Nearly 40,000 Verizon workers went out on strike Wednesday from Massachusetts to Virginia. “Our patience was simply stretched to the breaking point after ten months of negotiations,” said CWA 2108 president Marilyn Irwin. The workers are members of CWA and IBEW. Verizon workers helped the company make $39 billion in profits over the last three years, yet Verizon continued to refuse to negotiate a fair contract, Irwin said. Strikers are targeting local Verizon Wireless stores for pickets and actions; watch our website at dclabor.org for a list of the locations and picketing times. You can also sign a petition on our website telling Verizon that "Enough is enough. Settle a fair contract with working people at Verizon and Verizon Wireless now."
On our labor calendar, Democracy Spring and Democracy Awakening actions continue today and this weekend; for all the latest local events, go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1889, A. Philip Randolph, civil rights leader and founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, was born in Crescent City, Florida. In 1912, eight members of the Musicians union died in the sinking of the Titanic. According to survivors, they played their instruments until nearly the end. Five weeks later, 500 musicians played at a concert organized by the union to benefit the musicians' families. The evening ended with a rendering of "Nearer, My God, to Thee," the hymn being played as the ship went down. The union at the time was called the Musical Mutual Protective Union Local 310, the New York affiliate of the American Federation of Musicians. In 1916, teacher unionists gathered at the City Club on Plymouth Court in Chicago to form a new national union: the American Federation of Teachers. And on this date in 1955, the first McDonald’s restaurant opened, in Des Plaines, Illinois, setting the stage years later for sociologist Amitai Etzioni to coin the term "McJob," defined as "an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, especially one created by the expansion of the service sector" Today’s labor quote is by A. Philip Randolph “We must develop huge demonstrations, because the world is used to big dramatic affairs. They think in terms of hundreds of thousands and millions and billions... Billions of dollars are appropriated at the twinkling of an eye. Nothing little counts.”
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