News: The long-running dispute between DC fire fighters and the city over overtime hit local headlines again this week. The $47 million owed to fire fighters after a 14-year legal battle would “add to a budget gap of $83 million in the current fiscal year that Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s fledgling administration is already contending with,” reported the Washington Post on Monday. “The reality is that the city has turned a blind eye toward this problem and lost at every level,” said D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson. “There are no options left. It’s time to deal with it.” Said Fire Fighters Local 36 president Ed Smith, “there needs to be more focus on fully staffing the department so there isn't such an impact to the budget going forward.”

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1882, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born in Hyde Park, New York. He was elected president of the United States four times starting in 1932. His New Deal programs helped America survive the Great Depression. FDR’s legislative achievements included the creation of the National Labor Relations Act, which allows workers to organize unions, bargain collectively, and strike.

Today’s labor quote is by Franklin Delano Roosevelt:
“No business which depends for its existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country.  By living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level – I mean the wages of decent living.”

News: The first Montgomery County Paid Sick Days hearing is slated for tonight. Lawmakers will hear testimony and debate the policy, and supporters are urged to attend and testify. “No one should have to choose between their health and their job,” says Jews United for Justice, a member of the Maryland Campaign for Paid Sick Days. “We can't just wait for change, or it will never happen,” JUFJ adds. “The Chamber of Commerce is organizing the opposition to come out in force, and signing people up to testify against our bill. We need a strong community voice supporting workers' dignity and well-being.” Supporters will meet up beforehand at Rockville's California Tortilla; go to dclabor.org and click on calendar for details.

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1834, responding to unrest among Irish laborers building the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, President Andrew Jackson ordered the first use of American troops to suppress a labor dispute.
In 1936, a sit-down strike in Akron, Ohio, helped establish the United Rubber Workers as a national union.
On this date in 1981, Dolly Parton hit number one on the record charts with "9 to 5," her anthem to the daily grind.
And in 2009. newly-elected President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, making it easier for women and minorities to win pay discrimination suits.

Today’s labor quote is by Madeleine Kunin:
“The health benefits of paid sick days policies are obvious. They prevent the spread of disease. But the impact is wider. If a working mom or dad loses a job because of sickness, the family may slip into poverty.”
Madeleine Kunin is an American diplomat and politician. She was the Governor of Vermont from 1985 until 1991 and served as United States Ambassador to Switzerland from 1996 to 1999.

News: Members of three area ATU locals -- 689, 1300 and 1764 -- joined together last Friday to stand in solidarity with the paratransit workers at First Transit/Metro Access. “First Transit has been refusing to give their workers 40 hours a week,” reports ATU 689. “They have been firing their workers over the phone to avoid confrontation with union representatives, and they have had a 100% turnover rate since this time last year.”

On today’s labor calendar, authors Nancy Altman and Eric Kingson will discuss their new book “Social Security Works! Why Social Security Isn't Going Broke and How Expanding It Will Help Us All” at noon at the AFL-CIO; go to dclabor.com and click on calendar for full details.

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1861, the American Miners’ Association formed.

In 1932, the first U.S. unemployment compensation law was enacted, in Wisconsin.

Today’s labor quote is by American investigative journalist and media critic George Seldes:
“The first thing a dictator does is abolish the free press.  Next he abolishes the right to labor to go on strike.  Strikes have been labor’s weapon of progress in the century of our industrial civilization.  Where the strike has been abolished … labor is reduced to a state of medieval peonage, the standard of living is lowered, the nation falls to a subsistence level.”

News: State employees say they’re “mad as hell,” about new Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s proposal to take away the pay raise that state and university employees had already gotten. AFSCME Maryland Council 3 said that when Hogan “asked for our votes he said he wanted to eliminate ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’, not take away pay from hard-working, middle class correctional officers, hospital workers and snow plow-drivers.”

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1734, New York City maids organized to improve working conditions.

In 1920, the first meeting of the International Labor Organization was held.

In 1950, a 3¢ postage stamp was issued, honoring American Federation of Labor founder Samuel Gompers

On this date in 1969, a group of Detroit African-American auto workers known as the Eldon Avenue Axle Plant Revolutionary Union Movement led a wildcat strike against racism and bad working conditions. They were critical of both automakers and the UAW, condemning the seniority system and grievance procedures as racist.

And in 2014, Pete Seeger died in New York at age 94. A musician and activist, he was a revered figure on the American left, persecuted during the McCarthy era for his support of progressive, labor and civil rights causes. A prolific songwriter, he is generally credited with popularizing the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.” He actively participated in demonstrations until shortly before his death.

Today’s labor quote is by Pete Seeger:
“The world would never amount to a hill of beans if people didn't use their imaginations to think of the impossible.”
Pete Seeger, who also said: “I'd really rather put songs on people's lips than in their ears.”

News: Union members are happier with their lives than nonunion workers, according to a new study. The study, by two university researchers, concludes that “union members are more satisfied with their lives than those who are not members and that the substantive effect of union membership on life satisfaction is large and rivals other common predictors of quality of life.”

The study was conducted by Patrick Flavin, an assistant professor at Baylor University, and Gregory Shufeldt, an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. They say that in the United States, “union membership boosts life satisfaction across demographic groups regardless if someone is rich or poor, male or female, young or old, or has a high or low level of education. These results suggest that organized labor in the United States can have significant implications for the quality of life that citizens experience.”

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1913, some 10,000 clothing workers struck in Rochester, New York, for the 8-hour day, a 10-percent wage increase, union recognition, and extra pay for overtime and holidays. Daily parades were held throughout the clothing district and there was at least one instance of mounted police charging the crowd of strikers and arresting 25 picketers. Six people were wounded over the course of the strike and one worker, 18-year-old Ida Breiman, was shot to death by a sweatshop contractor. The strike was called off in April after manufacturers agreed not to discriminate against workers for joining a union.

In 1936 in Allegany County, Maryland, workers with the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal era public works program employing unmarried men aged 18-25, were snowbound at Fifteen Mile Creek Camp when they received a distress call about a woman in labor who needed to get to a hospital. 20 courageous CCC volunteers dug through miles of snow drifts until the woman was successfully able to be transported

Today’s labor quote is by Howard Zinn:
“I've always resented the smug statements of politicians, media commentators, corporate executives, who talked of how, in America, if you worked hard, you would become rich. The meaning of that was, if you were poor, it was because you hadn't worked hard enough. I knew this was a lie—about my father, and millions of others: men and women who worked harder than anyone.”
Howard Zinn was a historian, playwright, and social activist. He was a shipyard worker and Air Force bombardier before he went to college under the GI Bill and received his Ph.D. from Columbia University. 

News: Teamsters Local 639 president Thomas Ratliff will be awarded the JC Turner Award for Outstanding Trades Unionist of the Year at the Metro Washington Council’s 38th annual Evening with Labor Awards Dinner/Dance on Saturday, March 14. The event will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel beginning at 6:30p with a cash bar reception, followed by dinner and awards at 7:30p sharp. Click here to see the complete list of awardees and to reserve ad space in the Evening with Labor program book or reserve tickets.

Today’s labor calendar includes a memorial service at 4:30pm for Gregory See, a longtime officer of the postal workers; an author talk at 5pm with Thomas Geoghegan on "Only One Thing Can Save Us"; and the Metro Washington Council’s delegate meeting at 6:30. Click on calendar for complete details.

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1695, In what could be considered the first workers’ compensation agreement in America, pirate Henry Morgan pledged his underlings 600 pieces of eight or six slaves to compensate for a lost arm or leg. Also part of the pirate’s code, according to the late Roger Newell: shares of the booty were equal regardless of race or sex, and shipboard decisions were made collectively…

In 1850, Samuel Gompers, the first president of the American Federation of Labor, was born in London, England. He emigrated to the U.S. as a youth…

And on this date in 1937, workers won a two-day sit-down strike at the Brooklyn electric plant that powered the city's entire subway system.

Today’s labor quote is by Samuel Gompers:
“Labor needs to be strong in numbers, in effective organization, in the justice of its cause, and in the reasonableness of its methods. It relies on moral suasion.”

News: AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said that "President Obama eloquently and forcefully advocated for working families throughout his State of the Union Address," on Tuesday night. The president’s focus on raising wages through collective bargaining, better paying jobs, a fairer tax code, fair overtime rules, and expanded access to education and earned leave sent the right message at the right time, Trumka added. So did his embrace of union apprentices and immigrants who want to achieve the American Dream. Now it’s time for politicians to champion a Raising Wages agenda that ties all the pieces of economic and social justice together, said Trumka.

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1826, Indian field hands at San Juan Capistrano mission refused to work, engaging in what was probably the first farm worker strike in California

In 1849, Terence V. Powderly, leader of the Knights of Labor, was born.

On this date in 1890, the United Mine Workers of America was founded in Columbus, Ohio, with the merger of the Knights of Labor Trade Assembly No. 135 and the National Progressive Miners Union.

And in 1932, five hundred New York City tenants battled police to prevent evictions

Today’s labor quote is by Terence V. Powderly:
“The necessity for organization among producers becomes clearly discernible when one takes note of the tendencies toward centralization of power in the hands of those who control the wealth of the country.”
This quote is from Powderly’s autobiography, published 125 years ago in 1889.  

News: Striking Teamsters at TW Perry got a welcome boost from community and labor solidarity yesterday when DC Jobs with Justice headed out to Springfield, Virginia to show their support. Also turning out were UFCW Local 400 and the Iron Workers. The Teamsters have been on strike against the local contractor supply dealer since January 6.

In other strike news, FairPoint strikers across Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire continue to hold the line despite bitter cold as the strike stretches into its’ fourth month. Mediation continued in Washington, D.C., last week, and the Fairpoint workers and their supporters stood strong on picket lines in solidarity with their bargaining teams at CWA and IBEW working for a fair contract.
For details on how to support the strike’s Solidarity Fund, go to dclabor.org.

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1946, some 750,000 steel workers walked out in 30 states, the largest strike in U.S. history to that time…

In 1974, postal workers began four-day strike at the Jersey City, New Jersey bulk and foreign mail center, protesting an involuntary shift change. The wildcat strike was led by a group of young workers who identified themselves as “The Outlaws”…

And on this date in 2000, six hundred police attacked picketing longshoremen in Charleston, South Carolina.  

Today’s labor quote is by Bill Burrus:
“Those unions that enjoy the right to strike have no guarantee that sacrificing their jobs and their livelihood will result in victory but they nevertheless engage in lengthy strikes, not because they are assured of winning but because they are determined to fight.”
Bill Burrus in 2001 became the first black president of the American Postal Workers’ Union in the organization’s 220-year history and the first black American ever elected president of a national union. He stepped down in 2010. 

News: The National Transportation Safety Board has invited two representatives from ATU Local 689 to participate in the investigation into last week’s incident and fatality at L’Enfant Plaza. Local 689 Assistant Business Agent for Safety Jim Madaras and Local 689 Assistant Business Agent for Rail Operations Marlene Flemmings-McCann will be working with WMATA leadership and the NTSB on a full investigation of the cause of the incident. The union “sends our heartfelt condolences to the passenger who passed away,” said Local 689 President Jackie Jeter. “We also wish a speedy recovery to all those who were injured in that fire.” Local 689 “is committed to safe and reliable transportation for all Metro riders and employees,” Jeter added.

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1909, a fire broke out during construction of a water tunnel for the city of Chicago, burning the wooden dormitory housing the tunnel workers. While 46 survived the fire by jumping into the frigid lake and climbing onto ice floes, approximately 60 men died, 29 burned beyond recognition and the others drowned.

In 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union was founded.

On this date in 1934, the Nazis adopted the “Act on the Regulation of National Labor,” replacing independently negotiated collective agreements.

In 1961, Mickey Mantle signed a new contract with the New York Yankees making him the highest paid player in baseball: $75,000 for the entire 1961 season.

Today’s labor quote is by baseball player Curt Flood:
“Baseball as you know it now and as I knew it then was two different things. It was just pitiful. We had no association, we were making no money, and every time we went into the bosses office, we had to kind of crawl in and beg for a few dollars more. You have to understand that to know why someone would do what I did.”
Curt Flood was a St Louis Cardinals centerfielder whose challenge of baseball’s reserve clause in 1969 helped lead to the labor liberation of professional athletes.

News: After a 13-day strike, trash haulers employed by Unity Disposal in Montgomery and Howard counties have ratified a new four-year contract. The contract provides immediate pay raises for all Unity drivers and helpers, increases paid time off, ensures that employees who work extra routes will now get paid more for that extra work, and provides a grievance procedure that puts into writing a fair disciplinary policy. “We couldn’t have done with this without each other,” said Unity driver Rosa Avalos. “And we couldn’t have done it without the support of our families, supportive residents along our trash routes, and union members from across the region and country.”

Here’s this week's Labor Quiz: Most folks know that Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister, social activist, and leader in the American civil rights movement who was assassinated in 1968 while helping striking sanitation workers in Memphis. But did you know his birth name was not Martin? Was it Carl, Kenneth, Michael, Thomas, or none of these? Go to unionist.com and click on Labor Quiz to submit your answer and you could be this week’s winner!

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1920, some 3,000 members of the Filipino Federation of Labor struck the plantations of Oahu, Hawaii. Their ranks swelled to more than 8,000 as they were joined by members of the Japanese Federation of Labor.

In 1986, Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at a benefit for laid-off 3M workers in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

Today’s labor quote is from Bruce Springsteen’s 1986 hit “My Hometown”:
Now Main Street's whitewashed windows and vacant stores
Seems like there ain't nobody wants to come down here no more
They're closing down the textile mill across the railroad tracks
Foreman says these jobs are going boys and they ain't coming back to your hometown