AT&T workers from CWA Local 2222 in Annandale, Virginia joined nationwide picketing outside Mobility stores last week to demonstrate their solidarity with ongoing contract negotiations. About 21,000 CWA workers nationwide are covered under the current contract, which expires February 11. CWA says it’s “Ready to do whatever it takes to win a fair contract.”

Here’s today's labor history:
On this date in 1978, after winning organizing successes, the United Farm Workers of America officially ended its historic table grape, lettuce and wine boycotts. 

In 2002, union and student pressure forced Harvard University to raise wages for their lowest-paid workers.
And in 2005, five months after Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans school board fired every teacher in the district in what the United Teachers of New Orleans saw as an effort to break the union and privatize the school system. 

Today’s labor quote is by United Farm Worker leader Cesar Chavez
“The consumer boycott is the only open door in the dark corridor of nothingness down which farm workers have had to walk for many years. It is a gate of hope through which they expect to find the sunlight of a better life for themselves and their families.”

"The sky is falling! The labor movement is dead!" That's the reaction by opponents of unions to last week's report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics  that union membership dropped by nearly a quarter of a million last year. 
But the truth is, collective action in America is stronger than ever, said AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka. "We’ve seen the source of our power in defeating the TPP, even when most people told us we couldn’t," Trumka noted. "We’ve seen it in successfully raising wages at the state and local levels against great political odds. And we’ll use it to begin to change the tide for all working people."
Trumka pointed out that a strong labor movement raises wages for all working families and improves the entire economy. The same report from the BLS said that workers in a union made $202 more per week than those without a union. 
Trumka recognized that the labor movement does have challenges. The biggest have been put in place by corporations and politicians who have been at the throats of workers for years, he said. "The ugly truth," said Trumka, is that "because of these attacks, we live in a country where working people are constantly denied our right – our constitutional right – to join a union in the first place. With the way the deck is currently stacked, it’s a miracle that brave workers continue to find new ways to organize."
But, said Trumka, the American labor movement must also recognize its own challenges. "We must be a better movement for a changing workforce," he said. "We must adapt our structures to fit the needs of today’s workers. We must not be afraid to challenge ourselves to better serve working families. And we know we will succeed because we are committed to doing just that, inspired by the spirit we see in working people every day from coast to coast, in industries far and wide."

On today's labor calendar, former organizer Steve Early will lead a discussion about his new book --  “Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money, and the Remaking of An American City” -- tonight from 6:30 to 8:00pm at the 14th Street Busboys & Poets. The book explores how progressive activists turned a company town into a model for municipal action in the Trump Era.

Here’s today's labor history:
On this date in 1919, the Paris Peace Conference established the Commission on International Labour Legislation to draft the constitution of a permanent International Labour Organization, or ILO.  Today, as part of the United Nations, the ILO is charged with drafting and overseeing international labor standards.

Today’s labor quote is by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who helped organize the International Labour Organization's first conference, in 1919. In 1941, Roosevelt, then president of the United States said "I well remember that in those days the ILO was still a dream. To many it was a wild dream. Who had ever heard of Governments getting together to raise the standards of labor on an international plane? Wilder still was the idea that the people themselves who were directly affected - the workers and the employers of the various countries - should have a hand with Government in determining these labor standards."

The “Women Can Build” exhibition currently on view in the AFL-CIO lobby features original photographs and stories of women today who are building America’s buses and trains, as well as historic photographs of World War Two-era “Rosie the Riveter” manufacturing workers. 
The contemporary “Rosies” in the exhibit work for global transit equipment manufacturing companies in U.S. factories. 
The women were photographed by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Deanne Fitzmaurice, employing the dramatic lighting, bold color and work tools used in the original “Rosie” photos while making striking contemporary photos. Her portraits elevate the everyday reality of labor and celebrate it. 
The exhibit – which is on view weekdays from 9 to 5 -- was curated by Fiona Gardner and is sponsored by Jobs to Move America and the AFL-CIO.

On today’s labor calendar, find out “Why the Federal Courts Matter to Workers” today at noon at the AFL-CIO. Bring your own lunch, free water and cookies will be provided. Complete details at dclabor.org, click on calendar. 

Here’s today's labor history:
On this date in 1734, New York City maids organized to improve working conditions. 

In 1920, the International Labor Organization met for the first time. 

In 2014, Pete Seeger died in New York at age 94. A musician and activist, he was a revered figure on the American left, persecuted during the McCarthy era for his support of progressive, labor and civil rights causes. A prolific songwriter, he is generally credited with popularizing the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.” He actively participated in demonstrations until shortly before his death. 

And on this date in 2014, members of the Northwestern University football team announced they were seeking union recognition. The National Labor Relations Board later punted on the historic case, declining to assert jurisdiction and leaving unresolved the question of whether the student players are workers or not. 

Today’s labor quote is by Pete Seeger, who said “The key to the future of the world, is finding the optimistic stories and letting them be known.”

Hosts:  Chris Garlock and Ed Smith; JOIN US AT 202-588-0893

Also, if you miss our live show – or want to hear a past show – Your Rights At Work is now available as a podcast! Just search for Union City Radio on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts; subscribe and you’ll get our shows right on your phone.

Guests:  
Cecelie Counts, Legislative Representative, Government Affairs on Why the Federal Courts Matter to Workers. 
Steve Early, author of “Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money, and the Remaking of An American City”; book party January 30 from 6:30 - 8:00 P.M. 14th Street Busboys & Poets.

Labor Song: We Shall Not Be Moved; Pete Seeger 

Produced by Sid Dawson, engineered by Mike Nasella

Nearly two dozen workers who were owed tens of thousands of dollars finally got their wages after they quit, organized and fought back. Last fall, the workers were hired by Genesis, a local sub-contractor, to help build three large high rises in Northeast DC. While work proceeded on the mixed-use development, wages became a problem, as workers received partial payments or had paychecks bounce and eventually Genesis stopped paying wages entirely.
The workers turned to Trabajadores Unidos de Washington DC, and the local advocacy group used DC’s Wage Theft Prevention Act to collect more than $46,000 dollars in back pay. Trabajadores Unidos Executive Director Arturo Griffiths says that “This case is an important lesson for all DC workers, showing how important it is for contractors and workers to understand the new law.”

On today’s labor calendar, catch “Your Rights at Work” at 1pm here on WPFW as our guests include Cecelie Counts on Why the Federal Courts Matter to Workers and Steve Early on Remaking An American City. Plus listener calls on rights on the job.

Here’s today's labor history:
On this date in 1695, in what could be considered the first workers’ compensation agreement in America, pirate Henry Morgan pledged his underlings 600 pieces of eight or six slaves to compensate for a lost arm or leg. Also part of the pirate’s code, according to the late Roger Newell: shares of the booty were equal regardless of race or sex, and shipboard decisions were made collectively.
Today’s the birthday of Samuel Gompers, first president of the American Federation of Labor. Gompers was born in London, England and emigrated to the U.S. as a youth.
 
Today’s labor quote is by Sam Gompers, who said: “Show me the country in which there are no strikes and I’ll show you that country in which there is no liberty.”

The coalition supporting the $15-dollar-an-hour minimum wage in Montgomery County blasted County Executive Ike Leggett after he vetoed the bill on Monday.
"Leggett has chosen to yank back a critical lifeline and leave working families only a payday away from poverty," said the coalition in a statement.
"Ironically, Leggett's veto only hurts local business as working men and women will have less to spend,” the statement continued. “Taxpayers will also feel the burden as they foot the bill for families who are forced to rely on public assistance to survive.”
The Coalition – which includes local unions and community groups, as well as faith leaders -- urged County Council members to override the veto.

Here’s today's labor history:
On this date in 1851, African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth addressed the first Black Women’s Rights convention.
In 1904, two hundred miners were killed in a horrific explosion at the Harwick mine in Cheswick, Pennsylvania. Many of the dead lie entombed in the sealed mine to this day.
In 1915, the Supreme Court upheld “Yellow Dog” employment contracts, which banned membership in labor unions. Yellow Dog contracts remained legal until 1932.
And in 1926, some 16,000 textile workers struck in Passaic, New Jersey.

Today’s labor quote is by Sojourner Truth
“If women want any rights more than they've got, why don't they just take them, and not be talking about it.”
Sojourner Truth, who also said “Truth is powerful and it prevails.”
Born into slavery in New York State, Sojourner Truth escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826.

“Show us what America looks like! This is what America looks like!” With that chant – a variation on one that unionists first coined – more than 500,000 people, including unionists from across the country, descended on Washington last Saturday for a massive march for women’s rights. But that wasn’t the only cause for the D.C. marchers, who were joined by sister marches in cities across the country, from New York to Los Angeles and everywhere in-between. Latest estimates put the number at well over 1 million around the world.
​Campaigners for worker rights, gay-lesbian-bisexual rights, immigrants’ rights, freedom from police brutality against African-Americans, veterans who protested wars and Muslim-Americans protesting discrimination turned out in a joyful celebration of solidarity before returning home to resume the struggle for justice.
Check out our detailed report – and lots of photos – on our website at dclabor.org

On today's labor calendar, Metro’s unions will host their third public town hall meeting tonight at 7pm in Arlington, this one for WMATA riders in Northern Virginia. Complete details are on our website; go to dclabor.org and click on calendar

Here’s today's labor history:
On this date in 1935, Krueger’s Cream Ale, the first canned beer, went on sale in Richmond, Virginia. Pabst was the second brewer in the same year to sell beer in cans, which came with opening instructions and the suggestion: "cool before serving."

Today’s labor quote is by Liz Shuler, Executive Vice President of the AFL-CIO
Liz Shuler, who said last Saturday:
“We’re going to march together and stand together in solidarity to make sure our voices are heard.”

Tefere Gebre, the AFL-CIO's Executive Vice President, came to America when he was just 15 years old, escaping an authoritarian regime in Ethiopia as a political refugee. He walked for 93 days through the Sudanese desert to find freedom. Last week, on Martin Luther King Jr. remembrance day, Tefere shared this quote by Dr, King:
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” 
Noting that "we’re coming off of an election that reminded us we still have considerable work ahead in the struggle for freedom and civil rights," Tefere said that "This is exactly the time that will require all of us to stand up in solidarity."  
Check out our coverage of last weekend's rallies and marches on our website at dclabor.org

On today's labor calendar, the Metro Washington Council meets tonight at the AFL-CIO; all are welcome to attend the meeting, which begins at 6:30 pm.
And at 7pm tonight, there's a rally for Earned Sick Days on Lawyers Mall in Annapolis. 

Here’s today's labor history:
On this date in 1913, 10,000 clothing workers struck in my hometown of Rochester, New York for the 8 hour day, a 10% wage increase, union recognition, and extra pay for overtime and holidays. Daily parades were held throughout the clothing district and there was at least one instance of mounted police charging the crowd of strikers and arresting 25 picketers. Six people were wounded over the course of the strike and one worker, 18 year old Ida Breiman, was shot to death by a sweatshop contractor. The strike was called off in April after manufacturers agreed not to discriminate against workers for joining a union.

​Today’s labor quote is by Tefere Gebre
“It doesn’t matter if you came in bondage as a slave into this country or you came generations ago as Eastern European to build cities like Chicago or New York. Or you were Chinese and built railroads in this country. Or a modern day immigrant who make our beds and clean the offices and build our highways or the refugee engineers remapping the country. That’s who we are and that is the sense of this country and that is worth fighting for. That is worth really speaking up for." 

Hosts:  Chris Garlock and Ed Smith; join us at 202-588-0893

Also, if you miss our live show – or want to hear a past show – Your Rights At Work is now available as a podcast! Just search for Union City Radio on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts; subscribe and you’ll get our shows right on your phone!

Guests:
Mara Verheyden-Hilliard on your rights as a demonstrator and Joe McCartin on what lies ahead for public sector workers under Trump.

Labor Song:  "Take This Job and Shove It," by Johnny Paycheck