Calling EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt an environmental and ethical disaster, a crowd of agency staffers and supportive lawmakers on Tuesday demanded the Trump administration appointee quit or be fired. Speakers at the noontime rally in front of agency headquarters in downtown D.C. alternated between slamming Pruitt’s and Trump’s policies -- which they said would befoul the nation’s air and water to enhance polluters’ profits -- and Pruitt’s ethics. An attorney with the agency’s St. Louis regional office held up a picture of the Statue of Liberty surrounded by an oil spill in New York harbor, showing what pollution was like before the agency began in 1970. Favorite ethics targets were Pruitt’s unauthorized $43,000 “secure” phone booth, his first-class air tickets, $2 million security detail, and his rental of a $50-a-night bedroom from a lobbyist whose business included clients with cases before EPA. The Government Employees (AFGE), whose Local 3331 represents the agency’s staffers, called the rally – the second in a series – the day after Pruitt unveiled his latest scheme, restricting EPA decision-making only to cases where all the scientific evidence is final and publicized, the practical effect of which is to halt any decisions to protect the environment and people at all. In response to the growing list of scandals under his watch, the American Federation of Government Employees will host a noontime rally (see Calendar) today outside EPA headquarters. “Since becoming Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt has worked to dismantle the agency, silence workers, and enrich himself and private corporations,” says AFGE. AFGE, members of Congress, and coalition partners will stand with EPA workers at the rally. photo graphic courtesy Newsweek If you – or someone you know – is doing stage work in the DC area, IATSE Local 22 wants to sign you up. The local has stepped up outreach in the local theater scene to let folks know how the union can help improve skills in different areas of entertain-ment technology, as well as career and personal goals. And Local 22 is putting its money where its mouth is, dropping initiation fees from $2,000 to $500. They also launched a special email address – [email protected] – where area theater techs can reach out with “any questions you have about the local, unions, membership, organizing, or other entertainment industry technician issues,” says Local 22 president Chuck Clay. Candidates must have worked in stagecraft or AV & Projection in the area for at least 12 months and lived in the area for at least 18 months.
photo of IATSE 22 members representing for the 2/24 People's Day of Action earlier this year Amid the ongoing saber-rattling between the U.S. and North Korea, quiet efforts continue to build peace at the ground level, including by union members. US Labor Against the War (USLAW) is sending a delegation of American trade unionists – including union members affiliated with the Metro Washington Council – to South Korea April 30 through May 6 “to learn from Korean workers in the struggle, as well as building lasting relationships between labor leaders,” says OPEIU 2 member Jason Roe. The discussion will center around the ways in which fellow workers can get involved with social and economic justice issues, “including how we can build worker power internationally, end the Korean War, and adequately address climate change.” The delegation is raising funds for the trip; click here for details. photo: Members of US Labor Against War with members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unionists at Labor Notes Conference in Chicago April, 2018 |