“Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.” There will be a wreath-laying in honor of legendary labor organizer Mary Harris “Mother” Jones’ 185th birthday this Sunday at noon at the Mother Jones marker in Silver Spring; details and RSVP here. Local Verizon strikers got a huge boost Tuesday with two big rallies in downtown DC. “We’ve got your back” AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka told hundreds of picketers outside the F Street Verizon Wireless store at 1 pm. “You’re not just fighting for yourselves, you’re standing up for all American workers," Trumka said. CWA president Chris Shelton asked if the strikers and their supporters are ready to fight and win, and got back a resounding “yes!” A second rally and picketline was held later in the afternoon at the L Street Verizon Wireless store; both DC stores are being targeted with leafleting and pickets all week. Click here to sign up for picket duty this week and follow us on Twitter @dclabor for the latest strike news. photo: Trumka (in white shirt), Shelton (to his far left) and Metro Council ED Carlos Jimenez (center); photo by Chris Garlock/Union City A full schedule of labor in the arts this weekend marks the launch of this year’s DC LaborFest, including screenings of “Trumbo” -- both the 2015 drama and a 2007 documentary -- at the AFI Silver Theatre and a new labor-themed play called “The TEMPest” at the Silver Spring Black Box Theater this Friday. Click here for complete details. There are also a few LaborFest volunteer slots still available; click here for details. As we come marching, marching, in the beauty of the day A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill-lofts gray Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses For the people hear us singing, "Bread and Roses, Bread and Roses James Oppenheim’s poem “Bread and Roses” was published in the IWW newspaper Industrial Solidarity on this date in 1911. Oppenheim was inspired by a speech given by labor union leader, socialist, and feminist Rose Schneiderman who said that "The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too." A political slogan as well as the name of an associated poem and song, “Bread and Roses” has been translated into other languages and has been set to music by at least three composers. |