Local construction trades workers are walking a little taller than usual after the DC Water Blue Plains tunnel project was recognized as "Project of the Year" by the Engineering News Record.
The project beat out 65 entries and, says Dennis Desmond of Laborers Local 11, "Part of the reason for the award is that the project came in on time, below budget, with no accidents." In addition to the Laborers, Operating Engineers Local 77 and Electrical Workers Local 26 logged hundreds of thousands of hours on DC Water's combined sewer tunnel, which will help reduce overflows into the Anacostia River by 98%. On today's labor calendar: Airport workers will rally and march today to win fair pay, justice and union rights starting at 3pm. They’ll meet at Gravelly Point Park north of National Airport and march to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. And at 6pm tonight, catch a free screening of the film “Who is Dayani Cristal?” at American University. The film stars Gael Garcia Bernal in the story of a migrant who found himself in the stretch of desert known as “the corridor of death,” and shows how one life becomes testimony to the tragic results of the U.S. war on immigration. Full details, as always, on our website at dclabor.org, click on Calendar. Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 1900, Florence Reece was born. Reece was active in coal strikes in Harlan County, Kentucky and author of the classic labor song “Which Side Are You On?” In 1924, Chris Turner was born in Floyd, Virginia. He went on to become a NASCAR driver and attempted, along with Fireball Roberts and Tim Flock, to organize the other drivers into a union in 1961 in the hope of better purses, a share in broadcasting rights and retirement benefits for the drivers. He was banned by NASCAR and was unsuccessful when he sued for reinstatement. The court said he was an individual contractor, not an employee of NASCAR or any track. And in 1934, the Toledo (Ohio) Auto-Lite strike began today with 6,000 workers demanding union recognition and higher pay. The strike is notable for a 5-day running battle in late May between the strikers and 1,300 members of the Ohio National Guard. Known as the "Battle of Toledo," the clash left two strikers dead and more than 200 injured. The 2-month strike, a win for the workers’ union, is regarded by many labor historians as one of the nation’s three most important strikes. Today’s labor quote is by Indira Gandhi “There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.” Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus, which is committed to improving the quality of life for all working families; find out more at unionplus.org.
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