July 6, 2007 Unions in L.A., China team up 'Sister cities' pact marks first formal link between a U.S. labor council and an Asian counterpart. By Aurelio Rojas Sacramento Bee Capitol Bureau     The 800,000-member Los Angeles County Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, on Thursday announced the first formal relationship between a U.S. central labor council and a counterpart in China.     The agreement with the 6 million-member Shanghai Municipal Trade Union Council brings together unions from the two largest economies on the Pacific Rim, whose ports annually handle billions of dollars in goods.     Maria Elena Durazo, the labor federation's chief, announced the agreement during a conference call from Shanghai.     Durazo acknowledged that communist China and the United States have vastly different economic systems. But, she said, as the global economy expands its reach, workers are increasingly serving the same multinational corporations.     The "sister cities" agreement, Durazo said, "is the beginning" of an effort by Chinese and American unions to work together to leverage their clout.     "We see that corporations act and plan globally, and it's time for workers to act and plan globally to protect our interests," she said.     In some instances, she said, the unions may have different interests that could be mutually beneficial.     China is trying to raise its workers' standard of living, for instance, and last week passed legislation to protect workers, rejecting pleas from foreign investors who warned the move would reduce the nation's low-wage appeal.     U.S. unions, meanwhile, are trying to leverage association with labor in other nations to confront multinational corporations.     Durazo said U.S. unions might learn something from Chinese unions, which have succeeded in unionizing workers for companies such as Wal-Mart, McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken whose U.S. workers are nonunion.     "We're going to share research about corporations," she said, outlining the terms of the agreement. "We're going to share information about workplaces and the companies that are organized already, or will be, or are planning to be organized."     Durazo said the unions also will share information about bargaining and strategy. The first instance, she said, is likely to involve the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation's busiest.     The International Longshore and Warehouse Union contract, which represents dockworkers at the ports, is scheduled to expire in June 2008.     Durazo said the longshore union will be negotiating with some of the same shipping lines present in Shanghai.     The Shanghai trade council is affiliated with the state-run All-China Federation of Trade Council, a legacy of China's socialist-planned economy.     The federation has long been criticized by other labor leaders for being more concerned with the communist government's interests than with workers' rights.     In China, workers are not allowed to form independent unions or strike. But last week, the Chinese government passed a package of laws that will give workers some of the same rights guaranteed American workers. The newly adopted policies will require companies to "consult" with their unions on changes in workplace rules.     Mike Barbalas, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, told the Associated Press the chamber is concerned about the labor vs. management tone of China's new laws. In a report, the chamber said the federation enlists local government authorities, such as tax or labor bureaus, to persuade companies to establish trade unions.     Kent Wong, executive director of the UCLA Labor Center, acknowledged that the effectiveness of China's new laws will depend on whether they are enforced.     "The UCLA Labor Center will be hosting a public event within the coming weeks to allow some of the delegates from this trip to present their experiences and findings," said Wong, in China as a member of the Los Angeles delegation.     The delegation included representatives from 10 unions, including the California Federation of Teachers, which will join with its Shanghai counterpart to organize a student-exchange program.     Copyright © The Sacramento Bee