A primary goal of the labor movement is to make every job in our country a good job. But more than a million working people are in danger of having their work permits stripped away if the Trump administration ends the Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programs, also known as TPS and DACA.
"DACA made me visible," says Karen Reyes, a teacher in Austin, Texas. "DACA made it possible for me to be able to find a job in teaching. DACA made me find my voice and made me be able to live without fear." Maria Elena Durazo, UNITE HERE General Vice President for Immigration, Civil Rights and Diversity, urged lawmakers to extend TPS and protect DACA, "for our sisters and brothers working under them, for their families and for the health of the American economy." Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 1927, Italian immigrants Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, accused of murder and tried unfairly, were executed. The case became an international cause and sparked demonstrations and strikes throughout the world. The executions of Sacco and Vanzetti – one a ‘poor fish peddler’, the other a shoemaker – exposed to the outside world the realities of America’s prejudices against ethnic minorities, against the poor and, most significantly, against those who dared to think unconventionally. Today’s labor quote is by Emma Goldman, who said: “Vanzetti was right when he declared that his execution was his greatest triumph, for all through history it has been the martyrs of progress that have ultimately triumphed. Where are the Caesars and Torquemadas of yesterday? Who remembers the names of the judges who condemned Giordano Bruno and John Brown? The Parsons and the Ferrers, the Saccos and Vanzettis live eternal and their spirits still march on.” 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.
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Montgomery County Councilmembers Marc Elrich, Hans Reimer and Nancy Navarro last Friday joined community allies in criticizing a recently-released study that claimed the county would lose approximately 47,000 jobs by 2022 if it raises the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
County Executive Ike Leggett last week was forced to back away from the study after admitting that his administration had “received word (that) job losses might be less than what is expressed in the report.” On today's labor calendar, check out "Understanding Immigration; Defending Our Neighbors!" tonight at 7 at St. Stephen's Church in northwest DC and, also at 7 tonight, there's a Labor/Community Forum with a discussion of the "Role and Contributions of Unions in our Community" at the Loudoun County School for the Gifted in Ashburn, Virginia. Complete details, as always, on our website, dclabor.org, click on Calendar. Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 1945, five flight attendants formed the Air Line Stewardesses Association, the first labor union representing flight attendants. They were reacting to an industry in which women were forced to retire at the age of 32, remain single, and adhere to strict weight, height and appearance requirements. Today’s labor quote is by Georgia Panter Nielsen, a retired United flight attendant, union activist and author of "From Sky Girl to Flight Attendant: Women in the Making of a Union." Georgia Panter Nielsen, who said, "In Asia, they were still advertising for virgins for Air China in the 1990s." 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. Without federal whistleblowers, the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon might not have come to light. That’s from a recent blog post by J. David Cox Senior. Cox is president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 700,000 federal and D.C. government employees.
Federal whistleblowers helped expose the FBI’s failure to follow up on evidence about terrorist plots before the September 11 attacks and without whistleblowers the waitlist scandal that resulted in veterans being denied timely access to medical care might have remained a secret. As these three examples illustrate, federal workers serve as a vital watchdog against waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in our government agencies. That’s why, Cox says, the current war on whistleblowers being waged by President Trump and others in his administration is not only disgraceful, but downright dangerous to our democracy. You can read his entire post on our website; dclabor.org Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 1831, the slave revolt led by Nat Turner began in Southampton County, Virginia. Today’s labor quote is by Booker T. Washington, who said: "You can't hold a man down without staying down with him" 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. Union leaders continued to speak out this week against the act of domestic terrorism perpetrated by white nationalists in Virginia last Saturday.
National Nurses United Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro said that “There can be no doubt that the appalling display of white supremacy and hatred on display in Charlottesville was the precipitator of the violence.” AFT President Randi Weingarten spoke for all when she said “We grieve the murder of Heather Heyer and the injury of other peaceful protesters against racism and anti-Semitism.” And Auto Workers President Dennis Williams reminded us that “The events in Charlottesville this weekend will long serve as a reminder that time has a way of washing away the tears of the past where hate bullied many Americans, both in society and in the workplace through intolerance.” On today’s labor calendar, I’ll be guest-hosting “Arise!” this morning at 9 am with Jennifer Bryant, when we’ll discuss Charlottesville and its aftermath with guests James McCormack, of the DC chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and Sarah Ann Lewis, with the DC chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. That’s 9 to 10 am here on WPFW. Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 1932, the American Federation of Government Employees – or AFGE – was founded. Today’s labor quote is by Elie Wiesel, from his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1986. Elie Wiesel, who said: “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere.” 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. |
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