Worker-leaders from twelve different unions involved in organizing immigrant workers filled the conference space at the Downtown Labor Center on July 27, 2008, to share strategies and campaign announcements and to build a solid network of mutual support. Participants included worker-leaders from the CLEAN car wash campaign, Iron Workers Local 416, Teamsters, United Steelworkers, UNITE HERE Locals 11 and 52, ILWU, LIUNA, SEIU ULTCW and Local 1877, and United Day Laborers of Baldwin Park.

The gathering provided the space for worker-­leaders to share their successes and challenges in campaign ­organizing, the importance of learning from each other, and the common issues that unite them. Participants engaged in team-building exercises, personal testimonies, and theatrical skits that allowed them to address themes related to immigrant-worker struggles. Workers plotted their personal struggles and campaign fights on a twenty-year timeline that highlighted the history of the immigrant-rights movement, establishing a powerful connection within the group.

At the end of the day, a true sense of solidarity emerged, and participants agreed to keep meeting regularly. In the next session, workers will delve deeper into how they can support each other further in their struggles.