Cary James spent four years getting a degree in mechanical engineering from Boston University. But after a few years of working in her field, she quit and became an electrician apprentice. “I spent quite a few years in a job I knew wasn’t for me,” James said recently at a Center for American Progress briefing on apprenticeships. “It wasn’t related to my degree or what I wanted to do in life. I realized I needed to move away from a job and start looking for a career.” The Obama administration earlier this month proposed a $2 billion dollar Apprenticeship Training Fund as part of its 2017 budget proposal to fulfill the president’s pledge to double the number of apprentices in the United States. James, a first year wireman apprentice with IBEW Local 26, attends biweekly classes to learn about the field, safe working practices and electrician etiquette. “Everyone has different ways of doing the same job,” said James. “Working with multiple people on the same type of task gives me the opportunity to see what works best for me and gives me ways to improve my craft.”
Go to dclabor.org to read our complete report and see a photo of Cary James.

On today’s labor calendar, there’s a Women's and Worker's Rights Rally at noon today at the National Press Club; go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar for details.

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1915, the minimum age allowed by law for workers in mills, factories, and mines in South Carolina was raised from 12 to 14.
And in 1940, Screen Actors Guild member Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to win an Academy Award, honored for her portrayal of “Mammy” in “Gone with the Wind”

Today’s labor quote is by Hattie McDaniel
"I loved Mammy. I think I understood her because my own grandmother worked on a plantation not unlike Tara."

The Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education on Tuesday released its endorsements in the 2016 primaries. Those winning endorsement include Eleanor Holmes Norton in the DC Congressional delegate race. Also on Tuesday, the Metro Washington Council posted its political calendar online. The calendar includes key national and local dates like primary and general election dates, as well as the schedule for interviewing and endorsing candidates. Go to dclabor.org and click on Political Action for the complete list of endorsed candidates and labor’s political calendar.

On tomorrow’s labor calendar, transit workers will rally in solidarity with DC Streetcar workers at Saturday’s Grand Opening of the Streetcar; the 9am rally is at 26th NE and Benning Road, across from the RFK Stadium parking lot.
Also tomorrow, writer Charles E. Cobb Jr. speaks at the release of his new book “This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed: How Guns Made the Civil Rights Movement Possible” from 7 to 9pm at The Potter's House.
Go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar for complete details.

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1885, Congress OKed the Contract Labor Law, designed to clamp down on "business agents" who contracted abroad for immigrant labor.
One of the reasons unions supported the measure was that employers were using foreign workers to fight against the growing U.S. labor movement, primarily by deploying immigrant labor to break strikes.
In 1941, Bethlehem Steel workers struck for union recognition in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
And in 2004, a 20-week strike by 70,000 Southern California supermarket workers ended, with both sides claiming victory.

Today’s labor quote is by Nick Dorsey, an employee at UPS and a Teamster, referring to Scott Walker's attacks on public employee unions in 2011:
"After they finish crushing them, they'll come after us, too."

Today’s guests:
Allison Burket, UNITE HERE Local 23 on their fight for a contract with I.L. Creations in 18 area government cafeterias.
Dena Briscoe, APWU 140, talks about how their contract at the US Postal Service expired last May and is now in arbitration.
 
Union City Radio’s Chris Garlock hosts, with DCNA Executive Director Ed Smith. 
 
Labor song of the week: Billy Bragg: There Is Power in a Union

This Week’s Quiz: During fiscal year 2014, how much did Wage and Hour Division investigations find was owed in back wages to workers whose employers violated the law and didn’t pay them what they had rightfully earned? $12 million; $73 million; $112 million; $240 million; $3.6 billion. Click here and you could be next week's winner of a labor-themed prize!

Please show your support for Union City and WPFW by pledging now at 202-588-9739 or 1-800-222-9739. Or you can easily donate online, just go to WPFWFM.org and click on the big “Donate Now” button. Thank you!

​For Black History Month, the AFL-CIO is lifting up black activists, leaders and agitators who are changing the rules and being the power in our communities.  Go to dclabor.org to see several brief video profiles of leaders who are making new history right now, including transgender freedom fighter Elle Hearns, courageous activist and artist Bree Newsome, United Steelworkers Vice President Fred Redmond and longtime labor leader and activist William Lucy.
 
On today's labor calendar, retiring Metro Council president Jos Williams will appear on WJLA Channel 7's NewsTalk with Bruce DePuyt today at 11am, with replays at 1pm and 11:30pm.
And on today's "Your Rights At Work" call-in radio show here on WPFW at 1pm, UNITE HERE Local 23's Allison Burket will discuss her local's fight for a contract for cafeteria workers, and the Postal Workers' Dena Briscoe will report on the status of their contract. 
Go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar for complete details. 
 
Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1965, the Amalgamated Association of Street & Electric Railway Employees of America changed their name to the Amalgamated Transit Union; much shorter and more representative of its broad membership of transit workers. 
 
In 2011, a crowd estimated to be 100,000 strong rallied at the Wisconsin state Capitol in protest of the push by Governor Scott Walker and the state’s Republican majority to cripple public employee bargaining rights.
 
Today’s labor quote is by filmmaker Michael Moore, speaking at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin on March 5, 2011
"America is not broke. Not by a long shot. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it’s not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich ... The only thing that's broke is the moral compass of the rulers. And we aim to fix that compass and steer the ship ourselves from now on."
 
Please show your support for Union City and WPFW by pledging now at 202-588-9739. Or you can easily donate online, just go to WPFWFM.org and click on the big “Donate Now” button. Thank you!

The Jefferson Hotel and the Hay-Adams – both local union hotels – have made the top 25 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 “Best Hotels in the USA” list. The Jefferson was ranked #2 and the Hay-Adams ranked #23. “We’re tremendously proud of our members whose hard work help make the Jefferson and Hay-Adams so highly-ranked,” said Unite Here Local 25 Executive Secretary Treasurer John Boardman. Go to dclabor.org for a list of all the DC-area union hotels.

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1908, U.S. Supreme Court upheld Oregon state restrictions on the working hours of women, justified as necessary to protect their health. A laundry owner was fined $10 for making a female employee work more than 10 hours in a single day.
In 1912, women and children textile strikers were beaten by police in Lawrence, Massachusetts during a 63-day walkout protesting low wages and work speedups.
And in 1919, Congress passed a federal child labor tax law that imposed a 10 percent tax on companies that employed children, defined as anyone under the age of 16 working in a mine or quarry or under the age 14 in a “mill, cannery, workshop, factory, or manufacturing establishment.” The Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional three years later.

Today’s labor quote is by Mary Harris Jones, better-known as Mother Jones
“They began work at 5:30 and quit at 7 at night. Children six years old going home to lie on a straw pallet until time to resume work the next morning! I have seen the hair torn out of their heads by the machinery, their scalps torn off, and yet not a single tear was shed, while the poodle dogs were loved and caressed and carried to the seashore.”
Mother Jones was an Irish-American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent labor and community organizer. She helped coordinate major strikes and cofounded the Industrial Workers of the World.

It started out as a typical day for Adam Peak, head meat cutter and UFCW Local 400 shop steward at Kroger #406 in Appomattox, Virginia. Then Peak’s store manager ran in and told him to get some ice; a truck driver making a delivery had collapsed from heat exhaustion. Peak ran out with the ice, but he saw that the driver wasn’t breathing. “I took my meat coat off, laid him down on his back, put it under his neck and started doing CPR,” Peak recalled. “After about four minutes, which seemed like forever, the paramedics came, but they let me keep doing CPR.” “Then, the next thing you know, he took a big breath,” Peak said. The paramedics took the driver to the hospital and later that day Peak learned that his CPR had saved the man’s life. “I was just doing what I’d want done if the same thing happened to me,” Peak said. Now, that's solidarity!
Go to dclabor.org for the complete story and to see a photo of Adam Peak. 

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1868, educator and civil rights activist W.E.B. DuBois was born.
In 1940, Woody Guthrie wrote “This Land Is Your Land” following a frigid trip—partially by hitchhiking, partially by rail—from California to Manhattan as the Great Depression was still raging.

Today’s labor quote is by Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie, who heard Kate Smith’s recording of “God Bless America” during the Depression and resolved to himself: “We can’t just bless America, we’ve got to change it.” 

Mass transit riders and workers teamed up last Saturday to fight for transit justice. At a noontime rally in Adelphi, Maryland, they demanded that elected officials “invest in more transit service, improve existing services, and create living wages and just workplaces for those who keep our region moving.” Amalgamated Transit Union locals 1764 and 689 say that riders with disabilities who rely on MetroAccess are trapped on a transit system that is less efficient and less dependable than Metrorail and Metrobus, but receives far less attention from elected officials. “Vehicle delays, prolonged trips due to irrational add-ons, and inadequate disability training are all issues WMATA and its subcontractors must confront,” the unions said. The ATU, WIN, and MetroAccess riders proposed reforms that they say “will make service safer, more reliable, and restore trust in MetroAccess.”

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1892, representatives of the Knights of Labor and the United Mine Workers met in St. Louis with 20 other organizations to plan the founding convention of the People’s Party. Their objectives: end political corruption, spread the wealth, and combat the oppression of the rights of workers and farmers.

In 1997, Albert Shanker died at age 68. He served as president of New York City’s United Federation of Teachers from 1964 to 1984 and of the American Federation of Teachers from 1974 to 1997.

Today’s labor quote is by Albert Shanker
"Public schools played a big role in holding our nation together. They brought together children of different races, languages, religions, and cultures and gave them a common language and a sense of common purpose. We have not outgrown our need for this; far from it."

The Washington Teachers Union is hosting their third annual "Shared Vision Conference" this Saturday.
“All are welcome, particularly parents and families of DCPS students,” says WTU Local 6 president Liz Davis.
Running from 9a-3p at Gallaudet University’s Kellogg Conference Center, the conference will bring together more than 300 teachers, parents, community leaders and other key education stakeholders “to learn more about research-based, proven strategies for successful schools for all children in the District.”
Go to wtulocal6.org for complete details and to RSVP.

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1910, a few weeks after workers had asked for a 25-cent hourly wage, the Philadelphia Rapid Transit streetcar company fired 173 union members and brought in replacements from New York City. Battles between strikers and scabs and a general strike ensued.

In 1975, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in favor of sales clerk Leura Collins and her union, the Retail Clerks, in NLRB versus J. Weingarten Inc.— the case establishing that workers have a right to request the presence of their union steward if they believe they are to be disciplined for a workplace infraction.

And in 1986, the Farm Labor Organizing Committee signed an agreement with the Campbell Soup Company, ending a 7-year boycott.

Today’s labor quote is by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
"I have one message for Senate Republicans," Trumka said in a video released yesterday urging the Senate to act on a potential Obama nominee for the Supreme Court. "Do your job. Do what tens of millions of American workers do every day. We wake up, go to work and do the job that we were paid to do. We don't just do the parts of the job that we like, or only work with people that we like, or choose when to show up on the job. No, we go to work and we do our job. Because that's what we agreed to. To Senate Republicans, I say that's what you agreed to as well."
You can see the full video on our website at dclabor.org

​Today’s guests:
Lynn Rhinehart, AFL-CIO Co-General Counsel, on the implications of Justice Scalia’s Death on Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association.
Jonathan Williams, Communications Manager for UFCW 400, on the Right to Work override in West Virginia: (301) 577-5836
 
Union City Radio’s Chris Garlock hosts, with DCNA Executive Director Ed Smith. 
 
Labor song of the week: “Union Thru and Thru” by the Eureka’s, Rob Mitchell and Ken Walther, written for the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, Australia's main trade union in construction, forestry and furnishing products, mining and energy production.

This Week’s Quiz: On January 1, 2016, 14 states and several cities raised their minimum wage. How long has it been since the National minium wage was raised? 2 years; 10 years; 1 year; 6 years. Click here and you could be next week's winner of a labor-themed prize!

Please show your support for Union City and WPFW by pledging now at 202-588-9739 or 1-800-222-9739. Or you can easily donate online, just go to WPFWFM.org and click on the big “Donate Now” button. Thank you!

Here's another story from the files of the Claimant Advocacy Program, in “The Case of the Necessary Leave.”
A longtime employee at one of the large universities in DC -- we'll call her Jane, not her real name -- anyway, Jane got sick with cancer and required extended leave to treat the disease. Before her leave ended, Jane contacted the university to let them know that she was still weak from the medical treatment and could not yet work a full time schedule. However, the employer denied Jane's request for a part-time schedule, placed her on unpaid leave and within two weeks, notified Jane that her failure to return to work full-time was the same as quitting. The Metro Council's Claimant Advocacy Program was able to win unemployment compensation for Jane by citing her fifteen years of service without any attendance issues, documenting her medical condition, and providing evidence of prior temporary job accommodations made to two senior staff members for issues like a broken leg and back surgery. The Claimant Advocacy Program -- part of the Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO -- is a free legal counseling service available to workers who file unemployment compensation appeals in the District of Columbia. Call 202-974-8150 for more info.

Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1834, one of the first American labor newspapers, The Man, was first published in New York City. It cost a penny, and, according to The History of American Journalism, “died an early death.”
In 1918, faced with 84-hour work-weeks, 24-hour shifts and pay of 29¢ an hour, fire fighters formed The International Association of Fire Fighters. Some individual locals had affiliated with the American Federation of Labor beginning in 1903.

Today’s labor quote is by Jennifer Granholm
"Those who purify your water, inspect your meat, and test your kids' toys, as well as a huge number of nurses, teachers, and our soldiers, are public employees. The firefighters who don't hesitate to rush toward danger while you run away from it - they are all public employees."
American politician, educator, author, and political commentator Jennifer Granholm as Attorney General and Governor of the State of Michigan.