Metro workers on Sunday voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, with thousands of union members lining up at the ATU 689 union hall to cast their votes. The frustrated Metro workers accuse WMATA General Manager Paul Weidefeld of bad-faith bargaining; they’ve been working without a new contract since July 2016 and have been in arbitration since talks collapsed last fall. Adding insult to injury, the union says WMATA has been contracting out union work recently. Things came to a head late last week when WMATA threatened some workers with suspensions, prompting Local 689 president Jackie Jeter to warn Weidefeld that if he suspended anyone for three days, the entire local “will be taking a 3 day suspension.” Sunday’s vote does not guarantee a strike; “There are a lot of possibilities,” said ATU 689 Communications Director David Stephen. In an interesting historical note, July 19 is the 40th anniversary of the 1978 wildcat Metro strike that shut down the system, over very similar issues.
On today’s labor calendar, Institute for Policy Studies analyst Sam Pizzigati makes “The Case for a Maximum Wage” at 6:30pm at the Hyattsville Busboys and Poets; for details, go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar. In today's labor history, on this date in 1944, two ammunition ships exploded at Port Chicago, California, killing 322, including 202 African-Americans assigned by the Navy to handle explosives. It was the worst home-front disaster of World War II. The resulting refusal of 258 African-Americans to return to the dangerous work underpinned the trial and conviction of 50 of the men in what is called the Port Chicago Mutiny. Today’s labor quote is by Freddie Meeks, one of the African-American sailors at Port Chicago, who said: “We didn't commit no mutiny. We didn't take over no ship. We didn't take over a base. We had no weapons. We didn't even have a pen. We only refused to go back to work. Now how could that be mutiny?”
0 Comments
About a year ago, Darius Smith started working as a caterer at the World Bank. But problems soon arose: he and his co-workers were being asked to take on larger tasks than they could handle; some of his co-workers, many of whom are immigrants, felt that their employer was guilty of discrimination; and in January, the World Bank started cutting hours of both full-time and on-call employees without warning or explanation. “I was like, ‘Yeah, we need a union,’” Darius says. He also works at Giant and is a member of UFCW Local 400, which put him in touch with UNITE HERE Local 23, which primarily represents workers in the hospitality industry. In June, the World Bank caterers voted to join the union. For Darius, being part of a union means more than a new and improved contract. “When you’re part of a union you have something to look up to,” he says.
For the latest labor events, go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar. In today's labor history, two events involving longshoremen, the workers who load and unload ships. On this date in 1920, martial law was declared in a strike by longshoremen in Galveston, Texas. And on this date in 1934, a strike by San Francisco longshoreman spread, becoming a four-day general strike. Today’s labor quote is by Arthur Balfour, first Earl of Balfour and a British statesman, who said: “The General Strike has taught the working class more in four days than years of talking could have done.” Metro workers want their boss out. Accusing WMATA General Manager Paul Wiedefeld of disrespect, failing to bargain in good faith, and violating their contract, the workers, represented by ATU Local 689, yesterday began circulating a petition to fellow union members stating that they have no confidence in his leadership and want Wiedefeld and his team removed before they can do any more harm. “Employee morale at WMATA is at an all-time low,” said Local 689 president Jackie Jeter, adding that more than 700 workers have left Metro since Weidefeld arrived; “I have never seen numbers like that,” Jeter said. “The riders and workers of this region deserve leadership that is going to move our transit system forward,” said Jeter. “All Paul Wiedefeld has done is make the system unstable and drive riders away. It is time for him to go.” The petition will be presented to the WMATA board later this month.
For the latest labor events, go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar. Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 1995, Detroit newspaper workers began a 19-month strike against the Gannett and Knight-Ridder newspaper chains. The strike was to become a lockout, which lasted four more years. In the end, the unions were forced to agree to contracts on management’s terms. Today’s labor quote is by Joe Burns, a union negotiator, labor lawyer, and former local union president, who said: “Labor history is littered with defeats that sowed the seeds of victory for workers. By learning lessons, fighting smarter, and, most important, challenging illegitimate legal restrictions on the right to strike, our ancestors built a powerful labor movement capable of transforming society. It is still possible.” Joe Burns is the author of “Reviving The Strike: How Working People Can Regain Power and Transform America.” July 6 isn’t a national holiday but for working people across the United States it’s an important anniversary. The National Labor Relations Act was signed into law on that date in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and marked a critical step forward for working people’s right to join together in unions and to bargain collectively. But more than 80 years later, corporate interests are still ruthlessly fighting to deny workers our rights, and just as the labor movement helped secure passage of the NLRA, today we are demanding an even better deal that fully guarantees our fundamental economic rights and freedoms. To that end, Democrats in the House and Senate recently introduced the Workers’ Freedom to Negotiate Act, which would expand collective bargaining rights. Of course such a bill won’t get far in the current Congress, which is why unions will be working hard to elect more worker-friendly leaders this November.
On today’s labor calendar, catch “Your Rights at Work” at 2 o’clock this afternoon here on WPFW, when Damon Silvers and I will find out more about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s record on worker rights, and we’ll also check in with Diana Ramirez on the move by D.C. Council members to overturn the recently approved ballot initiative affecting tipped workers. That’s “Your Rights at Work” at 2pm today here on WPFW. Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 1933, the Screen Actors Guild held its first meeting. Among those attending was future horror movie star and union activist Boris Karloff. Today’s labor quote is by Fred Watson, one of the 1,186 miners summarily deported from Bisbee, Arizona on this date in 1917, sent into the desert in manure-laden boxcars; they had been fighting for improved safety and working conditions. Fred Watson, who said: “How it could have happened in a civilized country I’ll never know.” |
Categories
All
Union City Radio is proud to be supported by UnionPlus, which has been working hard for union families since 1986.
Union City Radio is part of The Labor Radio/Podcast Network
Listen now...UC Radio airs weekdays at 7:15a on WPFW 89.3 FM; subscribe to the podcast here. |