With Donald Trump still refusing to recognize workers at his Las Vegas Hotel who voted to unionize in December 2015, local and national unions -- as well as community allies -- will picket the grand opening of Trump’s new DC hotel (1100 Pennsylvania Ave NW) at noon on Wednesday. Watch for more details tomorrow. photo: at the October 13 Trump Hotel picket; photo by Chris Garlock On this date in 1899, what many believe to be the first formal training on first aid in American history took place at the Windsor Hotel in Jermyn, Pennsylvania, when Dr. Matthew J. Shields instructed 25 coal miners on ways to help their fellow miners. Upon completion of the course each of the miners was prepared and able to render first aid. The training led to decreases in serious mining injuries and fatalities. In 1934, some 25,000 silk dye workers struck in Paterson, New Jersey. In 1990, the Tribune Company began a brutal 5-month-long lockout at the New York Daily News, part of an effort to bust the newspaper’s unions. And in 2011, after a two-year fight, workers at the Bonus Car Wash in Santa Monica, California, won a union contract calling for pay increases, better breaks and other gains. - compiled/edited by David Prosten at Union Communication Services Members of Unite Here Local 25 who work at DC-area hotels and restaurants were among those testifying at last Friday’s Metro hearing in support of late-night service. “Our members come in early and get off late,” said Local 25 President John Boardman. “Without full Metro hours we can’t get to work or get home.” Outside WMATA headquarters, local activists -- including riders and union members -- turned out to show support for keeping metro open late. Another hearing will be held this Thursday at 1p. - report/photo by Megan Fitzgerald Arleen Winfield retired from her 37 year-long career at the Department of Labor in 2006. But don’t let the word 'retired' fool you. As an active member of a local club that engages in grassroots mobilization and advocacy work in Washington, Winfield is very busy. Earlier this month, she visited the national office of the American Federation of Government Employees for a similar purpose: to help establish a network of AFGE retirees across the country. “I’m sad when I hear people talking badly about the government and unions,” she said while balancing a plate of brownies on her lap. “It’s the union that built the middle class in this country,” she added. Winfield was among two dozen people who attended AFGE’s first retiree reception, held in the AFGE National President’s office. “These are people who have dedicated their lives to public service and organizing is in their blood," said Julie Tippens, AFGE's retiree director. "They have spent much of their lives lifting up the voices of working people and have been on the front lines of the labor and civil rights movements for decades." Click here to read the complete story. |