Hosted by Chris Garlock 
 
STR is the term of art for Short Term Rentals – think Airbnb. Illegal, commercially operated STRs affect the breadth of the DC housing market, from affordable units to luxury housing, and DC Attorney General Karl Racine just announced that he was looking into potentially illegal STRs at 33 different D.C. buildings operated by 19 different entities. 

Here are a few eye-popping stats to consider:
• 67% of Airbnb Listings Are Illegal – Of the 5,295 Airbnb listings (as of  July 20 2018, there were 7,788 listings), 67% are likely illegal entire-home/apartment listings (that percentage is now 68.4%). These units remove housing from the rental market.
• 37% of Listings Are From Commercial Operators – Nearly 2,000 listings, or 37%, are commercial listings rented out by operators with multiple listings.
• The majority of Airbnb’s Profits Are From Commercial & Illegal Listings – 52% of Airbnb’s total annual revenue was generated by commercial hosts, and 82% of revenue came from likely illegal entire-home listings.
 
A new campaign – “It’s Time, D.C.” -- is calling on the DC city council to pass short-term rental law to protect housing. Here’s a short video they released last week 
 
This week’s guests: 
Yukia Hugee, single mother featured in video 
Kenyan McDuffie, Ward 5 Councilmember, bill sponsor “Short-term Rental Regulation and Affordable Housing Protection Act of 2017” 
Andrew Cassedy, Bartender, St. Regis, Unite Here Local 25 member 
 
CREDITS: Produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Mike “The Man” Nasella 

Transit workers refused to speak at yesterday's WMATA Board meeting after the board decided to extend General Manager Paul Wiedefeld's contract and award him a raise with virtually no public notice. 
ATU Local 689 called the move "a slap in the face" for Metro riders and workers frustrated with delays and safety issues. 
The union attended the meeting but said it would not participate in the public comment portion because, they said, "the WMATA Board does not listen to its riders or its workers." 

On today's labor calendar, 
I’ll be hosting "Arise!” here on WPFW from 9 to 10am this morning, when we’ll discuss the “It’s Time, D.C.” campaign, which is calling on the DC city council to pass legislation to protect housing threatened by thousands of short-term rentals like Airbnb, many of which are illegal.
At 10am the American Federation of Teachers hosts a discussion and coffee with Fin Shigang and Li Wen, labor activists and authors of "Striking To Survive: Workers’ Resistance to Factory Relocation in China."
Details, as always, on our website, dclabor.org, click on calendar.

​Here’s today's labor history:
On this date in 1864, the International Workingmen’s Association was founded in London. It was an international organization trying to unite a variety of different left-wing, socialist, communist and anarchist political groups and unions. The Association functioned for about 12 years, growing to a membership of eight million, before being disbanded at its Philadelphia conference in 1876, victim of infighting brought on by the wide variety of members’ philosophies.

Today’s labor quote is from the Inaugural Address of the International Workingmen’s Association, written by Karl Marx, which concludes with these stirring words: 
“Proletarians of all countries, unite!” 

Hosted by Chris Garlock and Ed Smith
 
On today's show: Reaction to the Kavanaugh hearing; Metro workers object to Wiedefeld contract and raise.
 
Today's guest(s):
Reaction to the Kavanaugh hearing by Carol Rosenblatt, Executive Director of the Coalition of Labor Union Women.
ATU 689's David Stephen on why Metro workers object to WMATA GM Wiedefeld's extended contract and raise.
PLUS listener calls...
 
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 Chris Garlock; engineered by Mike “The Man” Nasella

The Montgomery County Professional Drivers Union Coop is launching a new taxi cooperative -- Anytime Taxi -- this Saturday at an all-day Open House.
The coop's first vehicles are all brand-new union-made, wheelchair accessible taxis. The drivers lobbied for – and won -- a successful reform of Montgomery County's taxi code that levels the regulatory playing field for drivers, provides vehicle licenses for the driver cooperative, mandates dramatic increases in the number of accessible taxis, and earmarks county revenue from a tax on Uber rides for accessible transit. 
Find out more at anytimeuniontaxi.com

On today’s labor calendar,
The Coalition of Labor Union Women is urging participation in this morning’s National Day of Action to support Dr. Blasey Ford, starting at 8am at the Supreme Court…
then at 2 pm catch this week’s edition of “Your Rights at Work” when Ed Smith and I will take your calls about workplace rights and discuss the latest news affecting working people. That’s “Your Rights at Work” here on WPFW 89.3 FM from 2 to 3pm
And tonight catch a free screening of the film “Dolores” at 6pm in Upper Marlboro, presented by the Coalition of Labor Union Women’s Chesapeake Bay Chapter in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Complete details, as always, at dclabor.org, click on Calendar

In today’s labor history, on this date in 2002, twenty-nine west coast ports locked out more than 10,000 workers in response to what management said was a worker slowdown in the midst of negotiations on a new contract.  The ports were closed for 10 days, reopening when President George W. Bush invoked the Taft-Hartley Act.

Today’s labor quote is from the Coalition of Labor Union Women, whose motto is:
“A woman’s place is in her union.”

Two quick updates on a couple of campaigns we’ve been following:
Union City reader Paul Ruffins wrote in to ask whether it’s “just the emergency room at Providence Hospital” that’s closing. No; Ascension Health Corporation plans to close Providence Hospital completely at the end of this year, reports Steven Frum at National Nurses United. This would not only end health services that have been provided by Providence Hospital in the District for over 157 years, but would leave just one hospital -- United Medical Center -- on the east side of the city. We have a fact sheet with more details at dclabor.org
And in the wake of last week’s marathon hearing on Initiative 77, supporters are urging emails and calls to DC council members to ensure that they respect workers and voters, who overwhelmingly approved the initiative -- which will ensure that tipped workers earn a living wage -- in June. There’s link at dclabor.org where you can send an email now.

On today’s labor calendar, find out “How the International Labour Organization Is Responding to the Radically Changing World of Work” today at 11:30am at a program presented by the Washington DC Chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association;
go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar for complete details.

In today’s labor history, on this date in 1903, “The Old 97,” a Southern Railway train officially known as the Fast Mail, derailed near Danville, Virginia., killing engineer Joseph “Steve” Broady and ten other railroad and postal workers. Many believe Broady had been ordered to speed to make up for lost time. “The Wreck of the Old 97” inspired balladeers; a 1924 recording by Vernon Dalhart is sometimes cited as the first million-selling country music record.

Today’s labor quote is from that 1924 recording of “The Wreck of the Old 97” by Vernon Dalhart:
He was goin' down grade making 90 miles an hour
When his whistle broke into a scream
He was found in the wreck with his hand on the throttle
And was scalded to death by the steam

The campaign to save Providence Hospital continued last week even as the hospital moved forward with plans to shut down in early December.
Hospital advocates — including union and community supporters — met with DC City Council members late in the week while Ward 5 council member Kenyan McDuffie went door-to-door in neighborhoods around the hospital urging residents to turn out for the October 10 Council hearing on the closing.
The coalition is asking supporters to call DC City Council members today and demand they tell Ascension: “Fix It, Don’t Close It: Save Providence Hospital.”
We’ve got Council member contact info on our website at dclabor.org

Today’s labor calendar is jam-packed;
the AFL-CIO election phonebank is up and running every weekday starting at 11am;
the Coalition of Labor Union Women hosts a panel on mobilizing the women’s vote at the “Sisters Not Afraid of Power” panel discussion at noon,  which you can also watch online:
the 1-man show “Marx in Soho” will be at the Hyattsville Busboys and Poets starting at 6:30 tonight;
and the film “Dolores” – about United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta -- screens free tonight at the University Christian Church in Hyattsville;
go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar for complete details on all of these events.

In today’s labor history, on this date in 1891, two African-American sharecroppers were killed during an ultimately unsuccessful cotton-pickers strike in Lee County, Arkansas. By the time the strike had been suppressed, 15 African-Americans had died and another six had been imprisoned. A white plantation manager was killed as well.

Today’s labor quote is by Lewis Hine, whose powerful photographs showing kids at work were instrumental in changing child labor laws in the United States. When Hine commissioned to document the construction of the Empire State Building, he photographed the workers in precarious positions while they secured the steel framework of the structure, taking many of the same risks that the workers endured. Lewis Hine, born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on this date in 1874, who said:
“Photography can light-up darkness and expose ignorance.”

“It’s Time, D.C.”, a coalition of local community groups, civic organizations, labor leaders and residents, launched an ad campaign last week “to voice the concerns of the thousands of city residents and neighborhoods that have been negatively affected by short-term rentals” and encourage the D.C. City Council to pass short-term rental legislation to protect neighborhoods and affordable housing.
Members of the coalition include The D.C. Federation of Civic Associations, Unite Here! Local 25, AirbnbWatch and concerned residents.
“As a single mom, finding an affordable home for my family in D.C. is a challenge and now commercial investors are buying up homes to rent on Airbnb reducing housing and raising rent citywide,” says Yukia Hugee in the first ad of the campaign.
“Leaders from major cities across the country like San Diego, San Francisco, New York, and Boston have enacted short-term rental laws to protect affordable housing and hold short-term rental platforms like Airbnb accountable,” says Lauren Windsor of AirbnbWATCH.

On our labor calendar, “Dolores,” a film about Dolores Huerta, the co-founder -- with Cesar Chavez -- of the United Farm Workers -- screens free at 7pm tonight at the University Christian Church in Hyattsville; go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar for complete details.

In today’s labor history, on this date in 1918, Canada declares the Wobblies illegal.

Today’s labor quote is by Dolores Huerta:
“Professional farmworkers who know how to do a number of different jobs, whether it be pruning or picking or crafting, they see themselves as professionals, and they take a lot of pride in that work. They don't see themselves as doing work that is demeaning.”

The transit workers union blasted Metro’s announcement on Tuesday that it’s looking to privatize six new stations on the Silver Line.
“Privatization is not a cost saving,” said ATU Local 689, “but instead drives up fares, jeopardizes safety, results in service cuts, and fosters an environment for political corruption because it puts profits ahead of the riding public.”
The union called the move “another example of WMATA General Manager Paul Wiedefeld's failed leadership and wasteful spending” and renewed its call for Wiedefeld's firing.

On our labor calendar, there are labor-to-labor walks to boost election turnout throughout the region this weekend; go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar for complete details and links where you can sign up.

In today’s labor history, on this date in 1991, members of five unions at the Frontier Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas began what was to become the longest successful hotel strike in U.S. history. All 550 workers honored the picket line for the entirety of the 6-year, 4-month, 10-day fight against management’s insistence on cutting wages and eliminating pensions.  

Today’s labor quote is by “Mother” Jones, who led a march of miners' children through the streets of Charleston, West Virginia on this date in 1912. Mary Harris “Mother” Jones, who said:
“Some day the workers will take possession of your city hall, and when we do, no child will be sacrificed on the altar of profit!”

Hosted by Chris Garlock and Judi Conti, Government Affairs Director at the National Employment Law Project; Ed Smith is at contract negotiations
 
Listen live on WPFW 89.3FM or online at wpfwfm.org
CALL IN at 202-588-0893.

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! 
 
Topic A: Supporters and opponents of the “One Fair Wage” Initiative 77 to raise the tipped wage in DC packed Monday’s marathon hearing at DC City Council but Washington Post columnist Theresa Vargas cut through the pro and con arguments with her column in today’s Post entitled ‘Chocolate City’ is now ‘Money City’: The high price D.C. is paying to overturn the public’s will. As Theresa so eloquently put it: “Whether you agree or disagree with the wage measure — or don’t care one way or another about it — you should be concerned that the hearing has further split an already divided city and confirmed for some what they already suspected: Some residents’ voices matter more than others.”
 
Today's guest: Jennifer Abruzzo, former Deputy General Counsel at the NLRB at the NLRB during the Obama years, currently Special Counsel for Strategic Initiatives for CWA.
Trump Administration Orders NLRB Staff To Step Up Prosecution Of Labor Unions

MUSIC:  Money Talks, J.J. Cale

CREDITS: Produced by Pete Pocock and Chris Garlock; engineered by Robin Smith.

Ahead of a natural disaster like Hurricane Florence, politicians and safety officials tell the public to evacuate early and not wait until conditions get bad.
We all know that you can lose your home and your belongings, but politicians never talk about the fact that during a disaster, many people can lose their jobs as well, reports Joel Mendelson on the Jobs With Justice website at jwj.org
Even when there are mandatory evacuation orders, many businesses insist that employees still show up for work.
Many more won’t pay employees for time missed ahead of, during and after a storm. This forces many to make an impossible choice between protecting their lives or protecting their jobs.
As our climate changes, we can expect stronger hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters.
Now is the time to write new rules to ensure working people can protect themselves and their livelihoods before, during and after big disasters.

On today’s labor calendar, AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka discusses “The Future of Work” with Reiner Hoffman, President of the German Trade Union Confederation at 1pm this afternoon at the AFL-CIO;
then at 2 pm catch this week’s edition of “Your Rights at Work” when Judi Conti and I will take your calls about workplace rights and discuss the latest news affecting working people. That’s “Your Rights at Work” here on WPFW 89.3 FM from 2 to 3pm

In today’s labor history, on this date in 1878, Upton Sinclair, socialist and author of The Jungle was born in Baltimore, Maryland.  

Today’s labor quote is from Harry Belafonte’s version of the classic song “John Henry.” According to folklorist John Garst, steel-drivin’ man John Henry, born a slave, outperformed a steam hammer on this date in 1887 at the Coosa Mountain Tunnel or the Oak Mountain Tunnel of the Columbus and Western Railway near Leeds, Alabama. Other researchers place the contest near Talcott, West Virginia.
Here’s Harry Belafonte:
Well the man who invented the steam drill
thought he was mighty fine
John Henry drove his 15 feet
the steam drill only made nine, Lord, Lord
the steam drill only made nine.