Member activism and the hard work of UFCW Local 400 shop steward Mary Little recently won a landmark victory at a Lynchburg Kroger store. All courtesy clerks there were promoted to front end clerks, gaining raises, benefits, holiday pay and paid vacations in the process. The promotions came after Little caught store management assigning the courtesy clerks tasks beyond the scope of their jobs, in clear violation of their contract. “I believe everyone should be treated equally,” Little said. “Courtesy clerks have a hard job. I’m just going to do everything I can to get every shop steward on board so we can get all of these courtesy clerks what they deserve.”
On today’s labor calendar, Nurses will rally for patient safety in front of Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring starting at 9:30am; the regular Monday Night Labor Lobbyists' Meeting is tonight from 5 to 7 in Annapolis and at 8pm tonight the documentary "13th" – about the history of racial inequality in America -- screens free at the Old Greenbelt Theatre, in Greenbelt, Maryland. Complete details on our website at dclabor.org, click on Calendar. Here’s today's labor history, On this date in 1865, a national eight-month strike by the Sons of Vulcan, a union of iron forgers, ended in victory when employers agreed to a wage scale based on the price of iron bars—the first time employers recognized the union, the first union contract in the iron and steel industry, and what may be the first union contract of any kind in the United States. In 2008, some 12,000 Hollywood writers returned to work today following a largely successful three-month strike against television and motion picture studios. They won compensation for their TV and movie work that gets streamed on the Internet. Today’s labor quote is by Martin Luther King, Jr “When the rest of the nation accepted rank discrimination and prejudice as ordinary and usual – like the rain, to be deplored but accepted as part of nature – trade unions, particularly the CIO, leveled all barriers to equal membership.”
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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! On today's show, Will Fischer, Union Veterans Council Executive Director is in-studio, discussing attempts to privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs and the effect of the the federal hiring freeze on veterans, plus we play great audio by Cesar Chavez, Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger from the Pacifica Archives and of course we take listener calls on your rights at work. Labor Song: Pete Seeger, Which Side Are You On? Help keep Union City Radio on the air by pledging at 202-588-9739 or 1-800-222-9739, or you pledge online at wpfwfm.org. And during WPFW’s Winter Fund Drive, you can wrap your ears around the largest and most comprehensive collection of historic audio ever compiled by Pacifica Radio Archives, now available for the very first time on a single USB memory stick. With nearly one thousand hours of meticulously curated audio, covering dozens and dozens of topics, you’ll be inspired, challenged, entertained, and educated. All that, for just a $200 donation; call 202-588-9739 or 1-800-222-9739 or pledge online at wpfwfm.org. And whatever you give, thank you! Special shout-out to Union Veterans Council Executive Director Will Fischer for his generous contribution! Produced by Sid Dawson, engineered by Ian Simmons; Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus. UnionPlus is committed to improving the quality of life of working families through their unique products and services. Find out more at unionplus.org. About 40 housekeepers and guest-room workers at the Trump International Hotel Washington voted recently to unionize, joining Unite Here Local 25. John Boardman, executive secretary treasurer of Local 25, says he expects contract negotiations to begin “very soon and to conclude quickly.” The union, Boardman said, hopes to cover Trump hotel workers under a broader multi-hotel agreement providing for family health care, pension plan increases and raises for workers, with housekeepers and dishwashers’ annual income rising to $52,000 by the end of the five-year contract.
On today’s labor calendar, our guest on today’s edition of Your Rights At Work is Union Veterans Council Executive Director Will Fischer; that’s today from 1-2pm here on WPFW; Then at 6 tonight is the Awards Reception for winners of the Berger-Marks Foundation's Edna Award for Social Justice and the Kate Mullany Courageous Young Worker Awards; that’s a free event but you do need to RSVP; Also starting at 6 tonight is DC Jobs with Justice’s Solidarity Squad Kickoff and Training. As always, complete details and sign-up links are at dclabor.org, click on Calendar. Here’s today's labor history, On this date in 1950, U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy falsely charged that the State Department was riddled with Communists. It seems that just about everyone else the Wisconsin senator didn’t like was a Communist as well, including scores of unionists. This was the beginning of the McCarthy era, also known as the second “Red Scare,” when thousands of Americans were accused of being communists or communist sympathizers and became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government or private-industry panels, committees and agencies. The primary targets of such suspicions were government employees, those in the entertainment industry, educators and union activists. And yes, there are disturbing parallels with President Trump’s current obsession with so-called “Islamic terrorism” and his attacks on the media and anyone else who challenges him. McCarthy ultimately was officially condemned by the Senate and died of alcoholism. Today’s labor quote is by Clarence Darrow “You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free.” Clarence Darrow was an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union; he died in 1938. Help keep Union City Radio on the air by pledging at 202-588-9739 or 1-800-222-9739, or you can pledge online at wpfwfm.org. Whatever you give, thank you! Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus. UnionPlus is committed to improving the quality of life of working families through their unique products and services. Find out more at unionplus.org. After months of negotiations – and leafleting several performances -- Strathmore ticket office employees have finally settled a contract. The three-year agreement with members of IATSE Local 868 includes wage increases and extending and protecting health insurance and retirement benefits. Local 868 Business Agent Anita Wilkinson said the Strathmore workers “stuck together to assure they got a contract they were satisfied with.”
It’s the first contract for the Strathmore ticket office workers, and the union said that the agreement “will serve as the foundation upon which Strathmore and IATSE Local 868 will build a mutually beneficial long-term relationship.” Wilkinson added that "We have plans to keep working with other box offices to assure the same benefits." Here’s today's labor history, On this date in 1912, vigilantes beat IWW organizers for exercising free-speech rights in San Diego. Today’s labor quote is by Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, on the philosophy of the Industrial Workers of the World, or IWW "They did not believe in making any contracts. They believed that as long as you were organized, you could hold the office to what it said it was going to do. But a contract, a piece of paper held you and so they didn't make any contracts." Elizabeth Gurley Flynn was a labor leader, activist, and feminist who played a leading role in the IWW. |
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