Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO

Amtrak service workers protest dining car cuts

7/20/2018

Amtrak service workers on Wednesday protested cuts in dining car service, demanding restoration of jobs and service. “Maintaining current high-quality service for passengers on Amtrak is essential to our members’ livelihoods,” said Transport Workers Union Vice President and Railroad Division Director John Feltz. The demonstration outside Union Station, where the Amtrak board of directors was meeting, was organized by the Amtrak Service Workers Council, which consists of the three unions that represent Amtrak service workers: The Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), UNITE-HERE and TCU-IAM. “Passengers deserve more than a cold, boxed lunch,” said TWU Local 1460 President Amy Griffin. “They deserve respect and a hot meal.” Dining car service was cut from two long-distance lines, the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited, on June 1.

On this week's "Your Rights At Work"

7/20/2018

ATU 689 president Jackie Jeter on the 1978 Metro workers’ wildcat strike; unjustly fired Kroger worker Judy Cook and her UFCW 400 union rep Mark Collins, and “Down On The Line” from "SpudWrench" the elevator engineer. Click here or search for Union City Radio on iTunes, Stitcher, OverCast or wherever you get your podcasts.

Labor Quote of the Day: David Riehle

7/20/2018

"This event hit national significance in terms of the American labor movement. It really was one of the battles that ignited the struggle for unionization that unfolded throughout the '30s."

Riehle was a former railroad engineer and an organizer for the 50th anniversary commemoration of the historic Minneapolis truckers' strike, which took place on this date in 1934. Two were killed, and 67 wounded when police opened fire on striking Teamsters on what came to be known as "Bloody Friday." You can hear more about the strike on this week's Labor History Today podcast (or just search for Union City Radio on your favorite podcast platform).

Weekend Labor History

7/20/2018

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

July 20
New York City newsboys, many so poor that they were sleeping in the streets, begin a 2-week strike. Several rallies drew more than 5,000 newsboys, complete with charismatic speeches by strike leader Kid Blink, who was blind in one eye. The boys had to pay publishers up front for the newspapers; they were successful in forcing the publishers to buy back unsold papers - 1899
(Kids at Work: Your heart will be broken by this exceptional book’s photographs of children at backbreaking, often life-threatening work, and the accompanying commentary by author Russell Freedman. Photographer Lewis Hine—who himself died in poverty in 1940—did as much, and perhaps more, than any social critic in the early part of the 20th century to expose the abuse of children, as young as three and four, by American capitalism.)

Two killed, 67 wounded in Minneapolis truckers' strike—"Bloody Friday" - 1934

Postal unions, Postal Service sign first labor contract in the history of the federal government—the year following an unauthorized strike by 200,000 postal workers - 1971

A wildcat strike by Metro workers (right) was in its second day. The strike would last six days and was sparked by anger over contracting work out and failure to bargain in good faith, issues the transit union (ATU 689) is still battling today - 1978

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