This is Chris Garlock, with the latest labor news, updates and history from the Metro Washington Labor Council.
(audio) “Our members are afraid. They’re concerned.” That’s American Federation of Government Employees president J. David Cox, on the AFL-CIO’s “State of the Unions” podcast, talking about how the government shutdown is affecting federal workers either furloughed or working without pay for more than three weeks now… (audio) “They’re concerned about the fact that their mortgage payments, rent payments, car payments, the ability to buy food, care for their children. They’re concerned...we’ve certainly been working with United Way and many other agencies across the country. We’ve encouraged our members. There are a lot of food banks and various things that union members and other folks readily support. There is no shame in needing food and going to ask for it. All of these food banks have said that they will certainly recognize the fact that these federal employees who have been put out of work or who have been not receiving pay, they will try to take care of them. It’s sad that the folks who have committed to be civil servants in this country. And have been locked out of their job by the president of the country. This is President Trump's lockout/shutdown because he has proudly proclaimed it. Owned it. Now, why would you want 800,000 people out of jobs. It would be devastating to local communities, particularly where prisons are the major employer. They’re located in very rural communities. None of those people will receive a paycheck. Local merchants — everyone will feel the pain and suffering.” Subscribe to the "State of the Unions" podcast on your favorite podcast platform. And for the latest on the shutdown – and how you can help or get help – go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar. On today’s local labor calendar, the AFL-CIO’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference starts today, calling on all working people to rise up with courage and conviction in a demand for economic and racial justice. The conference runs through Monday; full details on our website at dclabor.org, where you can find all the latest local labor events by clicking on Calendar. In today’s labor history, on this date in 1909, in a case involving striking miners in Colorado, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a governor and officers of a state National Guard could imprison anyone without probable cause “in a time of insurrection” and deny the person the right of appeal. Today’s labor quote is from Johnny Paycheck’s song "Take This Job and Shove It," listed by Billboard magazine as the most popular song in the U.S. on this date in 1978: Take this job and shove it I ain't working here no more My woman done left and took all the reasons I was working for You better not try to stand in my way 'Cause I'm walkin' out the door Take this job and shove it I ain't working here no more Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. To learn more about how Union Plus is helping federal workers impacted by the government shutdown and to apply for assistance, visit unionplus.org.
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