The three-dozen member Washington-Baltimore unit at the Center for Popular Democracy (CPB) has its first Guild contract, a three-year agreement unanimously ratified Feb. 17. “The CBA includes significant advances for Guild members,” said Local Representative Rick Ehrmann. “There’s a union-shop clause, grievance and arbitration procedures, annual pay-equity evaluations, cost-of-living adjustments, and paid family leave.” The agreement also features a stipulation limiting executive pay, Ehrmann said. Read more here.
The Metro board's approval of fare increases and service cuts last Thursday did not go unchallenged. When security tried to prevent protesters from getting into the meeting, ATU Local 689 president Jackie Jeter "came to the demonstrators’ defense," reported The Washington Post, "and offered her seat to 23-year-old activist Chauniece Jones of Southeast Washington, who was allowed in. Jones wore a shirt that read, in part, 'vote no fare hikes.'” “We’re the ones affected by it. Not them,” Jones (in red cap) said of the board. “Without us, how are y’all making money? So the train’s just going to operate by itself with no people on the train?” Jeter -- who's also president of the Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO -- said the budget-approval process showed that Metro officials ignored the will of employees and the riding public. photo by Faiz Siddiqui, The Washington Post A second batch of photos from last Saturday's 40th annual Evening with Labor has just been posted on the Metro Council's Facebook page. Click here for 2017 Evening with Labor - Speakers. At this year's Evening with Labor, award-winners were introduced by Metro Washington Council board members, all of whom joined president Jackie Jeter on-stage at the end of the evening (left). AFL-CIO Secretary Liz Shuler addressed the crowd and featured political speakers included U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer (via video) and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. The new album joins our 2017 Evening with Labor: Award Winners album, posted earlier this week. Photos by Chris Langford. Labor Quote of the Day: Steve Jones, from the labor jazz opera "Love Songs from the Liberation Wars"3/29/2017
We are the voices of rebellion The writing on the wall We sing the songs of freedom The witness to the fall We bring you the love songs From the liberation wars The songs that heal And remind us What we’re fighting for "Love Songs" performances are this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Saturday's shows are nearly sold out); click here for details and tickets. |