Despite the daunting national election results on Tuesday, the metro Washington labor movement celebrated some significant local wins. In addition to once again helping deliver the Old Dominion for the Democrats, Virginia voters decisively rejected the cynical attempt to enshrine so-called right to work in the state’s constitution.
“Right to work laws have nothing to do with rights and voters saw through the lies,” said Doris Crouse-Mays, President of the Virginia AFL-CIO. “Our Constitution is not a toy and working families will not be used as a pawn in their political game.” In other local election results, DC voters overwhelmingly approved the DC Statehood referendum and elected David Grosso, Robert White, Vince Gray and Trayon White, all labor-endorsed candidates for City Council. In Maryland, labor-endorsed candidate Chris Van Hollen was elected to the U.S. Senate, while Anthony Brown and Jamie Raskin will join Steny Hoyer in the House. Metro Washington Council Executive Director Carlos Jimenez called the election of Donald Trump “a wake-up call” for progressives across America. “Make no mistake about it,” said Jimenez, “the American people and working class voters want change.” Donald Trump was right about something being rigged but it wasn’t the election, it’s an economy that isn't benefitting most Americans. In the wake of this election, the metro-area labor movement has never been more critical in the struggle for economic justice. Here in the heart of our nation’s capital our unions and allies will fight even harder for the economic and political changes working people want and need. To paraphrase a certain campaign slogan, we will fight to “Make America Work Again,” but for everyone. Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 1933, a sit-down strike began at the Austin, Minnesota Hormel plant with the help of a Wobbly organizer, leading to the creation of the Independent Union of All Workers. Labor historians believe this may have been the first sit-down strike of the 1930s. Workers held the plant for three days, demanding a wage increase. Some 400 men crashed through the plant entrance and chased out nonunion workers. One group rushed through the doors of a conference room where Jay Hormel and five company executives were meeting and declared: “We’re taking possession. So move out.” Within four days the company agreed to binding arbitration. In 1975, the ship Edmund Fitzgerald—the biggest carrier on the Great Lakes—and crew of 29 were lost in a storm on Lake Superior while carrying ore from Superior, Wisconsin to Detroit. The cause of the sinking was never established. Today’s labor quote is by Walter Mondale “A president does not have to agree with everything labor says, but whoever wants to lead this nation, if he really wants to be the president of this country, must respect and involve and listen to the workers of America.” Walter Mondale served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator from Minnesota.
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