 "I was the drop that caused the cup of bitterness to overflow."
- Walentynowicz (with bullhorn), a shipyard worker whose firing made her a central figure in Poland's Solidarity movement, was known as the "mother of Solidarity." Source  John Reed forms the Communist Labor Party in Chicago. The Party’s motto: "Workers of the world, unite!" - 1919
Some 10,000 striking miners began a fight at Blair Mountain, W.Va., for recognition of their union, the United Mine Workers of America. Federal troops were sent in and miners were forced to withdraw five days later, after 16 deaths - 1921 The Trade Union Unity League is founded as an alternative to the American Federation of Labor, with the goal of organizing along industrial rather than craft lines. An arm of the American Communist Party, the League claimed 125,000 members before it dissolved in the late 1930s - 1929 "Solidarity" workers movement founded as a strike coordination committee at Lenin Shipyards, Gdansk, Poland. The strike launched a wave of unrest in the Soviet Union that ultimately led to its dissolution in 1991 - 1980 An estimated 325,000 unionists gathered in Washington, D.C., for a Solidarity Day march and rally (left) for workplace fairness and healthcare reform - 1991 Detroit teachers begin what is to become a 9-day strike, winning smaller class sizes and raises of up to 4 percent - 1999 Compiled/edited by Union Communication Services  The Community Services Agency on Monday was notified of the award of two grants totaling $305,000. Both grants will support CSA's Building Futures Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Training program, which helps low-income DC residents break into apprenticeships and jobs in the trades. The United Planning Organization grant is a renewal for a fifth year, while the DC Department of Employment Services Pre-Apprenticeship Grant is new this year. "This wonderful news is only possible because of the fabulous job our Building Futures staff-- program coordinator Sylvia Casaro-Dietert, case manager Jennifer Gajdosik, and job developer Tia Watkins -- do day in and day out with the program and its clients," said CSA Executive Director Kathleen McKirchy. "Combined with the support we receive from the unionized building trades and our other partners, this has made for a winning program that gets people into good stable jobs and careers." For more information about the program, contact [email protected]
photo (l-r): Casaro-Dietert, McKirchy; photo by Chris Garlock  Evelyn Sommers, former Executive Director of the DC Nurses Association (DCNA), passed away August 25 after a short stay in hospice care. Serving for 22 years -- 1980-2002 -- Sommers (at right in photo) was the longest tenured Executive Director in DCNA history. "She taught and mentored countless numbers of nurses," says DCNA Executive Director Ed Smith. Under Ms. Sommers’ leadership, Smith adds, "DCNA thrived as an organizing entity:, increasing membership in the union, becoming a powerful force in legislative matters affecting health care and collective bargaining and emerging as an educational resource." Ms. Sommers will be remembered this Thursday, August 31st, 1:30 pm, in a memorial service at Glenview Mansion, Rockville Civic Center Park, 603 Edmonston Drive, Rockville, MD 20851.
Photo: 1999 DCNA strike at Howard University Hospital; photo by Carl Wallace |
