LCLAA Shares its Condolences With the Families of the VTA Shooting Victims and Denounces Escalating Gun Violence
MEDIA STATEMENT
May 27, 2021
Contact: LCLAA National/202-508-6919
LCLAA shares its condolences with the families of the victims of this mass shooting and denounces the escalating gun violence in America. Washington D.C.- Yesterday a gunman opened fire on coworkers at the Santa Clara VTA light rail yard in San Jose, California, leaving eight dead before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life. The VTA is a public transit service that operates bus and light rail services to the Santa Clara Valley community.
These were essential workers who set out from their homes to perform their duties and keep the city moving through the pandemic. In addition, they worked to provide their families with the daily essentials of life, never imagining that they would not be returning home at the end of their shift. As a result, families should never have to worry if their loved ones will return home after doing their jobs. They were our brothers and sisters from ATU Local 265 – San Jose, CA.
This tragedy is yet another reminder of the continued gun violence that has plagued our nation in recent years and one that has fallen on deaf ears of many legislatures. Therefore, it is paramount that comprehensive gun reform legislation is passed.
“It is a horrible day for the city of Santa Clara,” said Jose Vargas, Executive Director of LCLAA, “and equally as difficult for the labor movement because these victims were members of the ATU Union family, and we share in their grief.”
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The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) is the leading national organization for Latino(a) workers and their families. LCLAA was born in 1972 out of the need to educate, organize and mobilize Latinos in the labor movement and has expanded its influence to organize Latinos in an effort to impact workers’ rights and their influence in the political process. LCLAA represents the interest of more than 2 million Latino workers in the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), The Change to Win Federation, Independent Unions and all its membership. Visit LCLAA on the web at www.lclaa.org, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram