Broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM
Hosted by Chris Garlock and Ed Smith DC’s call-in show about worker rights: those you have, those you don’t, how to get them and how to use them. Hour 1: Lawyer Heidi Burakiewicz with an update on the lawsuit against the government on behalf of federal employees forced to work without pay. Furlough assistance from UnionPlus: Carl Calabro, UnionPlus Member Advocate Hour 2: This week’s labor news with Mark Gruenberg, PAI News; “Financial help during and after furlough”: webinar prepared for UnionPlus, with Tara Alderete, Money Management International; historian and teacher Joe McCartin says “It’s Time for Federal Workers to Get Sick”. Produced by Chris Garlock and Peter Pocock; engineered by Robin Smith
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This is Chris Garlock, with the latest labor news, updates and history from the Metro Washington Labor Council.
Senate Republicans are holding a retreat today…at Nationals Park. That’s right, in the middle of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, with nearly a million federal workers not being paid, and the economy faltering, Senate Republicans are heading to the ballpark. Federal and DC workers will rally at noon today at the North Main entrance to Nationals Park. Their message is simple: take us back to work; open up the government today! We’ll have a live report from the rally on Your Rights At Work at 1 o’clock today, plus more guests on the shutdown and the phone lines will be open again for your calls as well: 202-588-0893. For complete details on all the latest local labor calendar listings, go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar. In today’s labor history, on this date in 1962, president John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 10988, guaranteeing federal workers the right to join unions and bargain collectively. Today’s labor quote is by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there ‘is’ such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.” “The fierce urgency of now” is the theme of this weekend’s AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference; complete details and registration information are on our website, dclabor.org Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. To learn more about how Union Plus is helping federal workers impacted by the government shutdown and to apply for assistance, visit unionplus.org. This is Chris Garlock, with the latest labor news, updates and history from the Metro Washington Labor Council.
(audio) It’s a stressful situation. I mean those are stressful jobs to begin with. That’s American Federation of Government Employees president J. David Cox, on the latest “State of the Unions” podcast from the AFL-CIO, talking about how safety is affected during a government shutdown… (audio) “I’ve experienced government walkouts...the 1995-1996...my wife and I both worked for the VA. Come payday, we did not get paid and that created a real hardship in our lives. We were unable to pay our mortgage or car payment. The kids had to have lunch money to go to school. The list started compounding, and I thank God for parents and family and friends. Eventually we did get paid, but it’s really tough on folks out there.” Subscribe to the "State of the Unions" podcast on your favorite podcast platform. And for the latest on the shutdown – and how you can help – go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar. On today’s labor calendar, free Shutdown Suppers continue this week out at the Tommy Douglas Conference Center in Silver Spring, hosted by the Amalgamated Transit Union and Congressman Jamie Raskin. Workers only need to bring their federal employee identification card to receive a free meal for them and their family. The suppers run from noon to 6pm daily through Friday. For complete details, and for all the latest local labor calendar listings, go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar. In today’s labor history, on this date in 1883, the United States Civil Service Commission was established, created to select employees of the federal government on merit rather than political patronage. Civil Service reform became a national issue after President James Garfield was assassinated in July 1881 by a campaign volunteer who believed the president owed him a patronage position for helping Garfield get elected the previous year. By the way, Civil Service Commission was dissolved in 1979, replaced by the Office of Personnel Management and the Merit Systems Protection Board. Today’s labor quote is by New York Senator William L. Marcy, referring to the victory of Andrew Jackson in the 1828 election for president of the United States. Jackson supporters had been lavished with promises of positions in return for political support, or, as Marcy so crudely put it: "to the victor belong the spoils." This led to the patronage system that installed unqualified supporters, friends, and relatives in government civil service jobs. Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. To learn more about how Union Plus is helping federal workers impacted by the government shutdown and to apply for assistance, visit unionplus.org. This is Chris Garlock, with the latest labor news, updates and history from the Metro Washington Labor Council.
In late 2018, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers went on strike, fighting for a new contract that would reduce workplace injuries, end forced overtime, and gain pay equity for women workers. On November 27th, the Canadian government forced postal workers back to work, defying Canada’s Charter of Human Rights. As the Canadian postal workers and their domestic and other international allies fight back, members of the American Postal Workers Union and the National Association of Letter Carriers are rallying today at 12:30pm at the Canadian Embassy at 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NorthWest. For complete details, and for all the latest local labor calendar listings, go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar. In today’s labor history, on this date in 1915, IWW member Ralph Chaplin, completed the writing of the labor anthem “Solidarity Forever” while in Chicago for a demonstration against hunger. He’d begun writing it in 1914 during a miners’ strike in Huntington, West Virginia. Here’s the first verse, sung by Tom Morello: (audio) When the union's inspiration through the workers' blood shall run, There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun; Yet what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one, But the union makes us strong! Today’s labor quote is by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., born on this date in 1929. Martin Luther King, who said: “The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress.” Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. To learn more about how Union Plus is helping federal workers impacted by the government shutdown and to apply for assistance, visit unionplus.org. |
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