Labor leader and Latino community activist J.J. Rodriguez, described by Cesar Chavez as a “pioneering trade unionist who fought many early battles of the Chicano movement,” died Wednesday, December 11th, at Monterey Park Hospital at the age of 83.

Rodriguez first organized a union among City of Vernon packinghouse workers in 1928. That drive failed after a long and bitter strike. However, a successful 1932 effort produced a fledgling union charted by the United Packinghouse Workers that, under Rodriguez’s leadership, became the dominant labor organization in the local packinghouse industry.

During the 1950’s, Rodriguez was a key activist with the Community Service Organization. Founded in East Los Angeles during the late 1940s, CSO was the most militant and effective civil rights group of its day among Latinos. As president, he worked closely with Chavez, who was then the national group’s executive director.

Chavez, now president of the United Farm Workers of America, eulogized his long time friend: “Long before it was fashionable, J.J. Rodriguez helped immigrants become citizens, registered them to vote, battled police brutality, pushed for legislation to get pensions for non-citizens and fought for improvements in East side neighborhoods.”

Rodriguez served the labor movement in a number of important posts, including as vice president of the historic Western Federation of Butchers and president for 17 years, until his retirement in 1988, of the 800,000 member Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.

He was appointed to positions in Kennedy and Johnson Administrations and was named by former Governor Edmund G, “Pat” Brown as chairman of the Industrial Welfare Commission.

Rodriguez, a widower, is survived by a daughter, Helen Holguin, and two sons, Edmund and Jim, who is Packinghouse Division director of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770 in Los Angeles. He is also survived by 15 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. A funeral service, which was attended by more than 500 people, was held for the union pioneer Tuesday at Miraculous Medal Church in Montebello, with Father Luis Olivares presiding. Following Mass, the funeral procession passed through the City of Vernon, where packinghouse employees gathered to pay tribute to Rodriguez.

Note: This was originally published in the December 11, 1991 edition of The Belvedere Citizen.