Dozens of MetroAccess workers launched a “practice picket” at their bus garage Wednesday, saying that a private company contracted by WMATA to provide the service is abusing workers and demanding forfeiture of their basic human rights. Click below to read more. Photo courtesy of ATU Local 1764; click here for more photos Striking low-wage workers massed outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to demand “$15 and a union.” Senate cafeteria worker Charles Gladden, who made national news earlier this year because he’s homeless, told the crowd of nearly 1,000 federal contract workers that “I would sleep outside the McPherson Square Metro station, which is only a few blocks away from the White House.” By outsourcing its workers to private contracting companies, the U.S. government has become one of the largest low-wage employers. Sontia Bailey, a cashier in the Capitol’s cafe, described how she’d had to pick up a second job at KFC, which pays her more than her hourly wage at the Capitol. Click below to read more. - report/photo by Sivan Rosenthal Everyone is talking about the “gig economy.” From Hillary Clinton to Jeb Bush, companies like Uber and their impact on the economy are on the minds of every reporter and a lot of workers these days. On Tuesday, taxi drivers in Montgomery County, MD—working with the National Taxi Workers Alliance (NTWA)—helped pass a sweeping set of reforms to the taxi industry that have the potential to shift this conversation yet again. This victory will help level the playing field and put power back into the hands of workers. It also presents an alternative vision for how taxi drivers and workers in general can take the lead in the new and changing economy rather than letting corporate behemoths like Uber set the agenda. Click below to read more. - Kenneth Quinnell, AFL-CIO Now SAG-AFTRA members at National Public Radio have overwhelmingly approved a new two-year contract that includes a 2.5% pay raise on Jan 1, 2016 and another 2.5% pay raise on Jan 1, 2017. The new agreement was solidified as NPR staffers organized and flooded Twitter with their photos and descriptions of their jobs, accompanied by the trending hashtag, #WeMakeNPR. “The members of the NPR bargaining team, the largest broadcast unit represented by SAG-AFTRA, showed tremendous creativity in their global solidarity social media campaign. It was truly inspiring to see their efforts pay off and I commend them.” said SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard. He especially congratulated DC staff, who played an essential part at the bargaining table. Read more here. photo from Melissa Block, a co-host of All Things Considered |