Hundreds of low-wage workers rallied in Virginia’s state capitol last Wednesday, advocating for driver licenses for all, healthcare for all, and a $15 minimum wage. And thousands of union activists flooded the West Virginia statehouse that same day as Republican lawmakers wasted no time in attacking workers' rights, making a right-to-work-for-less bill the first measure introduced in the Senate as the state legislature opened on January 13.
On today’s labor calendar, today is Martin Luther King Day. The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade and Peace Walk starts at 10am this morning in southeast DC at Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Milwaukee Place, where hundreds of participants in the AFL-CIO's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference will join the march. And there’s also an MLK "I Have A Dream" Annual March that starts at 9am at the Douglass Community Center in Leesburg, VA, which NOVA Labor members will be joining. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1909, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a governor and officers of a state National Guard may imprison anyone—in the case at hand, striking miners in Colorado—without probable cause “in a time of insurrection” and deny the person the right of appeal. And in 1978, "Take This Job and Shove It," by Johnny Paycheck, was listed by Billboard magazine as the most popular song in the U.S. Today’s labor quote is by Martin Luther King, Jr: “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” Martin Luther King, who also said: “We do not boycott to put anyone out of business. We are boycotting to put justice into business.”
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Metro Washington Council president Jos Williams chats with guest host Gwen McKinney about rights, justice and the unwavering resolve to make the King legacy real.
People are not things. That was the basic message of Wednesday's packed hearing at the DC City Council on two bills that would provide low-wage workers with more predictable work hours. “Too many retailers are treating employees like inventory by constantly shifting around their schedules with little to no advanced notice," said UFCW Local 400 president Mark Federici in a written statement. "Workers without a union have no recourse to maintain minimum hours and scheduling standards," testified Metro Washington Council president Jos Williams, urging the Council to pass the bills. "The struggle is real," said Kim, a Macy's worker who said that schedule stability is critical. Jalesa, a Target employee who's the mother of three, said that a predictable schedule saves money, time and anxiety making sure kids have safe care. For more information, visit the DC Just Hours website at dcjusthours.org
On today’s labor calendar: The AFL-CIO's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference kicks off this morning at 8:30am at the Washington Hilton; I hope you’ve already registered, because the conference is completely full, but even if not, you can join attendees as they visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial at the Tidal Basin at 9:30. And at 9am tune in to the ARISE radio show here on WPFW where Metro Washington Council president Jos Williams will chat with guest host Gwen McKinney about rights, justice and the unwavering resolve to make the King legacy real. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1929, Martin Luther King Jr. was born. Dr. King was every bit as committed to economic justice as he was to ending racial segregation. He fought throughout his life to connect the labor and civil rights movements, seeing them as twin pillars for social reform. King's spoke out movingly on labor rights and economic justice, underscoring his relevance today as a human rights leader whose commitment to unions and an end to poverty was a crucial part of his civil rights agenda. Today’s labor quote is by Martin Luther King, speaking about right-to-work laws in 1961: “In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as ‘right to work.’ It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights. Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining by which unions have improved wages and working conditions of everyone… Wherever these laws have been passed, wages are lower, job opportunities are fewer and there are no civil rights. We do not intend to let them do this to us. We demand this fraud be stopped. Our weapon is our vote.” Today's guests: Pat Moran, President of AFSCME Council 3 and Corey Upchurch, president AFSCME 1959, representing DCPS bus drivers. Union City Radio's Chris Garlock and Ed Smith, labor lawyer and DCNA Executive Director, discuss the impact on the local and national labor movement of the Friedrichs case, which was argued Monday at the Supreme Court.
Labor song of the day: Workers Song, by the Dropkick Murphys. This Week's Labor Quiz: You’ve probably heard about Mother Jones, the iconic 19th century labor organizer who was once called “the most dangerous woman in America” But before she committed herself to travelling the country to help workers organize, what did Mary Harris (“Mother”) Jones work as? Was she a dressmaker and schoolteacher; a postmistress; a textile worker; or a homemaker. Go to unionist.com and click on Labor Quiz and you could be next week's winner of a labor-themed prize! |
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