Blue Collar Workers

In some circles, labels aren't what they used to be. A "Guess?" on the rear of a fashionable pair of jeans, for example, doesn't get the respect that "Pabst Blue Ribbon" or "U.S. Mail" do on the sleeve of a used, and truly serviceable, garment. Very cool, very droll. Just ask Ely Daz, whose official title is floor person at Aaardvark's, a trendy used-clothing store in Hollywood.

With the Democratic presidential race about to enter another crucial phase of voting, Barack Obama has launched a newly aggressive strategy to undermine two pillars of support for rival Hillary Rodham Clinton: Latinos and working-class white voters. Each is an important constituency in major March 4 primaries -- Latinos in Texas and blue-collar workers in Ohio -- which many believe Clinton must win to keep her White House hopes alive.

With two celebrity-class candidates, Democrats have seen their presidential contest draw record voter turnout and an influx of Latinos and younger Americans to the party. But some are becoming concerned that the party now risks losing its hold on a more established set of needed supporters: blue-collar workers.

The writers strike ended two months ago. But many in Hollywood remain on the brink. Some are at risk of losing their homes. Some can't afford groceries. Others have filed for bankruptcy. Still others struggle to work enough hours to hold on to their health insurance. Across Los Angeles, many crew members who work behind the scenes and on the sets of television shows and movies are still quaking from the temblor of the 100-day writers strike that shut down scripted TV production.

The president of the United Automobile Workers union, Ron Gettelfinger, cut right to the chase when he announced last week that autoworkers were prepared to sacrifice job security, funding for retiree healthcare and other contract provisions to help salvage their fast-sinking industry. "Concessions -- I cringe at that word," he said. "But now, why hide it? That's what we did."

Carol Levesque, a retired New Hampshire social worker, used to think Hillary Rodham Clinton was not cut out for the White House. Levesque looked askance at Clinton's decision to run for the U.S. Senate. She was lukewarm about how Clinton conducted herself as first lady to an unfaithful husband. Now, Levesque is an avid fan. After seeing Clinton three times, she was wowed by the New York Democrat's apparent brainpower. She was, to use her word, "underwhelmed" by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.

Re "L.A. climbs past 4 million," May 2 An accurate statement would be that despite the fact that L.A.'s population grew by 37,658 last year, only 10,239 new housing units were constructed. That shortage is the primary reason that the cost of housing continues to skyrocket well beyond the means of teachers, firefighters, blue-collar workers and others who make valuable contributions to our community. The California State Firefighters Assn., California Federation of Teachers, Cal-Nevada Conference of Operating Engineers and others support a state Housing Affordability Act. This measure requires cities to identify land and zone it appropriately to meet housing needs.

The House of Representatives is considering a bill that would help companies reduce their pension obligations by assuming shorter life expectancies among blue-collar workers. The bill is likely to be a boon to automakers such as General Motors Corp. by reducing the amount needed to invest for employee retirements. The lawmakers who wrote the bill have said they want to preserve traditional pensions by preventing companies and unions from being forced to overpay into their systems.

In a sign that the region's economic recovery has finally reached long-depressed working-class neighborhoods in central Los Angeles County, rents in the mid-cities climbed sharply this year, outpacing the rent increases for most of Southern California.

Real estate agents like to tell buyers that the value of land can only go up, because God isn't making any more of it. Maybe He isn't, but the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. has stepped in to fill the void. The largest dredging company in America, the 108-year-old firm and its ungainly $700-million navy of dredges, tugs, survey boats, launches and cranes range worldwide to deepen ship channels, restore beaches and build harbors for sultans and democrats alike.