“Taxes, after all, are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society.” On his Wealth Tax Act, popularly known as the "Soak the Rich" tax; see History, below. Click here to check out this week's Labor History Today podcast. Delegates from several East Coast cities meet in convention to form the National Trades' Union, uniting craft unions to oppose "the most unequal and unjustifiable distribution of the wealth of society in the hands of a few individuals." The union faded after a few years - 1834 President Franklin Roosevelt's Wealth Tax Act increases taxes on rich citizens and big business, lowers taxes for small businesses - 1935 OSHA publishes scaffold safety standard, designed to protect 2.3 million construction workers and prevent 50 deaths and 4,500 injuries annually - 1996 Compiled/edited by Union Communication Services From a more supportive work environment and improved morale to a clear process for resolving disagreements and more collaboration with management, workers at the Center for Community Change (CCC) say that joining a union has made all the difference. “We originally joined together in union with the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU) in the fall of 2016 to have a say in our workplace, live our values, and strengthen CCC through our collective voice,” writes Tony Nam on the NPEU blog. “The provisions in our first contract (ratified in July 2017), developed through negotiations with management, helped us to do just that.” With a revamped website and new Facebook page, the Community Services Agency is ready to take the cloud by storm. "Our online platforms will help the metro Washington community learn more about CSA," said Executive Director Sonte DuCote, "and allow us to showcase our decades of on-the-ground activities to support workers in a fresh, new way." Among other things, both platforms will be used to promote CSA's events that help support its Emergency Assistance Fund. The next event is the 23rd annual Golf Tournament, which will be held September 24 at the Enterprise Golf Course. "This year we are hoping to attract more young folks to our already awesome golf teams," DuCote added. Click here for event details. - Chris Bangert-Drowns |