by Victor M. Montañez

Esther López is a feminist, activist and educator. She is director of the Civil Rights and Community Action Department of the United Food and Commercial Workers, the fifth largest private sector union in the U.S. representing 1.3 million U.S. workers and 300,000 retail meatpacking and Canadian farm workers.

Working class feminist — Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich named Esther Lopez Deputy Chief of Staff of Labor and Professional Regulation making her the highest ranking appointed Latina in Illinois.
(Source: ExtraNews)

Born in Las Nutrias, sixty miles south of Albuquerque, N.M., López’s family traces back to the mid 1600s and the Spanish “La Joya” land grant. Her community and political involvement is deeply rooted and parallels some of the most significant periods for immigrant and labor issues.

In 2003, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich named López the Deputy Chief of Staff of Labor and Professional Regulation making her the highest ranking appointed Latina in Illinois. López managed the Illinois Department of Labor, the Department of Employment Security and the consolidation of four regulatory state agencies into one new department – the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Most importantly, López directed outreach efforts to communities and local governmental entities raising awareness on workers rights and employment safety. Her ability to merge skills in administration, policy and organizing makes her nothing less than a powerhouse in labor politics.

“Esther Lópezis a tireless advocate for Illinois working families. Her creativity and determination helped make the Department of Labor more efficient and more responsive to the needs of the people,” said Blagojevich while naming her to the post.
For López, it was a long journey to Springfield and now Washington, D.C. Shortly after graduating college with a degree in special education from the University of New México, she came to South Chicago, where she became one of the few Latina steel mill workers.

“For seven years I watched the collapse of the U.S. steel industry.”

It was an experience that made a great impact on her political outlook.

“[Once the mills closed] I had to dust off my degree.”

She found work at Travelers and Immigrants Aid directing the effort to get immigrants legalized under IRCA, the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Her organizer’s mentality and innovation helped process more than 100,000 cases.

“We were creative. In one case, we had a mariachi band document their uninterrupted residence in the U.S. with the CDs they released,” she recalls.

(Continue reading Esther López: Powerhouse of Labor Politics)