Nearly two dozen union leaders in Belarus have been arrested in recent weeks and reliable sources tell Union City that the government is now moving to liquidate the unions, including the Belarus Congress of Trade Unions (BDKP), after union leaders publicly opposed the Russian war in Ukraine. At least 18 remain in prison, where detainees are routinely tortured. Several have criminal cases against them, and the Supreme Court is moving to liquidate the organization and its affiliates. The BKDP has put out a call for international solidarity and supporters are signing this LabourStart petition.
This week’s Labor History Today podcast: Working People’s Hidden Histories; Last week's show: Labor history at the AFL-CIO & Labor Notes. June 29 An Executive Order signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt establishes the National Labor Relations Board. A predecessor organization, the National Labor Board, established by the Depression-era National Industrial Recovery Act in 1933, was struck down by the Supreme Court - 1934 IWW strikes Weyerhauser and other Idaho lumber camps - 1936 The U.S. Supreme Court rules in CWA v. Beck that, in a union security agreement, a union can collect as dues from non-members only that money necessary to perform its duties as a collective bargaining representative - 1988 June 30 Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) founded in Chicago - 1905 Alabama outlaws the leasing of convicts to mine coal, a practice that had been in place since 1848. In 1898, 73 percent of the state's total revenue came from this source. 25 percent of all black leased convicts died - 1928 Up to 40,000 New York construction workers demonstrated in midtown Manhattan, protesting the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s awarding of a $33 million contract to a nonunion company. Eighteen police and three demonstrators were injured. "There were some scattered incidents and some minor violence," Police Commissioner Howard Safir told the New York Post. "Generally, it was a pretty well-behaved crowd." – 1998 Labor Calendar: click here for complete and latest listings WTU Rally for a Fair Contract Now! Tue, June 28, 10:00am – 2:30pm Freedom Plaza, Washington, DC Three years without a contract is too long! Support WTU Local 6. Metro Washington Council Delegate meeting: Tue, June 28, 5pm – 7pm REGISTER HERE; Last meeting before the summer break! Labor, Democracy, and the Common Good: Where Do We Stand and What Must be Done? Tue, June 28, 7pm – 9pm Register to receive a link on Zoom. Democracy is under assault in our workplaces and across much of the globe. How has this assault come about and how can workers fight back, defending and extending democracy? Your Rights At Work: CLICK HERE to hear last week's WPFW show: After months of delays by the boss, Union Kitchen workers have finally won union recognition; UFCW Local 400 organizer Travis Acton reports. Then, it’s Back To The Way Things Were, a brand-new musical from our friends at the San Francisco Mime Troupe; Resident Playwright Michael Gene Sullivan joins us for a preview. Plus, Kathy M. Newman wonders what the Van Gogh Immersive Experience can tell us about the relationship between art, social class, and work. U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.) last week led a coalition of 29 House Democrats calling for members of NABET-CWA Local 52031 employed at Maslow Media Group, Inc., to receive equal pay for equal work. In a letter sent to the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives earlier this month, the lawmakers pointed out that Maslow employees “work side-by-side with House Recording Studio (HRS) employees performing the same duties and responsibilities. However, the Maslow employees earn substantially less than the HRS employees and have few, if any, benefits (such as retirement, health insurance, etc.) available to them.”
Bob Williams, President of NABET-CWA Local 52031 said, “Maslow workers broadcast messages of pay equity and dignity and respect in the workplace from the House of Representatives – and now it’s time the lawmakers they serve start speaking out for them and try to rectify this injustice. Thank you to Representative Cleaver and all the Members who signed on. This brings us one step closer to making sure that our members who provide vital services for the House of Representatives are paid fairly.” |