Graduate student workers at American University voted earlier this month to organize a union with SEIU Local 500, which also represents AU’s adjunct faculty. It will be the District’s first union for working graduate students. 
“Forming a union was never about quick fixes to issues," said AU grad student Scott Patrick, "but about creating a space for developing long term solutions to issues like economic and academic uncertainty." The National Labor Relations Board said last summer that graduate student employees at private institutions are entitled to collective bargaining. While a number of private institutions have challenged the NLRB’s decision, AU spokesperson Camille Lepre said that the university "respects the choice of the majority of the graduate students who voted, and it does not intend to file a legal challenge to the election results." Lepre added that "We look forward to engaging in a constructive dialogue with the union about issues related to our graduate students." 

On today's labor calendar:
DC Jobs with Justice is hosting a May Day Art Build to prepare for next Monday's May Day march and rally. The Art Build runs from 6:30 to 9:00pm at the Jobs with Justice offices at 3412 Connecticut Avenue NW; you'll find more details and an RSVP link on our website at dclabor.org, click on Calendar.

Here’s today's labor history:
On this date in 1886, the New York Times declared the struggle for an 8-hour workday to be “un-American” and called public demonstrations for the shorter hours “labor disturbances brought about by foreigners.”  Other publications declared that an eight-hour workday would bring about “loafing and gambling, rioting, debauchery and drunkenness.” 
In 1969, the Reverend Ralph David Abernathy and 100 others were arrested while picketing a hospital in Charleston, South Carolina,  in a demand for union recognition. 
And in 1978, the Supreme Court ruled that employers may not require female employees to make larger contributions to pension plans in order to obtain the same monthly benefits as men. 

Today’s labor quote is by Ralph Abernathy, who said: 
“Bring on your tear gas, bring on your grenades, your new supplies of Mace, your state troopers and even your national guards. But let the record show we ain't going to be turned around.”

Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus, which is committed to improving the quality of life for all working families; find out more at unionplus.org.

Metro’s biggest union, ATU Local 689, last week called General Manager  Paul Wiedefeld’s proposal for WMATA “bad for riders, bad for workers and bad for the region.” 
Instead of offering real proposals to improve the system and win riders back, the union said Wiedefeld has “pitted riders against workers in an attempt to balance the agency’s budget on the back of WMATA’s hardworking employees.”  
Wiedefeld’s proposal to outsource services “will make the system less safe, less reliable, more costly and demoralize the workforce in a race to the bottom,” said Local 689, which last month released proposals to “fix WMATA, fund it and make it fair for riders.” 
A meeting is scheduled for this Thursday at the AFL-CIO to review and discuss the campaign; details on our website at dclabor.org, click on calendar. 

On today's labor calendar:
There's a free screening of the film "Workers' Voices" to mark the fourth anniversary of the Rana Plaza building collapse that killed more than 1,100 garment workers in Bangladesh. That's happening tonight at 6:30 at the Institute for Policy Studies at 1301 Connecticut Ave NW; 
Full details are on our website at dclabor.org, click on Calendar.

Here’s today's labor history:
On this date in 1999, the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union halted shipping on the West Coast in solidarity with Mumia Abu-Jamal, a Philadelphia journalist whom many believed was on death row because he was an outspoken African-American.

Today’s labor quote is by Mumia Abu-Jamal, who said 
"Politics is the art of making the people believe that they are in power, when in fact, they have none."

Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus, which is committed to improving the quality of life for all working families; find out more at unionplus.org.

Jennifer Bryant hosts DC LaborFest Director Chris Garlock and Labor Heritage Foundation Director Elise Bryant. Guests: David Gariff, Brian Bullen and David Fernandez-Barrial. 

Elise Bryant on LOVE SONGS FROM THE LIBERATION WARS
Wed, May 17, 5-8, Busboys and Poets Takoma, 235 Carroll St, Washington DC 20012
5-6p be part of the live audience for a [email protected] simulcast on WPFW 89.3 FM
6-8p concert
FREE but you must RSVP online here: bit.ly/dclf-liberation-wars
An original “labor jazz opera” by local activist/musician Steve Jones, “Love Songs” tells the moving story of a strike led by African-American women at the R J Reynolds factory in Winston-Salem, NC, which was an early victory against Jim Crow segregation. Tonight’s performance will feature selections from “Love Songs,” with local singers, directed by Elise Bryant.

David Gariff on IMAGES OF LABOR IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART 
Tue, May 23; 1:00-2:00pm; 6th & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20565 
FREE but space is limited and you must RSVP here: bit.ly/dclf-images 
Senior Lecturer David Gariff explores the portrayal of work and workers in classic paintings at the National Gallery of Art, including works by Joseph M.W. Turner, Edgar Degas, George Caleb Bingham, Winslow Homer, and George Bellows. A visit to the special exhibition “The Urban Scene: 1920-1950” featuring prints by artists such as Reginald Marsh, as well as lesser-known printmakers who explored the power and anxiety of the modern city, industry, and labor will also be included in the tour. 
 
Brian Bullen on LABOR 411 UNION BEER AND WHISKEY TASTING
Thu, May 18, 5:30-7:30pm, The Dubliner, Phoenix Park Hotel, 4 F St NW, Washington, DC 20001
$25, order ticket here: bit.ly/dclf-whiskey
Buy union, shop union, drink union! DC Labor 411 and the DC LaborFest host our first-ever all-union beer and whiskey tasting, along with delicious appetizers at one of DC’s very finest union establishments (thank you Unite Here Local 25!). Labor 411 is the nation’s premier directory of union-made goods and services; find out more at labor411.org
The Mother Jones: 1 oz. Campari, 1 oz. sweet vermouth, 1.5 oz. Rye 
The Big Bill Haymaker (after Big Bill Haywood): 2 oz. single barrel, 1 dash of bitters, .5 oz of sweet vermouthThe Solidarity Sling: 2 oz. gentleman jack, .5 oz simple syrup, lemon juice, and 2 dashes of bitters
back-up/alternative: The Matewan Coal Miner
 
9:45a David Fernández-Barrial: (confirmed), 202-580-5802 cel then he’ll provide # for hardline
DIGGING WHERE WE STAND: UNCOVERING OUR OWN LOCAL LABOR HISTORIES
Wed, May 10, 6:00p; 330 7th St. NE, WDC
FREE but you must RSVP here: bit.ly/dclf-digging
A lively and fascinating exploration of how to use your local public library to uncover working people’s history in our own communities. With AFSCME Local 1808 (DC Public Library Employees) President and Education Specialist Anntoinette White-Richardson and AFSCME Local 2910 (Library of Congress Professional Guild) Steward Director and librarian David Fernández-Barrial, and David Gillette and Wendell Kellar of DCPL.
 



 
 
 
 
 

Seventeen labor films, 12 labor history tours, walks and bike rides, seven music events, five labor art tours,
plus the fourth DC United Labor Night and, new this year, a union beer and whiskey tasting. Yes, the annual DC LaborFest is right around the corner, a monthlong extravaganza of labor arts and culture events, many of them free, launching of course on May 1, celebrated around the world as May Day, a worker holiday. 
Get complete details on our website, dclabor.org, click on LaborFest, where you can RSVP for free events or order tickets online.

On today's labor calendar:
two noontime events today:
“Work, Organize, Struggle: Student Perspectives” at Georgetown University addresses themes of systematic violence, social justice, organizing, and radical thought
and over at the World Bank, join the American Federation of Teachers as they demand that the World Bank “Stop funding Bridge Academies and educational experiments on children in Africa!”   
Details on our website at dclabor.org, click on Calendar.

Here’s today's labor history:
On this date in 1967, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller signed the Taylor Law, permitting union organization and bargaining by public employees, but outlawing the right to strike.
In 1997, some 12,500 Goodyear Tire workers struck nine plants in what was to become a 3-week walkout over job security, wage and benefit issues.
And in 2015, Mary Doyle Keefe, who in 1943 posed as “Rosie the Riveter” for famed painter Norman Rockwell, died at age 92. Published on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in May 1943, Rosie came to symbolize women factory workers during World War II. The Rockwell painting is sometimes confused with “We Can Do It!” a similar poster by Pittsburgh artist J. Howard Miller, created the year before.

Today’s labor quote is by Mary Doyle Keefe, the young telephone operator who modeled for Norman Rockwell’s “Rosie the Riveter” painting, who said “There was a war on, and you did what you could. . . . I was proud that it helped the effort and that the Rosie poster went around the country to help sell war bonds.”

Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus, which is committed to improving the quality of life for all working families; find out more at unionplus.org.