On today’s labor calendar, the Albert Shanker Institute and the American Federation of Teachers host "The Affordability Crisis: Rescuing the Dream of College Education for the Working Class Poor" from noon to 2pm, featuring Senator Elizabeth Warren. Go to shankerinstitute.org to register or watch the livestream.
Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1937, the mayor of Monroe, Michigan organizes a vigilante mob of 1,400 armed with baseball bats and tear-gas to break the organizing picket line of 200 striking workers at Newton Steel. In 1946, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that preliminary work activities, where controlled by the employer and performed entirely for the employer's benefit, are properly included as working time. The decision is known as the "portal to portal case." And in 1963, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, mandating equal pay to women who are performing the same jobs as men.
Today’s labor quote is by Congresswoman Jackie Speier:
“Since President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963, the gap between men and women's earnings has narrowed by less than a half-cent per year. At this rate, American women will have to wait until 2062 to bring home the same salary as their male counterparts.”
Jackie Speier has represented California's 14th congressional district since 2008.