Daraka Larimore-Hall

Daraka Larimore-Hall is a labor and political activist based in Santa Barbara, California. He is the former President of UAW Local 2865 in California. Currently, he is a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Chairman of the Santa Barbara Democratic Party.

Early career and education

Daraka Larimore-Hall attended Santa Barbara High School and then the Armand Hammer United World College of the American West (UWC-USA), graduating in the class of 1994.^[1] With Alexa Dames, he designed the cover for The Eclectics' first album, Idle Worship, released in 1997, which was recorded by Steve Albini.^[2] He completed his Bachelor's in Arts degree at the University of Chicago.^[3] He is currently a PhD candidate at University of California, Santa Barbara, in the Sociology department.^[4]

Political and community activism

Daraka Larimore-Hall has been active in politics since at least his undergraduate years. While at University of Chicago he was the contact person for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and was elected to the DSA National Political Committee at the November 1997 DSA National Convention in Columbus, Ohio.^[5] He participated in the Lisbon Council - Socialist International's 50th Anniversary from June 29-30, 2001.^[6] While working as a staff organizer for the Young Democratic Socialists he appeared as the last speaker in the 2007 film "Battle in Seattle."^[7]

In his 2004 race for the Democratic Party County Central Committee in Santa Barbara County Daraka Larimore-Hall's top priorities included bringing more young people into the party and bringing the Democratic party together with labor and community organizations.^[8] In 2008 he was elected Chairman of the Santa Barbara Democratic party. As Chairman he actively worked to bring together labor and progressive democrats who no longer saw unions as a key to democracy, saying "organized labor is a cornerstone of modern democracy."^[9] In the spring of 2011 he was very involved in the national debate around public sector unions, organizing and participating in many county events.^[10][11] At a March 7, 2011 news conference Larimore-Hall weighed in on the debate saying "union is not a dirty word."^[12]

Daraka Larimore-Hall is active in PUEBLO, People United for Economic Justice Building Leadership through Organizing, a community organization that fights for low-income worker rights in the Santa Barbara area, and served as a Board member. From 2009 to 2011 he also served as Vice-Chair of the International Affairs Committee of the Young Democrats of America.

UAW Local 2865

Upon entering graduate school at the University of California, Santa Barbara in September 2003, Daraka Larimore-Hall became eligible for membership in UAW Local 2865, which represents over 12,000 academic student employees, readers, tutors, and teaching assistants, at the nine teaching campuses of the University of California.^[13] Larimore-Hall got active in his union that fall by volunteering to sign up union members for UAW Local 2865's strike over contract negotiations. During his years volunteering and working with UAW Local 2865 he participated in the organizing drives for two new groups of workers: 6000 postdoctoral scholars at University of California, now UAW Local 5810, and 4000 academic student workers at California State University, now UAW Local 4123. Larimore-Hall also helped pass the historic Living Wage law in the City of Santa Barbara. After first getting elected as a steward, Daraka Larimore-Hall eventually was elected Northern Vice President of UAW Local 2865.^[14] In the midst of a record-setting poor economic climate in California, and the nation, Larimore-Hall helped the 12,000 academic student employees negotiate another new contract in 2010 whose highlights included an annual 2% wage increase, an increase in the childcare subsidy, and for the first time at the University of California getting partial fees (tuition) paid for workers who were also non-resident students. There was an active debate among the UAW Local 2865 membership about whether more gains were possible, but ultimately the contract was ratified 62% to 38% by the statewide membership in December 2010.^[15][16]

Under the UAW Local 2865 bylaws, Larimore-Hall automatically ascended to the Presidency when the former President resigned in February 2011.^[17] In April 2011 Daraka Larimore-Hall ran for a full three year term as President in UAW Local 2865's regular elections, but lost to Cheryl Deutsch, receiving 44% of the statewide vote to Deutsch's 56%.^[18] The election continued the debate over the strength of the recently-ratified bargaining agreement, but these discussions were overshadowed by many allegations of election fraud, including voter intimidation, by candidates and challengers from both of the two slates running in the election.^[19] On May 8, 2011 the UAW Local 2865 Election Committee released their final election report stating they had decided "to count all of the ballots where voter intent was clear to all sides." The report also stated that "due to the number and seriousness of the challenges and objections" the Election Committee would not make any decision resolving them, instead leaving their adjudication to the appeals processes within the UAW Local 2865 Bylaws, the UAW constitution and the UAW Election Guide. In addition, the Election Committee was unable to include results from the entire University of California Merced campus since the ballot boxes were not delivered to the committee.^[20]

On May 21, 2011, UAW 2865 held a Statewide Membership meeting at the Berkeley campus of University of California, one of the campuses which overwhelmingly voted against Larimore-Hall's slate, at which 130 members reached the required quorum of 100 people. A majority of the members present voted to resolve the hundreds of allegations in the official UAW Local 2865 Election Report, and to disqualify one of Larimore-Hall's slate running mates from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as ineligible to have run for the position to which her UCLA campus elected her. The winning candidate for Financial Secretary of UAW Local 2865 considered the meeting as "having finally resolved the election results" while other members at the meeting described the vote to disqualify the UCLA woman as a "political witch hunt" and Larimore-Hall's running mates described needing to weigh their options for appeals.^[21][22]

Writings

• Larimore-Hall, Daraka (1999). Transnational Youth Activism. Dissent, Volume 46.
• Larimore-Hall, Daraka (2000). Race, Structure and Vegan Food: A Look at the USAS Conference. The Activist (fall).
• Larimore-Hall, Daraka and Klonsky, Amanda (November 3, 2000). Ain't Gonna Let Segregation Turn Us 'Round: Thoughts on Building an Interracial and Anti-Racist Student Movement. The Activist.
• Larimore-Hall, Daraka (October, 2002). Confessions of a true believer. Radical Society.
• Larimore-Hall, Daraka (2007). Taking the party back: insurgent activism in a local democratic party. University of California, Santa Barbara. http://books.google.com/books?id=-va1NwAACAAJ. Retrieved 5 May 2011. 
• Larimore-Hall, Daraka (2005-2009). hoverbike. A blog by Daraka Larimore-Hall.
• Larimore-Hall, Daraka and Attewell, Steven (2009-current). Co-founders. The Realignment Project. A group blog dedicated to the discussion of current political events, political strategy, ideology, and history.

References

1. ^ Daraka Larimore-Hall. Facebook public profile. Accessed May 5, 2011.
2. ^ The Electic's. Idle Worship. Facebook public profile. Accessed May 5, 2011.
3. ^ Voter Guide, March 2, 2004 election, Santa Barbara County, California. League of Women Voters of California Education Fund. Accessed May 5, 2011.
4. ^ Student Directory. University of California, Santa Barbara Sociology Department. Accessed May 5, 2011.
5. ^ Daraka Larimore-Hall. KeyWiki.org. Accessed May 5, 2011.
6. ^ Lisbon Council - Socialist International's 50th Anniversary. Socialist International. Accessed May 5, 2011.
7. ^ Locals Report — DSA Activism at the Grassroots. Democratic Socialists of America. Accessed May 5, 2011.
8. ^ Voter Guide, March 2, 2004 election, Santa Barbara County, California. League of Women Voters of California Education Fund. Accessed May 5, 2011.
9. ^ Ancona, Dan. More on the importance of labor. Speak out California, June 20, 2006. Accessed May 5, 2011.
10. ^ Molina, Joshua. Daraka Larimore-Hall: Republican attacks on unions, working people are 'frightening'; party plans rally, candlelight vigil on Monday. The Daily Sound, March 5, 2011. Accessed May 5, 2011.
11. ^ Meagher, Chris. Public Employee Rope-A-Dope: Democrats and Union Leaders Say They Ain’t Fat Cats. The Santa Barbara Independent, March 10, 2011. Accessed May 5, 2011.
12. ^ Magnoli, Giana. Santa Barbara County Democratic Party Enters the Fray Over Collective Bargaining. Noozhawk, March 7, 2011. Accessed May 5, 2011.
13. ^ UAW Local 2865. Accessed May 6, 2011.
14. ^ The Candidates. United for Social and Economic Justice. Accessed May 5, 2011.
15. ^ Gordon, Larry. UC teaching assistants approve 3-year union contract. Los Angeles Times blog, L.A. Now, December 16, 2010. Accessed May 5, 2011.
16. ^ UAW Local 2865 Bargaining Team. Tentative Agreement Reached: November 16, 2010. UAW Local 2865, November 16, 2010. Accessed May 5, 2011.
17. ^ UAW Local 2865 bylaws. UAW Local 2865. Accessed May 6, 2011.
18. ^ Election Report. UAW Local 2865 Election Committee, Accessed May 17, 2011.
19. ^ Berrett, Dan. Circular Firing Squad. Inside Higher Ed, May 5, 2011. Accessed May 6, 2011.
20. ^ Election Report. UAW Local 2865 Election Committee, Accessed May 17, 2011.
21. ^ Samad, Aaida Union members present rebuttal to challenge of recent election. Daily Cal, May 22, 2011. Accessed June 2, 2011.
22. ^ <Lopez, Xochitl and Nolasco, Filiberto. UAW 2865 Members Call for a Fair Election. BeyondChron, Accessed June 2, 2011.

External links

• UAW Local 2865
• United for Social and Economic Justice (USEJ)

Organized labour portal