Protesting Fairfax County's failure to oversee private contractor MV Transportation, dozens of bus operators, mechanics, and other Fairfax Connector transit workers will flood the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting this afternoon. Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1764, which represents most of the nearly 600 transit employees at the Fairfax Connector, says that despite a contract with the county that included funding to provide retirement security, MV has failed to provide its employees with a viable retirement plan. "We are the only county workers who will devote their lives to Fairfax and walk away with nothing to retire on," said Sesil Rubain, ATU Local 1764 trustee. Adding insult to injury, Rubain says that union members forfeited a 2% pay raise in 2012 to help fund the still non-existent pension plan. "MV has pocketed taxpayer money and the workers' deferred raises and is sending the profits back to Texas. It's unconscionable." Rubain says that despite months of meeting with Fairfax County Supervisors, they seem to have done little to rein in the company. "We're just asking for public officials to take responsibility for this public service." Rubain said.
In Chicago, 30 workers are killed by federal troops, more than 100 wounded at the "Battle of the Viaduct" during the Great Railroad Strike - 1877 President Grover Cleveland appoints a United States Strike Committee to investigate the causes of the Pullman strike and the subsequent strike by the American Railway Union. Later that year the commission issues its report, absolving the strikers and blaming Pullman and the railroads for the conflict - 1894 Battle of Mucklow, W.Va., in coal strike. An estimated 100,000 shots were fired; 12 miners and four guards were killed - 1912 President Truman issues Executive Order 9981, directing equality of opportunity in armed forces - 1948 The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) took effect today. It requires employers to offer reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with disabilities and bans discrimination against such workers - 1992 - compiled/edited by David Prosten at Union Communication Services. |