Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE)

The Tourism Industry Development Council (TIDC), later renamed Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), was founded in 1993 by Maria Elena Durazo, then president of Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (HERE) Local 11, Tom Walsh HERE Local 814, Father Dick Gillett, Episcopal Church, Kent Wong, UCLA Labor Center and Madeline Janis-Aparicio, Executive Director, to address conditions in the Los Angeles tourism industry, a significant generator of low wage employment and poverty. Their original mission was to improve job quality in the Los Angeles tourism industry and attract tourists to non-traditional destinations of interest.

Over the years, LAANE has been involved in many social justice campaigns that have helped to bring about social and economic change in the greater Los Angeles area. In 1995, TIDC proposed and the Los Angeles City Council passed a Worker Retention Ordinance, which allows airport concession workers (and other employees of city contractors) to remain in their jobs as new companies take over airport contracts, such as restaurants and retail stores. In 1996, they facilitated the creation of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) to engage religious leaders to support low-wage workers throughout California.

Also in 1996, TIDC led a movement for a Los Angeles Living Wage Ordinance covering workers employed, contracted with or receiving subsidies from the city of Los Angeles or its agencies and leasees. During this time, TIDC adopted its new name, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, to reflect its expanding mission. Following the implementation of the Los Angeles Living Wage Ordinance, LAANE began Respect at LAX to ensure enforcement of the ordinance. From 1996 to 2002, LAANE organized Santa Monicans Allied for Responsible Tourism (SMART) to partner with hotel workers to create a living wage law in Santa Monica. In the late 1990s and onward, LAANE won a dozen Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) for development projects, including the Staples Center expansion (L.A. Live) and the Hollywood and Vine project. In 2004, LAANE built a community coalition to fight a Walmart-sponsored ballot Initiative to build a superstore in Inglewood. In 2005, LAANE began the Coalition for a New Century, extending the Living Wage Ordinance and Tip Protection Ordinance to 2,000 workers in 13 hotels on Century Boulevard, adjacent to the LAX airport.

In 2012, LAANE's Long Beach Coalition for Good Jobs and Healthy Communities saw the passing of a ballot measure mandating living wages and tip protection for 2,000 workers at the city's large hotels. Additionally, during this time LAANE focused on environmental issues through their campaigns Don't Waste L.A. and Repower L.A. Also in 2012, they were involved with the Construction Careers Policy adopted by the County Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Port of L.A. and the City's Department of Public Works to guarantee career jobs and training to low-income, people of color, women and other community members. LAANE's first national effort, the Jobs to Move America campaign, sought to improve transit systems and create and retain stable jobs in the manufacturing sector.

While less widely known than some of its coalition partners, LAANE has played a vital role in nearly every campaign for equitable development since its founding in the 1990s.

These photos depict dozens of efforts supporting workers across the region, providing a unique and invaluable window into seminal moments in Los Angeles’ transformation as a progressive, postmodern city.

Acknowledgements

This collection was developed in partnership with LAANE and the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE)(opens in a new tab).