Labor photographer Bill Burke will share his secrets of how to get great labor shots at union meetings, picket lines, rallies and more at this Friday’s Local Labor Communicator's Meeting. The 1-hour session from 9-10a is open to area labor communicators and local union staff or members who take photos for their local. Email [email protected] to reserve your space. Full dues paying members, members’ children and spouses qualify to apply for the Union Plus scholarship. The deadline is Jan. 31 at noon. Applications must be completed online. Award amounts vary from $500 to $4,000. For more information, click here.
Sub-zero temperatures can't – and won't – break FairPoint strikers across Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire. As mediation continued in Washington, D.C., last week, workers and their supporters stood strong on picket lines in solidarity with their bargaining teams working for a fair contract. CWA's Members' Relief Fund covers 215 striking CWAers, but the 1,500 striking IBEW members have no strike fund. To support the strike, contribute to the IBEW-CWA Solidarity Fund. After a 13-day strike, followed by two meetings with a federal mediator, trash haulers employed by Unity Disposal in Montgomery and Howard counties have ratified a new four-year collective bargaining agreement. The new contract provides immediate pay raises for all Unity drivers and helpers, increases overall paid time off, ensures that employees who work extra routes will now get paid more for that extra work, and provides a grievance procedure that puts into writing a fair disciplinary policy. “We couldn’t have done with this without each other,” said Unity driver Rosa Avalos. “And we couldn’t have done it without the support of our families, supportive residents along our trash routes, and LiUNA union members from across the region and country who supported us.” |