death_date children birth_place birth_date spouse article_title name occupation
6 may 2005 mario michael dinuba , california 17 september 1952 maria -rrb- elena durazo -lrb- m. 1988-2005 ; his death miguel contreras
 miguel contreras former labor , afl -- cio executive secretary , los angeles county federation of
miguel contreras

miguel contreras -lrb- september 17 , 1952 -- may 6 , 2005 -rrb- was an american labor union leader .
he `` was known as a king-maker for both local and state politicians . ''
contreras was born in dinuba , a city in california 's agricultural central valley , to farmworker parents who had immigrated from mexico during the 1920s under the bracero program .
after meeting cesar chávez at a rally for robert kennedy in the late 1960s , he became an activist for the united farm workers .
he promoted the delano grape boycott in toronto , and organized lettuce workers in salinas .
he later led san francisco hotel workers on a month-long strike .
he was recruited by the hotel employees and restaurant employees union , who made him a national organizer in los angeles .
a contest over the leadership of the union 's local 11 led another labor leader , 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 jesse jackson as a mediator in negotiations between the los angeles metropolitan transportation authority and the union .
significantly , contreras put the county fed 's support behind that union even though it was not a member of the fed ; many saw his action as a way to build bridges between the large latino membership in the fed and the transit workers ' largely african-american membership .
he organized one of the largest immigrant-rights rallies in u.s. history , which drew some 20,000 people to the los angeles sports arena .
on may 6 , 2005 , contreras suffered 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 resulting investigation led to a prostitution sting at the `` botánica '' , raising some speculation as to the reasons contreras was there .
a high school in los angeles , the miguel contreras learning complex , is named in his honor .
for his recognition , uc berkeley and ucla established the miguel contreras labor program -lrb- mclp -rrb- to support labor education .
