TUCOSWA Honored: The George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award Ceremony will be held this Thursday, October 1, at6:00PM at the AFL-CIO honoring the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) for its struggle to protect worker rights and defend human rights activists who have been illegally harassed and imprisoned. TUCOSWA continues to lead efforts to make Swaziland a more inclusive, just and democratic country.Click here to RSVP. photo: Vincent Ncongwane, TUCOSWA Secretary General JUFJ: A restaurant worker turned organizer turned powerhouse labor leader. A pro bono champion and behind-the-scenes mentor and community builder. A determined and strategic LGBT ally parent and activist. A labor lawyer protecting workers and leading synagogue organizing. We want to celebrate with you. Jews United For Justice's Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel Vision Awards will honor these local leaders on October 25thfrom 4-6p at Temple Sinai. Click here to learn more. This Week's Quiz: In the trucking industry, independent non-union drivers are known as: scabs; pie-cards; yellow-bellies; or gypsies. Click here and you could be next week's winner of a labor-themed prize! Previous Quiz: The Cigar Makers International Union was the first trade union to admit women into membership. Congrats to Stacy Spexet of USW Local 9460, Duluth, MN, this week's quiz winner! The 100 Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild (WBNG) members at Radio Free Asia have ratified a three-year agreement providing January wage hikes that will be 1 percent above the increases realized by federal employees. At United Way Worldwide, six WBNG-represented employees have secured a one-year contract extension featuring a 3 percent pay boost.
Domestic workers in Jordan formed the country's first-ever worker rights network, one that includes migrant workers from Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. The more than 2.4 million migrant domestic workers in the Arab region often toil 12–20 hour days, six or seven days a week cleaning homes, preparing meals and caring for children and the elderly. Migrant workers in Jordan, like in many countries in the Middle East and elsewhere, cannot form unions to improve their working conditions. Find out more at the Solidarity Center. Photo credit: Solidarity Center/Sara Khatib |