Union City Radio for Thursday, April 27

​Virginia Delegates Alphonso Lopez and Paul Krizek will join hundreds of contracted service workers at both Reagan National Airport and Dulles who will walk off the job this morning on strike to protest federal labor violations charged against their employer, Huntleigh Corporation. The union is charging that the company surveilled, interrogated, arbitrarily disciplined a worker and fired a worker for lawfully protected activities. This will be the second time these Huntleigh workers have gone on strike.  
 
Today's labor calendar is jam-packed; here's a quick run-down: 
Clergy and community supporters will join the airport worker strike for a rally at 11 AM; get complete details on our website at dclabor.org, click on calendar. 
At noon, there's a free book event at the AFL-CIO, “Rethinking Economic Policy for Social Justice: The Radical Potential of Human Rights,” 
And then at 1 pm here on WPFW, catch this week's edition of “Your Rights at Work,” with me and Ed Smith and your calls, of course. 
At 2pm, find out about the “Fix It, Fund It, Make It Fair” campaign at Metro 
and at 6 tonight ONE DC and Empower DC team up for a People's Platform Forum: Wellness For People And The Earth. 
Details as always, on our website; dclabor.org, click on Calendar. 
 
Here's today's labor history: 
On this date in 1825, Boston carpenters staged the first strike for the 10-hour day;
In 1911, James Oppenheim's poem “Bread and Roses” was published in the IWW newspaper Industrial Solidarity.
In 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10450, which listed “sexual perversion” - code for being gay -- as a condition for firing a federal employee and for denying employment to potential applicants.
And in 1978, a cooling tower for a power plant under construction in Willow Island, West Virginia collapsed, killing 51 construction workers in what is thought to be the largest construction accident in U.S. history. OSHA cited contractors for 20 violations and the cases were settled for $85,000--about $1,700 per worker killed.

​Today's labor quote is by James Oppenheim, from his poem “Bread and Roses”  
As we come marching, marching, we bring the Greater Days 
The rising of the women means the rising of the race 
No more the drudge and idler--ten that toil where one reposes 
But sharing of life's glories: Bread and Roses, Bread and Roses!” 
 
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