Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO

Labor sweeps District primary election

6/21/2018

In a primary season seen as a bellwether for the Democratic Party, all labor-endorsed DC candidates won their re-election campaigns by thousands of votes. The heavily contested Initiative 77 also passed by a significant margin, mandating that tipped workers in the District earn the minimum wage of $15 per hour by 2025. “Even though [the initiative] passed there still may be challenges put forth by the District of Columbia City Council and others,” reports Metro Washington Council Political Director David Dzidzienyo. “Voters saw through the misguided misinformation campaign from big business,” said Restaurant Opportunities Center DC Director Diana Ramirez (right), who helped lead the charge for Initiative 77. “This was definitely a David and Goliath campaign.” Stay tuned for more updates.
photo courtesy ROC

Social services worker wins back job

6/21/2018

After being wrongfully disciplined, AFSCME 1081 member Ziara won six months of back pay and is returning to her job as a caretaker at the Holly Center on Maryland’s Eastern shore. “Proud to fight for hard-working state employees like Sister Ziara!” said AFSCME Maryland. Member tip: Union workers always have the right to demand union representation if they believe they may be disciplined during a meeting; click here to learn more about your Weingarten rights.

Labor Quote of the Day: Joe Hill

6/21/2018

“A pamphlet, no matter how good, is never read more than once, but a song is learned by heart and repeated over and over. And I maintain that if a person can put a few common sense facts into a song and dress them up in a cloak of humor, he will succeed in reaching a great number of workers who are too unintelligent or too indifferent to read.”

Today's Labor History

6/21/2018

Click here to check out this week's Labor History Today podcast.

In England, a compassionate parliament declares that children can't be required to work more than 12 hours a day. And they must have an hour’s instruction in the Christian Religion every Sunday and not be required to sleep more than two in a bed - 1802

Ten miners accused of being militant "Molly Maguires" are hanged in Pennsylvania. A private corporation initiated the investigation of the 10 through a private detective agency. A private police force arrested them, and private attorneys for the coal companies prosecuted them. "The state provided only the courtroom and the gallows," a judge said many years later - 1877

The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the right of unions to publish statements urging members to vote for a specific congressional candidate, ruling that such advocacy is not a violation of the Federal Corrupt Practices Act - 1948

An estimated 100,000 unionists and other supporters march in solidarity with striking Detroit News and Detroit Free Press newspaper workers - 1997
Compiled/edited by Union Communication Services

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