in Los Angeles County, Marķa Elena Durazo was elected to serve as Executive Secretary-Treasurer on May 15, 2006. The daughter of Mexican immigrant farm workers, Maria Elena learned the importance of hard work and determination at a very young age. As a child, she traveled from Oregon to California with her parents and nine siblings to work in the fields.
Before leading the Federation, Maria Elena was President of the hotel workers union UNITE HERE, Local 11, a position she held from May of 1989 up until her appointment as interim
Executive Secretary-Treasurer. During her time as President, Maria Elena restructured Local 11 to become one of the most active unions in Los Angeles County and a vital force in the debate over the future of Los Angeles.
In July 1996, Maria Elena became the first Latina elected to the Executive Board of HERE
International Union. Her election to the Executive Board was followed by her 2001 election as
General Vice-President of HERE International, a position that led her to represent approximately 250,000 workers in the hospitality industry from the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada.
In 2003, Maria Elena became National Director of the Immigrant Workers' Freedom Ride, a
national mobilization campaign initiated by HERE International to address the nations immigration laws.
One of Maria Elena's most significant achievements was her election in 2004 to serve as Executive Vice President of the newly formed UNITE-HERE International, leading her to represent more than 440,000 active members and more than 400,000 retirees throughout North America. As Executive Vice President of UNITE-HERE she represented a diverse membership, comprised largely of immigrants and including high percentages of African-American, Latino, and Asian-American workers in sectors such as: apparel, textile manufacturing, apparel distribution centers, apparel retail, industrial laundries, hotels, casinos, foodservice, airport concessions, and restaurants.
A resident of Los Angeles, Maria Elena is the mother of two sons, Mario and Michael and the
widow of Miguel Contreras former Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO Executive Secretary-Treasurer. Maria Elena is a graduate of St. Mary's College in Moraga and earned a law degree from the People's College of Law in 1985.
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