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October 20
Eugene V. Debs, U.S. labor leader and socialist, dies in Elmhurst, Ill. Among his radical ideas: an 8-hour workday, pensions, workman's compensation, sick leave and social security. He ran for president from a jail cell in 1920 and got a million votes - 1926 Hollywood came under scrutiny as the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) opened hearings into alleged Communist influence within the motion picture industry. Dozens of union members were among those blacklisted as a result of HUAC’s activities - 1947 Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan writes to PATCO President Robert Poli with this promise: if the union endorses Reagan, "I will take whatever steps are necessary to provide our air traffic controllers with the most modern equipment available and to adjust staff levels and work days so that they are commensurate with achieving a maximum degree of public safety." He got the endorsement. Nine months after the election, he fires the air traffic controllers for engaging in an illegal walkout over staffing levels and working conditions - 1980 Death of Merle Travis, songwriter and performer who wrote "Sixteen Tons" and "Dark as a Dungeon" – 1983 Two track workers are killed in a (San Francisco) Bay Area Rapid Transit train accident. Federal investigators said the train was run by a BART employee who was being trained as an operator as members of the Amalgamated Transit Union were participating in what was to be a four-day strike - 2013 October 21 Wisconsin dairy farmers begin their third strike of the year in an attempt to raise the price of milk paid to producers during the Great Depression. Several creameries were bombed before the strike ended a month later. The economy eventually improved, allowing the farmers to make more money - 1933 October 22 Bank robber Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd is killed by FBI agents near East Liverpool, Ohio. He was a hero to the people of Oklahoma who saw him as a "Sagebrush Robin Hood," stealing from banks and sharing some of the proceeds with the poor - 1934 Compiled/edited by Union Communication Services Both Unite Here and UFCW Local 400 have a number of actions scheduled for today, Unite Here as part of their "National Day of Action" and Local 400’s "Take Action for a Fair Contract at Kroger." Complete details here. Plus: how to fight sexual harassment at work, 1p on “Your Rights At Work” on WPFW 89.3FM, NoVA Labor’s monthly meeting at 7p and the Metro DC chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America hosts a discussion about socialist trade unionism, also at 7p.
 The Metro Washington Council will host a Meet & Greet with candidates for County Executive in Prince George's and Montgomery counties on Monday, October 30. The program will include a reception from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. followed by presentations of the candidates from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. “The event will take place at the Hornbake Library at the University of Maryland, College Park campus in celebration of the recently opened exhibit For Liberty, Justice and Equality: Unions Making History in America,” reports Metro Council Political Director David Dzidzienyo. RSVP here.
 Robert Struckman and Elise Bryant have been elected president and vice-president of the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, Local 32035. They plan to “strategically expand membership, reaching out to units and members to increase union values and appreciation for union membership,” Struckman and Bryant said. David DeJesus was elected Secretary, and Tim Fitzgerald will continue his term as Treasurer. Details here.
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