This is Chris Garlock, with the latest labor news, updates and history from the Metro Washington Labor Council.
(audio) A lot of times if you have a conversation about race people will say well, I’m not racist or well, don’t get mad at me because it was my fore-parents or it was my grandparents or my aunts and uncles or whoever. That’s Kenneth Rigmaiden, president of the Painters union, on the latest episode of the AFL-CIO’s “State of the Unions” podcast, where he details his journey from a floor-covering installer to the highest ranks of the labor movement, his experiences with racism and discrimination, the opportunities he seized and his commitment to the next generation of union members, activists and leaders. (audio) But I also had a friend of mine who told me, he just had a little picture, and it was a picture of black young babies, young kids, white kids, brown kids playing together just as kids. And the quote that he wrote under the picture: nobody knows anybody is different until someone tells them. I mean to me it’s that simple and that complex. But if more people understood that because people say things and do things and they are impressed on our youngsters. Now they may say well, I was just kidding. Well just kidding is not right. And the only way you can get past that is by addressing it head on. And that’s what we’re trying to do in the IUPAT, the notion...I say it over and over again...look this is an organization that has opportunity for all. If you can do the job, if you’re capable of doing the job, if you want to do the job, let’s see if you can get an opportunity to do that. You can hear the whole interview on the AFL-CIO’s “State of the Unions” podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. On today’s labor calendar, tune in at 1 o’clock this afternoon for this week’s edition of “Your Rights at Work” when Ed Smith and I will take your calls on worker rights and get updates on the latest labor news. That’s 1 o’clock this afternoon right here on WPFW 89.3 FM. And of course for all the labor events, go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar. In today’s labor history, on this date in 1938, a fifteen-week strike in San Francisco by members of the “Chinese Ladies Garment Workers Union” was started against a National Dollar Stores factory and three retail stores. Two weeks after white retail clerks struck in support, the strike was won. Workers received a pay increase, enforcement of health and safety regulations, and guarantees of work. Although the company closed a year later, the union later helped Chinese workers get positions in previously white-only shops, and some moved into leadership positions in the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. Today’s labor quote is by actress Hattie McDaniel at the 1940 Academy Awards, where she accepted the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her turn as Mammy in “Gone with the Wind.” McDaniel was the first African-American to win an Academy Award. (audio) Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, fellow members of the motion picture industry and honored guests, this is one of the happiest moments of my life and I want to thank each one of who had a part in selecting me for one of their awards; for your kindness that has made me feel very, very humble. And I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel and may I say thank you and God bless you. Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. Now is a great time to find a better deal on your auto insurance. To get a free quote and explore the best offers from national insurance providers, visit unionplus.org/auto. http://www.openculture.com/2014/02/hattie-mcdaniel-star-of-gone-with-the-wind-gives-a-moving-academy-award-acceptance-speech-1940.html
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Hosted by Chris Garlock and Ed Smith DC’s call-in show about worker rights: those you have, those you don’t, how to get them and how to use them. HOUR 1 Spring membership drive: pledge now at 202-588-9739, 1-800-222-9739 or click here to donate online. HOUR 2 Guests: RN Vivian Obijekwu, fired by Johns Hopkins Hospital after organizing African American nurses who are being discriminated against. Latest labor news with PAI News Editor in Chief Mark Gruenberg: House panel tackles legislation to curb violence against health care workers Produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Mike Nasella Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. This is Chris Garlock, with the latest labor news, updates and history from the Metro Washington Labor Council.
Registered nurses with National Nurses United at MedStar Washington Hospital Center voted overwhelmingly this past weekend to ratify a new five-year contract. The deal covers 1,900 registered nurses at the hospital, and features a host of improvements and protections for both nurses and patients. A major provision will immediately add 30 resource nurses. “This is a huge win for us and our patients,” said Stephanie Sims, RN, who has worked as a nurse at MedStar Washington Hospital Center for 14 years. NNU says other highlights of the contract will help retain and recruit high-quality nurses to Washington Hospital Center. Read more on our website at dclabor.org For the latest local labor calendar, go to dclabor.org, and click on Calendar. In today’s labor history, on this date in 1937, four hundred and fifty workers and customers occupied a Detroit Woolworth’s for eight days in support of the Waiters and Waitresses Union. Today’s labor quote is by writer John Steinbeck, born in Salinas, California on this date in 1902. Steinbeck is best known for writing “The Grapes of Wrath,” which exposed the mistreatment of migrant farm workers during the Depression and led to some reforms. John Steinbeck, who said: “If you're in trouble, or hurt or need - go to the poor people. They're the only ones that'll help - the only ones.” Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. Now is a great time to find a better deal on your auto insurance. To get a free quote and explore the best offers from national insurance providers, visit unionplus.org/auto. This is Chris Garlock, with the latest labor news, updates and history from the Metro Washington Labor Council.
(audio) When I became General President of the IUPAT it was right before the Building Trades Legislative Conference in 2013. And so as a president of the IUPAT I’m on the dais with the other presidents and it wasn’t lost on me that yeah I was the only African American...person of color...on the podium. I got that. But here’s what happened. That’s Kenneth Rigmaiden, president of the Painters union, on the latest episode of the AFL-CIO’s “State of the Unions” podcast, where he details his journey from a floor-covering installer to the highest ranks of the labor movement, his experiences with racism and discrimination, the opportunities he seized and his commitment to the next generation of union members, activists and leaders. (audio) I’m just at the podium. The convention hadn't even started yet. And I’m standing up for a little bit. I sat down and I was having a drink of water. And all of the sudden people started coming up to the podium. They were black, male and female, they were white, male and female, they were Latinx, male and female, Asian. And they all said kind of like the same thing. I never thought I would see this. And that’s when it hit me like a sledgehammer that it wasn’t just African Americans. It was people...black, brown, white, Asian, male, female coming up and saying that and acknowledging that. To me that was a start. On today’s labor calendar, if you missed last week’s screening of “Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution,” you can catch it tonight at the Shirlington Busboys and Poets starting at 6pm. Admission is free, but you must RSVP online at dclabor.org, click on Calendar. In today’s labor history, on this date 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 Abraham Lincoln, who said: “I am glad to see that a system of labor prevails under which laborers can strike when they want to. … I like the system which lets a man quit when he wants and wish it might prevail everywhere.” Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. Now is a great time to find a better deal on your auto insurance. To get a free quote and explore the best offers from national insurance providers, visit unionplus.org/auto. |
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