Martinez, Jaime (Biologist)

Born in 1946, labor and civil rights activist Jaime Martínez was raised in San Antonio, Texas. He left San Antonio to work as a musician after attending Lanier High School and returned to San Antonio in 1966 to work for Friedrich Refrigeration, and married in 1968. He joined the International Union of Electrical Workers (IUE, now the IUE-AFL-CIO) Local 780 in 1966. He served on the IUE executive board as secretary treasurer for IUE District 11, the first Mexican American at the national level, and served as the National Labor Coordinator for Coordinadora 96. He served as first vice president for the Central Labor Council of the AFL-CIO and as president of the national Labor Council of Latin American Advancement (LCLAA). He is founder and president of League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council #4626 in San Antonio. He was appointed National Chairperson of the Immigration Committee for LCLAA in 2001 and Labor Advisor to the national LULAC, and in 2004 he was elected treasurer of LULAC at the national level.

From the description of Oral history interview with Jaime Martínez, 1997 [videorecording]. (University of Texas at Arlington). WorldCat record id: 326881594