Workers at local community health clinic Mary's Center are taking steps to organize with 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, citing unsustainable workloads and demands they say are hindering patient care. It’s the latest unionization effort at a local health system, including at George Washington University Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, and Unity Health Care. The union would represent about 110 employees, including psychiatrists, mental health therapists, pediatricians, family medicine physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and midwives. Read more » Guttmacher Employees United and OPEIU Local 153 ratify new contract with Guttmacher InstituteAfter more than a year of negotiations, workers with Guttmacher Employees United ratified their first union contract together with OPEIU Local 153 on January 10. Congratulations, Guttmacher staff and OPEIU! This campaign was particularly hard-fought, and we are in solidarity with the workers at Guttmacher whose dedicated efforts made this victory possible. WMATA's crucial support for the DMV region is made possible by the work of more than 9,000 members ATU Local 689. Going into Fiscal Year 2025, WMATA faces an estimated $750 million funding gap and proposed cuts to meet that gap would have devastating effects both next year and far in the future. It is time for lawmakers to fully fund WMATA and put in place a dedicated funding stream to bring long-term stability to the system. Send a letter with ATU Local 689 » AFSCME members urge swift congressional action on the federal budgetJenny Reese, a licensed practical nurse in Maryland and president of AFSCME Local 539 (Council 3), traveled to Capitol Hill last week to urge swift congressional action on the budget. Congress is currently up against a deadline of Jan. 19 to avoid a partial government shutdown. Read more » Apprenticeship Opportunities
Hiring Hall: Union jobs in the DC regionAFL-CIO: Administrative Specialist American Association of University Professors: Executive Director AFSCME: Associate Director Hampton Federation of Teachers: Organizer Amalgamated Transit Union: Office Manager IUPAT District Council 51: Strategic Researcher/ Organizer League of Conservation Voters Education Fund: Institutional Giving Operations Associate Manager Maryland State Education Association: UniServ Director, Harford County National Federation of Federal Employees, IAMAW, AFL-CIO: Organizing Director National Treasury Employees Union: National Negotiator or Assistant Counsel (Negotiations) SEIU CIR: Worksite Organizer, National SEIU CIR: New Organizer SMART: Workforce Development and Grants Consultant SMART: Communications Specialist United Food and Commercial Workers: Creative Lead Around the RegionLeft: ATU Local 689 observed the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service by launching a Fill-A-Bus campaign which encouraged residents to donate healthy non-perishable food items at Metrorail stations. On MLK Day they sorted and packed the food. Right: Thank you to all of the AFSCME members across the region who worked over the weekend (and will likely work over the coming days) to keep our roads safe and clear from snow and ice.
President Biden renominated Julie Su to serve as Labor secretary on Monday. Biden originally nominated Su for the role in February 2023. “Her strong pro-worker track record as Acting Secretary shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is the right person for the job. Her tireless and consistent work for working families across the country should continue as Secretary of Labor and I urge my colleagues to support her nomination,” Senator Bernie Sanders said in a statement. UFCW Local 400 workers at Safeway and Giant ratify new contracts
Farewell, Dyana! Nominations to open soon for Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO's next president
Apprenticeship Opportunities
Hiring Hall: Union jobs in the DC regionAmerican Federation of Teachers: National Representative I-IV
Amalgamated Transit Union: Office Manager Climate Jobs National Resource Center: Offshore Wind Field Campaigner I International Brotherhood of Teamsters: Capital Markets Analyst League of Conservation Voters Education Fund: Institutional Giving Operations Associate Manager Maryland State Education Association: UniServ Director, Harford County National Federation of Federal Employees IAMAW, AFL-CIO: Organizing Director National Nurses United: Greater DC Area Labor Representative National Nurses United: Legislative Advocate Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO: Organizer SEIU Local 32BJ: Lead Organizer SEIU Local 32BJ: Organizer SEIU Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR): New Organizer SEIU Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR): Lead New Organizer SMART: Workforce Development and Grants Consultant SMART: Communications Specialist UFCW: Creative Lead United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers: Receptionist Union leaders representing most of Maryland’s public employees have reached an agreement on a new three-year contract with Gov. Wes Moore’s administration. Details of the contract, which must be ratified through a vote of union members, have not been released. The sides said they met a Dec. 31 deadline and described the deal as “tentative” and “preliminary.” Read more » ATU Local 689 members at Fairfax Connector vote to strike if contract talks with Transdev break down99% of ATU Local 689 members at Fairfax Connector participating in an authorization vote on Friday, December 29, voted to strike if contract talks with Transdev break down. “For the past three months, Transdev has proven time and time again that they are more interested in hoarding their money than making necessary investments to improve their dedicated and hardworking employees’ wellbeing. Our members are fed up with Transdev’s flat out refusal to fully engage in meaningful bargaining over key economic issues and attempts to distort facts,” said Local 689 President Raymond Jackson. Read more » Workers at CQ Roll Call vote to unionize
28th Annual “Bowling for Gold” Union Tournament
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In Memoriam
Around the Region
Share your newsGot an action, event, open position, or other update you want labor leaders in DC and Maryland to know about? Submit news items to [email protected].
Happy New Year, friends! The new year is always a time for fresh starts and new chapters. Today I’m writing with bittersweet news about my time as president of the Metro Washington Council. In late December I informed our Delegates and Board that I am stepping down as president of Metro Washington Council in order to join the administration of Governor Wes Moore in the role of Senior Director of Labor Relations. This will be a continuation of my work advocating for a strong labor movement in DC and Maryland. My final day as president of Metro Washington Council will be this coming Tuesday, January 9. Greg Bowen of ATU 689 and the Metro Washington Council's current Vice President will step up to serve as Interim President until a new president is elected. Nominations for the next president of the Metro Washington Council will be accepted at our next regularly scheduled Delegates meeting, on Tuesday, January 23. An Election Committee, which I appoint within the next week, will send the rules for the election to Delegates in advance of that meeting. It has been a deep and lasting honor to serve as President of the Metro Washington Council. I have learned so much from so many of you, our Affiliate allies, and I look forward to carrying forward the values of the Council into this new role. If you have any questions at any point, please don't hesitate to contact the Metro Washington Council staff at [email protected]. And look for more information from Greg and our next president in the weeks ahead. In solidarity, Dyana Forester Now: President, Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO Next: Senior Director of Labor Relations, Moore-Miller Administration Hiring Hall: Union jobs in the DC regionAFL-CIO Tech Institute / Working for America: Project Manager American Federation of Teachers: National Representative I-IV SEIU Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR): Lead New Organizer Climate Jobs National Resource Center: Offshore Wind Field Campaigner I International Brotherhood of Teamsters: Capital Markets Analyst League of Conservation Voters: Finance Administrative Manager National Nurses Organizing Committee: Greater DC Area Labor Representative National Nurses United: Legislative Advocate National Public Pension Coalition: Digital Media Specialist Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO: Organizer SEIU Local 32BJ: Lead Organizer SEIU Local 32BJ: Organizer United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers: Receptionist Virginia Education Association: UniServ Director, Territory 24 Around the RegionLooking for a New Year's resolution for 2024? Organize a union, or work for a stronger contract for you and all your co-workers.
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