Miguel Contreras

Miguel Contreras
Maria Elena Durazo (m. 1988-2005; his death)
Children	Mario Michael

Miguel Contreras (September 17, 1952 – May 6, 2005) was an American

After meeting

Maria Elena Durazo

, to protest his involvement in the dispute. Durazo and Contreras later resolved their differences, and were married in 1988. The couple had one son, Michael.

In 1994 Contreras became political director of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, a Central Labor Council of the American Federation of Labor. In 1996, he was elected executive secretary–treasurer of the Fed, a post he held until his death. During his tenure as secretary-treasurer, Contreras reached out to immigrant workers and worked to firmly integrate his union into the Los Angeles political landscape.

In 2000, Contreras led Los Angeles janitors in a strike against building owners that led to their winning a favorable contract. The campaign's success made it a model for the struggles of blue-collar workers nationwide. He was also a major figure in the transportation workers' strike of the same year, enlisting

On May 6, 2005, Contreras suffered and died from complications of a heart attack in a Downtown Los Angeles botánica, a dispensary of traditional herbal medicines, where he had gone to have his fortune told.

A

established the Miguel Contreras Labor Program (MCLP) to support labor education.

References