Maria Elena Durazo, who temporarily took charge of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor in March, won election to a full four-year term as the county's labor chief at a meeting of union delegates Monday night.
"This happens a year after we buried Miguel," Durazo said of her late husband, Miguel Contreras, the longtime labor federation chief who died in May 2005. "This is something I never envisioned doing."
Durazo, 53, becomes the first woman to serve as chief of the region's largest labor group. She was elected without opposition during a meeting at Professional Musicians Local 47 in Hollywood.
She said her priorities are attracting new members in service industries and construction, as well as empowering immigrants in the labor force. A leader of the union local representing hotel workers since 1989, she has a reputation for dramatic tactics and for her close connections to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles).
She replaces Martin Ludlow, her husband's successor, who resigned after less than a year and admitted to illegally using union funds to win a Los Angeles City Council seat in 2003. Ludlow is awaiting sentencing.
