Local labor and political leaders on Friday angrily criticized the decision to close two Safeway distribution centers in Upper Marlboro and Landover. Rallying outside the Upper Marlboro center, several hundred denounced the move by C&S Wholesale Grocers, which operates the Safeway-owned facilities. Congresswoman Donna Edwards called it “devastating, not just to the 900 workers and their families but the citizens and taxpayers of Prince George’s County” who granted the company tax breaks to build the centers. Teamsters Local 639 President Tommy Ratliff called the closure “a disgrace” after decades of dedicated work by the warehouse workers and drivers for more than fifty years. The political and labor leaders are calling for a moratorium on the closures and are demanding that C&S come to the table to discuss alternatives.
On today's Labor Calendar, Bill Lucy, longtime Secretary-Treasurer of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and founder of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, will provide his firsthand account of the 1968 sanitation workers' strike in Memphis, Tennessee, today at noon at the AFL-CIO. And tonight at 6:30 the Metro Washington Council holds its monthly meeting at the AFL-CIO. Go to dclabor.org and click on calendar for complete details. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1949, the National Association of Letter Carriers achieved equalization of wages for all letter carriers, meaning city delivery carriers began receiving the same wages regardless of the size of the community in which they worked. And in 1980, the J.P. Stevens textile company was forced to sign its first union contract after a 17-year struggle in North Carolina and other southern states. Today’s labor quote is by Martin Luther King Jr.: “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. “ Please support WPFW during the Fall membership drive; call 202-588-9739 or give online at wpfwfm.org; click on the big Donate Now button and be sure to select Morning Brew/Union City to show your support.
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