Members in Politics: Championing a Living Wage

Al Espindola, secretary-treasurer for CWA Local 9490, is proof that you don't have to run for office to have a voice in local politics.

The retired Lucent instructor serves by appointment on the Salinas, Calif., Parks & Recreation Commission, a position he's used to urge the city council to award contracts only to companies that pay a living wage. Not coincidentally, he says, those companies are most likely to be union-represented.

The seven-member parks commission is a mix of labor, management and small business people whom Espindola has gradually brought around to his worker-friendly point of view. Last year, they unanimously passed a resolution calling for living-wage guidelines in the city's contracts.

"Whatever positions you hold — state, city, federal, local, whether by appointment or election — I think all of those things that we strive for as union activists can be introduced to those you work with in a positive way," he says.