INDIAN
WORKERS TO
LAUNCH HUNGER
STRIKE IN DC
Hundreds of Indian workers will launch a hunger strike this Wednesday to demand that the federal government investigate the guest worker program and abuse of post-Katrina Gulf Coast workers. The hunger strike follows a march from New Orleans to Washington by the workers, who escaped labor camps in Texas and Mississippi in March. "Guest workers from across the world are systematically exploited under the federal H2B visa program," says the New Orleans Worker Center for Racial Justice (NOWCRJ), which is supporting the workers. "They suffer abuses that routinely rise to the level of labor trafficking, forced labor, and involuntary servitude.  If they organize, they face violence and deportation."

ACTIVISTS
RALLY TO HOLD
VERIZON ACCOUNTABLE
Labor activists will rally outside the DC Public Service Commission early Thursday morning to demand the Commission hold Verizon accountable for scapegoating workers for its poor service and refusal to invest in DC. Verizon “recently made an agreement with the DC City Council to improve service by addressing worker training and customer service issues,” says the Connect-DC Coalition, which is organizing the rally. “Verizon would have you believe it's their workers' fault… But the real root of the problem is Verizon's continued failure to invest in its DC networks.”

RECENTLY
ARCHIVED STORIES
LABOR UPDATES (5/8/08); SATURDAY FINAL CHANCE TO JOIN CLUW WALK TEAM; TODAY'S LABOR CHORUS CD DRAWING WINNERS; DC JOBS WITH JUSTICE CORNER: INDIAN WORKERS TO STAGE HUNGER STRIKE IN DC; MONTCO WORKERS DEMAND COUNTY HONOR CONTRACTS; "STAMP OUT HUNGER" SATURDAY; FBI RAIDS OFFICE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROTECTING FEDERAL WORKERS CIVIL RIGHTS; FLIGHT ATTENDANTS HOLD UNION VOTE AT DELTA; LABOR UPDATES (5/9/08); LABOR ON THE MOVE: LIPSETT NEW SEIU 32BJ POLITICAL DIRECTOR; FREE LABOR CHORUS CD DRAWING; COUNCIL DIRECTORY UPDATED & ONLINE; Read these and other UNION CITY! stories dating back to December 2006 in our searchable online archives.

Metro Washington (DC) Council AFL-CIO

SPOTS STILL OPEN FOR
NORTON LABOR RECEPTION
Space is still available for local labor’s reception and fundraiser for US Congressmember Eleanor Holmes Norton on Thursday, May 22. “Eleanor has been a champion for labor throughout her career,” says Metro Council President Jos Williams. The reception will feature a live jazz band, food and drinks. Click here to download an event flier and campaign contribution form.

LABOR FILMFEST SET FOR OCTOBER
The 8th annual DC Labor FilmFest will be held from October 9-12, organizers report. The FilmFest, one of the only labor-themed film festivals in the world, screens films from around the world celebrating the struggle for social justice. Click here for details; ad space is available in the popular Festival Guide, which is distributed to all FilmFest-goers and supports the FilmFest, which is now coordinating a year-round program of free screenings, which has already drawn hundreds for nine screenings of six films this year, including At The River I Stand, A. Philip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom, Mother Jones: America's Most Dangerous Woman, Fired!, Women Organize! and Sicko, with a full schedule set for May and June at the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Labor College. “With our new year-round calendar and expanded line-up of activities, your support is more important than ever to ensuring the Labor FilmFest's existence and growth,” says FilmFest Co-Chair Jos Williams.

FREE LABOR CHORUS CD DRAWING
Micah Landau (Smithsonian Institution), Jane English (AFGE) and Carol Rosenblatt (CLUW/AFSCME) are the winners of Friday's random drawing for a free copy of the Labor Chorus' CD, Welcome Union Members.

MARCH, APRIL COUNCIL MINUTES NOW ONLINE
Minutes from the March and April Delegate and Executive Board meetings have been posted online; be sure to mark your calendars for this month's Delegate meeting on Monday, May 19.

TODAY’S LABOR HISTORY
Execution of James Connolly, IWW organizer and Irish freedom fighter (1916); More info & ammo for unionists is available online from Union Communication Services and from the 2008 Slingshot Collective Organizer booklet.

2008 EVENING
WITH LABOR PHOTOS