Poor Fran Horowitz. The CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch was paid just over $10 million dollars last year -- $10.262 million, to be precise – but that was less than the median CEO pay for all Fortune 500 execs in 2017, which was just a smidge under $14 million -- $13.94 million – to be exact. Here’s the thing, though. Median CEO pay for a Fortune 500 exec was 361 times the median worker’s pay, but for folks like Fran in the retail trade, it was a staggering 791 to 1, thanks to so many low-paid overseas workers, such as those making clothes in Bangladesh or cheap cellphones in China. These figures are from the 20th annual Executive Paywatch report, released earlier this week by the AFL-CIO, which plans to use these obscenely high ratios of CEO-to-worker pay as part of its economic message in this year’s political campaign. The report is available at aflcio.org On today’s labor calendar, tune in to Arise at 9 this morning, when my guests will be Brandon Weber – discussing his new book "Class War, USA" and VoteVets’ Will Fischer on the push to privatize the Veterans Administration. Then at noon there’s a free screening of “Heather Booth: Changing the World” at the AFL-CIO. Heather will be on hand, and there will also be a tribute to her husband, Paul Booth who died earlier this year. Complete details at dclabor.org, click on Calendar. Here’s today's labor history, On this date in 1932, thousands of unemployed World War I veterans arrived in Washington, D.C. to demand early payment of a bonus they desperately needed in the depths of the Great Depression. They built a shantytown near the U.S. Capitol but were burned out by U.S. troops after two months. Today’s labor quote is from the Washington Evening Star, writing about the Bonus Army vets. The Washington Evening Star, which said: “These men wrote a new chapter on patriotism of which their countrymen could be proud.” Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus, which provides unique products and discounts for working families. Check them out at unionplus.org!
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Hosted by Chris Garlock and Ed Smith
Today’s topics: Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis: what’s “forced arbitration”? NFL decides to fine teams for players taking a knee; Do NFL players have First Amendment rights on the football field? Three former Houston Texans cheerleaders file a class-action lawsuit Guest: Marni von Wilpert, Economic Policy Institute associate labor counsel, on the "Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis:" Supreme Court decision. PLUS: Calls from Andrew, Sean, Dean, Bernard and Shaddy 2:30: Everybody knows - Leonard Cohen Listen live on WPFW 89.3FM or online. CALL IN at 202-588-0893. To pledge by phone, call: 202-588-9739 or 1-800-222-9739 or pledge online at wpfwfm.org. NEW: Text WPFW to 41444 Your Rights At Work is also available as a podcast! Just search for Union City Radio on iTunes, Stitcher, OverCast or wherever you get your podcasts; subscribe and you’ll get our shows right on your phone! CREDITS: Produced by Pete Pocock and Chris Bangert-Drowns; engineered by Mike “The Man” Nasella; Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus. UnionPlus is committed to improving the quality of life of working families. Find out more at unionplus.org. And we’re supported by you, our listeners. Airport workers and their allies marched on JetBlue’s downtown DC offices yesterday, calling on the airline to urge Huntleigh USA to treat its baggage, skycap and wheelchair workers with the same humanity that JetBlue touts in its own mission. Huntleigh is a contractor that does business directly with airlines, and workers there have already walked off the job on strike three times, “fighting not only for livable wages, but to protest federal labor violations, to improve conditions and end harassment and intimidation by their employer,” says their union, SEIU 32BJ.
On today’s labor calendar, SEIU 32BJ’s Jaime Contreras joins us on “Your Rights At Work” today at 2, here on WPFW, to talk about the recent Supreme Court ruling limiting worker rights; and tonight there’s a free DC LaborFest screening of “Company Town” at the Old Greenbelt Theatre; Complete details at dclabor.org, click on Calendar. Here’s today's labor history, On this date in 1995, 2,300 members of the United Rubber Workers, on strike for 10 months against five Bridgestone-Firestone plants, agreed to return to work without a contract. They had been fighting demands for 12-hour shifts and wage increases tied to productivity gains. Today’s labor quote is by Mary Harris "Mother Jones" who said: “Sit down and read. Educate yourself for the coming conflicts.” Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus, which provides unique products and discounts for working families. Check them out at unionplus.org! Monday's Supreme Court decision in Epic Systems v. Lewis was condemned as an "assault" on working people and a "major blow to workers’ rights," by labor leaders and supporters. The Court held that employers can enforce arbitration agreements that forbid workers from banding together in class action lawsuits. 32BJ SEIU Vice President Jaime Contreras said the decision "gives a major victory to unscrupulous corporations who wish to further rig the system against working people." Tune in to Your Rights At Work on Thursday at 2pm to hear more from Jaime on this issue.
On today’s labor calendar, lots going on today, but the main event is the march and rally for DCA workers that starts at noon in McPherson Square Park; other events today include a DC Jobs with Justice lunch for fair housing, a Teacher movement reportback, and tonight’s meeting of the new Chesapeake Bay chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women. The DC LaborFest continues today with a noontime tour of the Teamsters headquarters, and tonight’s screening of “I Am Somebody: Three Films by Madeline Anderson”; Complete details at dclabor.org, click on Calendar. Here’s today's labor history, On this date in 1903, an estimated 100,000 textile workers, including more than 10,000 children, struck in the Philadelphia area, protesting 60-hour workweeks, including night hours, for the children. Today’s labor quote is by social worker Grace Abbott, who said: “Child labor and poverty are inevitably bound together and if you continue to use the labor of children as the treatment for the social disease of poverty, you will have both poverty and child labor to the end of time.” Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus, which provides unique products and discounts for working families. Check them out at unionplus.org! |
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