Fred Ross, Jr.

Fred Ross Jr. (1947 – November 20, 2022) was a labor and political organizer in California, working closely with the United Farm Workers (UFW) and other progressive causes.

Early life and education Ross was born in Long Beach, California, in 1947 to Fred and Frances Ross. He grew up in Boyle Heights, and Spanish was his primary language. He graduated from Redwood High School (Marin County). He attended the University of California, Berkeley and graduated in 1970. He also graduated with a law degree from University of San Francisco Law School in 1983.

Ross Jr. also worked in other areas of labor organizing. He worked in Los Angeles as a community organizer with Industrial Areas Foundation in the mid-1990s. Later he organized health care and service workers at the SEIU and utility workers at IBEW 1245.

He founded Neighbor to Neighbor, a grassroots non-profit organization that opposed the Reagan-era support for policies in Nicaragua and El Salvador.

Personal life Ross was married to Margo Feinberg, a labor attorney. They had two children, Charley and Helen.