Nearly 300 janitors who clean and maintain the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center have ratified a new contract that maintains their employer’s contributions into the workers’ pension fund. A week ago, the workers – members of SEIU 32BJ -- voted to authorize a strike to protest Ace Janitorial Services’ previous proposal to undermine retirement security for cleaners, many of whom have worked at Walter Reed for decades. “Protecting the health and safety of our nation’s veterans is a job we take very seriously,” said Helen Ávalos, a janitor at Walter Reed. “We are happy to put this ordeal behind us knowing that we can someday retire with dignity.”
Read more on our website at dclabor.org, where you can also find out about the latest local labor events and actions by clicking on Calendar. Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 1864, the International Workingmen’s Association was founded in London. It was an international organization trying to unite a variety of different left-wing, socialist, communist and anarchist political groups and unions. It lasted for about 12 years, growing to a membership of eight million, before disbanding at its Philadelphia conference in 1876, victim of infighting brought on by the wide variety of members’ philosophies. Today’s labor quote is by Karl Marx “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it.” Marx was a somewhat obscure 46-year-old émigré journalist when he attended the 1864 founding of the International Workingmen’s Association, but he soon come to play a decisive role in the organization.
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