“’The first thing is to raise hell,’ says I. ‘That’s always the first thing to do when you’re faced with an injustice and you feel powerless. That’s what I do in my fight for the working class.’” On this date in 1899, Jones, who was 70 at the time, organized the wives of striking miners in Arnot, Pennsylvania to descend on the mine with brooms, mops and clanging pots and pans. They frightened away the mules and their scab drivers. The miners eventually won their strike. This week’s Labor History Today podcast: “Despotism on Demand” Sociologist Alex Wood on the history of the relationship between bosses and workers and how that’s playing out in the age of COVID-19. On Labor History in 2: The Wreck of The Old ‘97. Last week’s show: Escape on the Pearl; Black Labor Week 29 strike leaders are charged with treason – plotting "to incite insurrection, rebellion & war against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" – for daring to strike the Carnegie Steel Co. in Homestead, Pa. Jurors refuse to convict them - 1892 Railroad shopmen in 28 cities strike the Illinois Central Railroad and the Harriman lines for an 8 hour day, improved conditions and union recognition, but railroad officials obtain sweeping injunctions against them and rely on police and armed guards to protect strikebreakers - 1915 Black farmers meet in Elaine, Ark. to establish the Progressive Farmers and Householders Union to fight for better pay and higher cotton prices. They are shot at by a group of whites, and return the fire. News of the confrontation spread and a riot ensued, leaving at least 100, perhaps several hundred blacks dead and 67 indicted for inciting violence - 1919 - David Prosten click here for latest listings Union City Radio: 7:15am daily WPFW-FM 89.3 FM; click here to hear today's report "Knocking on Labor's Door: Union Organizing in the 1970s and the Roots of a New Economic Divide”: Tue, September 29, 12:15pm – 1:15pm Lane Windham, Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor, Georgetown University Airport Union Caucus: Tue, September 29, 2pm – 3pm [note new date] Meeting for unions representing airport and airline workers Loudoun County Labor Caucus: Tue, September 29, 5pm – 7pm Special Guest - County Chair Phyllis Randall Virtual Phone Bank for Abigail Spanberger: Tue, September 29, 5:30pm – 7:30pm MD/DC AFL-CIO Labor 2020 phonebank (NC): Tue, September 29, 6pm – 9pm FILM: QUEEN SUGAR: Tue, September 29, 7pm – 9pm (will be done before debate!) Virtual Phone Bank and Best Practices training session: Wed, September 30, 2:30pm – 4:00pm Register here Metro Washington Council and Community Services Agency staff are teleworking; reach them at the contact numbers and email addresses here. Labor Radio Podcast Weekly: America’s Work Force; RadioLabour; Heartland Labor Forum; Union City Radio; Labor Lines; The Break Time Breakdown: AFM Local 4 president Len DiCosimo on the political divides in America today; unionbusting at nonprofits; “A perfect illustration of why public services should not be entrusted to for-profit companies like Transdev”; Stephen Lerner on Bargaining for the Common Good; first-year apprentice Kasey Mathias shares her experiences. The good news: Giant last week announced a one-time “appreciation” bonus for grocery workers. The bad news:
Giant has refused to even open negotiations over hazard pay with its worker’s union. Meanwhile, Stop & Shop, which is owned by the same parent company, has not only agreed to open negotiations on a hazard pay deal, the company and the union just agreed to provide retroactive premium pay to all store associates. UFCW Local 400 President Mark Federici, together with President Jason Chorpenning of UFCW Local 27 in Baltimore, sent a letter to Giant president Ira Kress to “express our complete disgust” with Giant’s refusal to negotiate. Read more here. |