Union City Radio for Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Working family advocates have strongly condemned President-elect Donald Trump's selection of Carl's Jr. CEO Andy Puzder as secretary of labor. Here are a few of their comments:
"At every turn, Andy Puzder has shown contempt for people who get up early every morning and work hard to support their families." That’s from AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
The Communications Workers of America said that:
"Puzder opposes many of the policies and programs he would administer. He opposes the Department of Labor’s overtime rule and actually claimed that what workers, quote, 'lose in overtime pay they gain in stature and sense of accomplishment,' unquote"
And Restaurant Opportunities Centers United called Puzder’s nomination
"The clearest signal yet that the incoming Trump Administration seeks to exploit the Department of Labor as a platform to implement the National Restaurant Association’s dangerous, anti-worker policies."
Read more on our website at dclabor.org

On today's labor calendar,
Ken Loach’s latest film "I, Daniel Blake" screens tonight at 7pm at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring. The blunt and powerful drama portrays a blue-collar worker fighting welfare bureaucracy.
For ticket information, the complete calendar and more details, go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar.

Here’s today's labor history:
On this date in 1995, some 33,000 striking members of the Machinists ended a 69-day walkout at Boeing after winning pay and benefit increases and protections against subcontracting some of their work overseas.

Today’s labor quote is from Melisha Adams
"I never understood how this man you could barely hear
when he was teaching in class
how he could get up and raise as much noise
as he did when he was president of the union."
Melisha Adams was a student at Cardozo High School when she wrote "Quiet Bill Finds His Voice," a poem about teacher Bill Simons, who led the Washington Teachers Union for 25 years and died recently. Go to dclabor.org to read her entire poem. Special thanks to storyteller and oral historian Candace Wolf.