Darniece Shirley created “AFSCME for Newbies,” an electronic guide to the union that members received as soon as they got their jobs.
Laura Butler created a Next Wave Leadership Academy for AFSCME Council 3. And Dr. Rhonda Wallace coordinated AFSCME Council 67’s first regional Women’s Conference. The three DC-area union members – alumni of the AFSCME Women’s Leadership Academy – shared their stories of leadership last week at AFSCME’s headquarters during Women’s History Month. “One thing we’ve learned through the Women’s Leadership Academy,” said AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride, who introduced the speakers, “is that folks develop basic skills not just in the classroom but also by doing the work and by taking action with your co-workers in your local, and through mentoring.” Read more about these inspiring women leaders on our website at dclabor.org Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 2010, a huge underground explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, killed 29 miners. It was the worst U.S. mine disaster in 40 years. The Massey Energy Company mine had been cited for two safety infractions the day before the blast; 57 the month before, and 1,342 in the previous five years. The CEO of Massey Energy at the time of the disaster, Don Blankenship, was convicted in 2015 of conspiring to willfully violate safety standards. On April 6, 2016, he was sentenced to 1 year in jail and fined $250,000; his release is scheduled for May 10, 2017. Today’s labor quote is by Booth Goodwin, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, in announcing the guilty plea of a former superintendent of the Upper Big Branch Mine, Gary May, who confessed to conspiring to impede the Mine Safety and Health Administration's enforcement efforts. Booth Goodwin, who said "People who run coal mines have a fundamental obligation to be honest with mine regulators. When mine operators resort to tricks and deceit to keep government officials in the dark, our mine safety system unravels and miners are put in harm's way." 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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