Divide and conquer in San Francisco

IN A recent issue of SF Weekly, reporter Lauren Smiley breaks the story about racist practices in the building trades.

Smiley reports on the civil lawsuit recently brought by both Latino and African-American workers against Apartment Investment and Management Company (AIMCO) in the San Francisco Superior Court. The lawsuit details a litany of racist practices enforced by the company, which include, but are not limited to, the following:

Job-site supervisors taking $100 to 400 per week from Latino workers, either through withholding the money or forcing workers to give kickbacks.

Black carpenters being told there was no work available, even though contractors continued to hire Latino workers.

Blacks and Latinos working on separate crews.

Management hiding non-union workers to avoid detection by union officials.

Black workers being accused of being slow and producing shoddy work.

Black workers often working fewer than 40 hours per week, while Latino workers usually work overtime and sometimes weekends.

Latino workers being forced to do fast and shoddy work; one job-site supervisor said it was because only Black people would live in those units.

In response to the allegations, AIMCO says it isn't at fault. In a letter to the Board of Supervisors, Senior Vice President Patti Schwayder explained that subcontractors hired by another company, Fortney & Weygandt, are to blame.

Throughout the article, there are many more stories of racism and violations of the state labor code. However, one story regarding the segregated nature of the workgroups stands out.

Fausto and Gonzalo Aguilar, two of the plaintiffs in the suit, recalled a lunch held for the Latino workers only in August 2007. Smiley recounts that the hospitality seemed strange to the Aguilars, because the bosses usually made the work unpleasant. But what was even more surprising is what the manager had to say to workers.

According to Gonzalo Aguilar's testimony at a public hearing last month, foreman Ernesto Cunningham said one main problem the company and the workers in Bayview Hunters Point had was "the fucking union," and the other main problem was the "pinches negros (fucking niggers)."

All of this is a calculated divide-and-conquer tactic used by employers, and it's by no means limited to the building and construction trades. It also has the potential to be a tactic that is stepped up, given the downturn of the economy and the need the bosses have for both continued labor and continued profit.

However, as the struggle of the Freightliner Five and this one against AIMCO show, there is also the potential for the tactic to fail and to encourage multiracial solidarity and fightbacks.

Both Latino and African American workers smelled a rat independently, without knowing the other's situation. In fact, one Black carpenter, Gregory Hall, circulated a petition in support of fair wages for Latino workers when he suspected unfair practices. Several other Black workers took pictures and documented evidence of epithets and lies told to intimidate them.

The Aguilar brothers, versed in union protocol and labor law, began to keep meticulous records of every racist incident directed both toward Latinos and African Americans. The Aguilars also decided to contact La Raza Centro Legal in order to inquire about their rights and recourse actions, which led to contacting the African American workers, the hiring of a lawyer and the filing of a lawsuit.

As part of coming together, several Latino workers last fall attended a community meeting held at a Bayview church by some of the Black workers. It was there that they shared stories and compared notes, and began to realize that fighting back united was both possible and necessary.

In a prelude to filing the civil lawsuit, a hearing was held at City Hall. Several of the workers testified about the conditions they experienced.

As Smiley reported, "While testifying, one carpenter declared: 'We love each other. We just didn't know this, but we know now.' And after the Aguilars' father testified of his support, placing his white cowboy hat on the podium, several Black carpenters embraced him in a bear hug."
Amanda Maystead, San Francisco