This is Chris Garlock, with the Metro Washington Council’s round-up of local labor news, updates and history.
Unemployed workers and their advocates urged the DC City Council last week to raise unemployment benefits and adopt other common sense reforms to benefit DC workers. “A job loss can be catastrophic,” testified Tonya Love of the Metro Washington Council's Claimant Advocacy Program. “Unemployment benefits were designed to be a safety net to offset the loss of income when they lose a job through no fault of their own. But it is a daunting task to make a living on $359 per week.” SEIU 722's Dan Fields noted that "DC has a high cost of living and the benefits just don’t fit the bill.” It's been 10 years since DC last raised this benefit and since then, inflation has eaten away 20% of its purchasing power. “I hope you will raise the benefits," urged Ward 6 resident Fanny Jones. "$359 a week will only pay my electric and water bill. Then I have to think about, how am I going to pay my mortgage?” For all of this week's labor events, go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar for complete details. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1863, fabled railroad engineer John Luther “Casey” Jones was born in southeast Missouri. A member of the Railroad Engineers, he was the sole fatality in a wreck near Vaughan, Mississippi on April 29, 1900. His skill and heroics prevented many more deaths. In 1914, Henry Ford announced the new continuous motion method to assemble cars. The process decreased the time to make a car from 12 and a half hours to 93 minutes. Goodbye, craftsmanship, hello, drudgery. In 1954, the movie Salt of the Earth opened. The classic film centers on a long and difficult strike led by Mexican-American and Anglo zinc miners in New Mexico. Real miners performed in the film, in which the miners’ wives—as they did in real life—take to the picket lines after the strikers are enjoined. Today’s labor quote is by Esperanza Quintero, one of the main characters in the 1954 film "Salt of the Earth": 'Whose neck shall I stand on to make me feel superior, and what will I have out of it? I don't want anything lower than I am. I am low enough already. I want to rise and to push everything up with me as I go" The character of Esperanza Quintero was portrayed by actress Rosaura Revueltas
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Grocery giant Kroger earned $2.4 billion in profits last year, setting an all-time record for the prosperous company and "putting the lie to its bargaining-table cries of poverty," says UFCW local 400, which is in the midst of bargaining with Kroger over a new contract in the Roanoke region. “With apologies to Dickens, this is ‘A Tale of Two Stories,’” said Local 400 president Mark Federici. While Kroger brags to its investors that ‘It’s raining money!’ they're telling their workers ‘The sky is falling!’ Federici said. The current contract expires April 2nd.
On today's labor calendar, support the FC Solidaridad labor soccer team at their happy hour/fundraiser today from 4 – 8pm at the Blackfinn Ameripub on I St NW. And for all of this week's labor events, go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar for complete details. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1811, Luddites smashed 63 textile machines near Nottingham, England. The machines threatened to replace them with less-skilled, low-wage labourers, leaving them without work. The Luddite movement culminated in a region-wide rebellion in Northwestern England that required a massive deployment of military force to suppress. Although the origin of the name Luddite is uncertain, a popular belief is that the movement was named after Ned Ludd, a youth who allegedly smashed two textile machines in 1779, and whose name had become emblematic of machine destroyers. The name evolved into the imaginary General Ludd or King Ludd, a figure who, like Robin Hood, was reputed to live in Sherwood Forest. Today’s labor quote is by Karl Marx, who wrote: "The instrument of labour, when it takes the form of a machine, immediately becomes a competitor of the workman himself." Ed Smith hosts; Today's guest: LaKisha Little, President, DCNA:, discusses recent trip to Selma and Montgomery, AL by DCNA delegation.
Labor song of the week: When will we be paid, Staple Singers How many DC power brokers, elected officials and primary season candidates can you fit into one room?
The local labor movement will find out Saturday night at the 2016 Evening With Labor, where outgoing Metro Washington Council President Joslyn Williams is being honored, along with the rest of this year's award-winners. Including local labor leaders, members and local activists, upwards of 1,000 are expected to attend the event, which is being emceed by News4 reporter Tom Sherwood. Go to dclabor.org and click on Evening with Labor for details on tickets. You'll also see a cool photo of Sherwood during his time as a leader of the Newspaper Guild at the Washington Post in the 1980s. Ariel Baker of Calvary Women’s Services was all smiles as she received five boxes of personal care items collected by Library of Congress staff during the recent holiday community services drive sponsored by union locals whose members work at the Library. Go to dclabor.org to see a photo of Baker, along with Jackie Coleburn and Juanita Betts of the Library Guild. For this week's labor events, go to dclabor.org and click on Calendar for complete details. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1919, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the espionage conviction of labor leader and socialist Eugene V. Debs. Debs was jailed for speaking out against World War I. Campaigning for president from his Atlanta jail cell, he won 3.4 percent of the vote—nearly a million votes. In 1941, New York City bus drivers, members of the Transport Workers Union, went on strike. After 12 days of no buses—and a large show of force by Irish-American strikers at the St. Patrick’s Day parade—Mayor Fiorello La Guardia ordered arbitration. And in 1968, United Farm Workers leader César Chávez broke a 24-day fast, by doctor’s order, at a mass in Delano, California’s public park. Several thousand supporters were at his side, including Senator Robert Kennedy. Chavez called it “a fast for non-violence and a call to sacrifice.” Today’s labor quote is by Eugene Debs "What can Labor do for itself? The answer is not difficult. Labor can organize, it can unify; it can consolidate its forces. This done, it can demand and command." |
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