Lorenzo Torrez

Lorenzo Torrez

Lorenzo Torrez was the long time organizer of the Arizona Communist Party USA. He is married to Anita Torrez.

Early life

Born in Gila, N.M., Torrez began working in mining camps at 16 and continued mining for 25 years.

Copper mine strike

In the 1950-52 Torrez was heavily involved in a New Mexico copper mine strike, later featured in the 1954 film, Salt of the Earth. At the end of the strike, Lorenzo Torrez and his wife Anita Torrez, both joined the Communist Party USA.

In 1950, Torrez's unit of the Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers Union went on strike for better wages and working conditions from the Empire Zinc Corporation. The strike ended successfully in February 1952.

Mineworker

Torrez toiled for 23 years in a zinc mine in Hanover, New Mexico, expecting to retire with a pension from the New Jersey Zinc Company. At the height of his career he earned $3.50 an hour, excluding overtime-the highest salary level in the plant. And yet, more times than he cares to count, he has been told that he is not entitled to a pension because he had not reached age 45 when his plant closed.

The shutdown came in 1969, after New Jersey Zinc became part of Gulf + Western Corporation. G+W sold the plant to another mining company, and massive layoffs followed, Torrez recalls. About 180 workers lost their jobs. Assets and liabilities of the New Jersey Zinc pension plan remained with G+W, which ultimately was acquired by Paramount Communications. Later, Viacom acquired Paramount. Pension eligibility was dictated by the old New Jersey Zinc plan, however.

So Torrez, at 42, found himself jobless, with a family to help support and no retirement benefit in sight. Other mines refused to hire him, which he says was because of his strong ties to the labor movement. An active union member, he had chaired the Hanover mine's grievance committee for a decade. In fact, Torrez says he first learned to make do with very little during an epic 15-month strike in the 1950s-the subject of the movie Salt of the Earth-when the Mine and Mill Workers gave him $12.50 a week to feed his family.

Full time communist

Torrez finally found steady work with the Communist Party USA. He stayed with the party over 20 years, until he reached 65, chairing the Party's a national commission for Mexican-American Equality.

Party role

According to a pre- conference discussion paper "Special Convention Discussion: Mexican American Equality" written for the Communist Party USA, May 2010 Convention in New York, by Rosalio Munoz;

The Communist Party has made historic contributions to the Mexican American people and to their struggles for social justice. It was the first and most persistent and helpful in seeing and working on integrating Mexican Americans into all aspects of US society and in particular class and democratic struggles. It has been foremost in seeing the need for recognizing the plight and need for special steps to be taken in the struggles for equality for Mexican Americans. The more that it has contributed to, and participated, the more the Party has grown among Mexican Americans.

With the national support of the Party, Comrades Lorenzo and Anita Torres have played historic roles in this work in ideological, economic, and political struggles in the Party and in mass work, in educational and organizational efforts. With their retirement, there is a clear need to carry on their work.

In the early seventies, Lorenzo and Anita were called on to focus their work in the key population, economic and political area for Mexican Americans. They spoke the language of the people both in English and Spanish. They worked along with other Black and white comrades like Bill Taylor and Rose Chernin, especially among the young Chicano workers and community, and got active in the mass work and struggle. They then built their work in another key area, Arizona, and dealt with the work on a national basis. They helped Mexican Americans see their future in building coalitions, and fighting for peace. This type of concentration work, in line with our size and organizational capability, is what is needed for continued work.

Progressive salute

In May 1992, the Communist Party USA newspaper, Peoples Weekly World published a May Day supplement. This included a signed greeting from "Southern Arizona's progressive community", most of who were known Communist Party USA members.

One of the signatories was Lorenzo Torrez..

Communist Party Labor Day call

The Communist Party USA paper People's Weekly World issued a statement to mark Labor Day 1995, entitled "We honor the dead and fight like hell for the living."

Of the more than 100 endorsers listed, almost all were identified members of the Communist Party USA.

Lorenzo Torrez, SOAR Tuscon, was on the list.

Endorsed Communist Party Call

On March 30 2002 the Communist Party USA paper People’s Weekly World called for a national holiday in honor of late Farm Workers Union leader Cesar Chavez. The article was followed by a long list of endorsers including Lorenzo Torrez. Almost all endorsers were confirmed members of the Communist Party USA.

Getting out the Latino vote

Rosalio Munoz and his comrade Lorenzo Torrez are entrusted by the Communist Party USA with swinging the Latino vote in the Southern States behind the Democratic Party;

TUCSON, Ariz. – Communist Party leaders and activists met here to discuss plans to bring out the broadest possible Mexican American and Latino vote to defeat the ultra right in the November elections and to strengthen the CPUSA’s work among this section of the population. The participants at the meeting, held in the Salt of the Earth Labor College on May 15-16, came chiefly from the Southwest and the West Coast.

Lorenzo Torrez, chair of the Party’s Mexican American Equality Commission, reviewed the Commission’s work in the recent period. He proposed the organizing of a left-center Latino coalition to mobilize the progressive sentiments of U.S. Latinos. Rosalío Muñoz, CPUSA organizer in Southern California, reported on Latinos and the elections. He noted that the presidential race will be decided in key “battleground states.” A number of these, such as Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, are states where Mexican Americans are concentrated, he said.

Muñoz proposed that the CPUSA put out literature in both Spanish and English explaining what is at stake for Latinos in the upcoming elections.

José A. Cruz, editor of Nuestro Mundo, the Spanish-language section of the People's Weekly World, discussed ways of improving the paper's coverage of critical issues in the Mexican American and Latino communities.

Arizona "progressive" community

On May 1 2009, this statement appeared in the Communist Party USA paper Peoples World:

Arizona’s progressive community extends May Day and Cinco de Mayo greetings to all our friends across the country. We commit ourselves to join the struggle for jobs, equality, national health care, a fair immigration policy, and for peace and justice in the Middle East. Let’s make this planet a good place to live for all its inhabitants.

Arizona Peace Council, AZ4NORML, Campaign for Labor Rights, The Einstein Academy, Casa Maria/Catholic Worker East Valley Club Communist Party USA, Law Office of Payson & Gattone, The Latino Doctrine (TV show) Revolutionary Grounds Books and Coffee, Salt of the Earth Labor College Tucson Club CPUSA , Tucson Peace Action Coalition

Clyde Appleton, Mary Elinor Adams, Rolande Baker, Anne Brenner, Joe Bernick and Cat Stelman, Nancy Bissell, Jack Blawis, Don Buchanan, Richard Boren, Susan Clark, Rebeca Cartes, Eugenia Chilton,Jack DeWeese, Howard Druan, & DD Sande,Gregory Feesl, Ray Figueroa, Brian Flagg, Michael Flower, Sean Fowlkes, Nancy Gallen, Maggie Gerring, Michael Gray, Nancy Graham, James Hannley, Beverly Halkias, Jeff Imig, Mansur Johnson, James Jordan & Raquel Mogollon, Frank Jents, Marilyn Kramer, John Kromko, Jim Kincaid, Brandy Lintencum, Rob McElwain, Mary MacEwan, John Mackoviak, Jane Martin & Bob Vint, Jon Miles, Nancy Myers, Kathy Norgard, Richard Osburn, Ismael Parra, Nancy Pontius , Alice Ritter, Carlos Salaz, Sr., Mazda Shirazi, Rosemary Solarez, James Stewart, Brian Stevens, Olga Strickland, Donald Tewels, Dennis Tallent & Laura Tallent, Anita Torrez & Lorenzo Torrez, Carolyn Trowbridge & Keith Bagwell, Susan Thorpe, Steve Valencia & Janet Valencia, Edward Vargas, Steve Wheaton, Michael Wheeler,Susan Willis , Wendell Wilson, Deb Wilmer.

Latter days

Lorenzo Torrez and his wife, Anita Torrez , were able to raise three children. Today they live in a modest home in Tucson, Arizona, largely on Social Security payments. Torrez receives a $750 check each month, and Anita $400. Anita, who logged 18 years at a ladies' undergarment factory in Tuscon, also draws a small pension of about $65 a month from the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union.

Hardship has never broken Torrez, however, nor weakened his faith in the labor movement. Not only is he still active with the CPUSA, but on alternate Saturdays, Torrez and Anita run the Salt of the Earth Labor School.