The Los Angeles Times has a lovely and respectful obituary today for Harry Bernstein, the legendary labor reporter and columnist who was hired for that paper by Otis Chandler. Harry died earlier this week after a long illness. Even though Chandler was never accused of being the working person's friend, according to today's obit, the editors at the LAT in the 1960s thought that it was important for their readers to understand the economy that was transforming around them, and to get that perspective from Bernstein.

Harry was a true authority on the beat--he could challenge any and every union president but he also found time to write about the every day struggles of working people. He was often accompanied by his wife Joanne, a former Textile Workers Union organizer. After he left the beat, the LAT replaced him with several reporters through the years. But in the end, Harry outlived the beat he helped create.

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