The AFL-CIO released a video earlier this week showing firsthand the devastating economic impact the Trans-Pacific Partnership could have on communities across the country. When global companies move jobs offshore to take advantage of trade deals, they not only destroy jobs, they suppress wages, deprive local governments of needed resources and leave working families behind, according to the video, which is posted on the Metro Washington Council website at dclabor.org
On today's local labor calendar, Verizon strikers and supporters rally in downtown DC today at noon at the Verizon Wireless store at 13th and F Streets Northwest, a block from Metro Center. Then at 1pm, catch this week's edition of "Your Rights At Work" here on WPFW 89.3 FM. Guests include CWA 2336 president Terry Richardson, AFGE president J. David Cox and workers comp attorney Hal Levi. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1967, New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller signed the Taylor Law, permitting union organization and bargaining by public employees, but outlawing the right to strike. In 1997, more than 12,000 Goodyear Tire workers struck nine plants in what was to become a 3-week walkout over job security, wage and benefit issues. And in 2015, Mary Doyle Keefe, who in 1943 posed as “Rosie the Riveter” for famed painter Norman Rockwell, died at age 92 in Simsbury, Connecticut. Published on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in May 1943, Rosie came to symbolize women factory workers during World War II. The Rockwell painting is sometimes conjoined in peoples’ memories with “We Can Do It!” a similarly-themed poster by Pittsburgh artist J. Howard Miller, created the year before. Today’s labor quote is by Sybil Lewis, a riveter at Lockheed "You came out to California, put on your pants, and took your lunch pail to a man's job. This was the beginning of women's feeling that they could do something more."
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This week's guests: Terry Richardson, president, CWA 2336, reports on the Verizon strike, live from the picketline; Marilyn Park, Legislative Representative at the American Federation of Government Employees, talks about a sham commission that’s intent on privatizing veterans’ health care, and a forthcoming bill that would abolish the merit system and turn all VA workers into at-will employees who could be fired at any time for any reason; attorney Hal Levi, who handles worker’s comp cases for employees in DC and is active fighting legislative changes to public sector employee’s rights, reports on legislation coming up would change current law in ways that could be bad for injured DC gov’t employees.
Labor song of the week: 1999 (Party Like It's 1999) in memory of Prince (1958-2016). Labor Quiz: The annual DC labor FilmFest is coming up in May; which of these films is NOT being screened at the FilmFest? Concussion, Horrible Bosses, or Suffragette? Answer: Horrible Bosses. Previous Quiz: More firefighters die from cancer and other work-related illnesses than in fires: True, but they don’t always get the same benefits. Check out our website for a report on how dying firefighter Lawrence DiPietro is using what time he has to fight back). It’s a double-header of labor actions today, as Verizon strikers rally at 11 this morning in Silver Spring and supermarket workers fight to save their stores tonight.
Verizon strikers are holding a major regional rally of CWA members and their supporters at 11a at the Chesapeake Complex on Columbia Pike in Silver Spring. Complete details, plus a map of area leafleting locations and times, are on our website at dclabor.org. Then at 6 tonight, join supermarket workers at the Hampton Inn in Stafford, Virginia as the UFCW Local 400 members host the latest in their series of town halls in the communities surrounding Giant supermarkets threatened with being sold off. The workers and their union are bringing together employees, customers, elected officials and other leaders to do whatever it takes to keep quality jobs and shopping options intact. Again, complete details at dclabor.org. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1912, nearly 10,000 demonstrators celebrated textile workers’ win of a 10-percent pay hike and grievance committees after a one-month strike in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Ludlow massacre took place on this date in 1914. Colorado state militia, using machine guns and fire, killed about 20 people—including 11 children—at a tent city set up by striking coal miners. And in 1948, an unknown assailant shot through a window at United Auto Workers President Walter Reuther as he was eating dinner at his kitchen table, permanently impairing his right arm. It was one of at least two assassination attempts on Reuther. He and his wife later died in a small plane crash under what many believe to be suspicious circumstances. In 1980, United Auto Workers members ended a successful 172-day strike against International Harvester, protesting management demands for new work rules and mandatory overtime. Today’s labor quote is by Walter Reuther “First we must organize them, that’s the easy part, then we must unionize them, that’s the hard part.” Verizon strikers and their supporters are continuing their leafleting activities and CWA local 2108 has scheduled its next major rally for this Wednesday at 11a in Silver Spring. Meanwhile, we've posted the latest list of area leafleting locations and times, along with a handy Google map on our website at dclabor.org. "We will kick up the heat!" promises Local 2108.
Democracy Awakening's Congress of Conscience Day of Action yesterday wrapped up a week of activities pushing to get money out of politics. Thousands marched, rallied, took direct action and met with legislators on Capitol Hill. "Right now, too many in Congress are standing in the way of a democracy that works for all of us, including blocking Americans’ very fundamental right to vote," said Democracy Awakening. "That’s not just wrong—it goes against the very ideas behind our democracy." The AFL-CIO, many unions and the Metro Council participated in the event. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1911, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the nation’s “Furniture City,” more than 6,000 immigrant workers—Germans, Dutch, Lithuanians and Poles—put down their tools and struck 59 factories for four months in what was to become known as the Great Furniture Strike. In 1995, an American domestic terrorist’s bomb destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, 99 of whom were government employees. Today’s labor quote is by Arnold Miller, who said "We have only one political party in the country – The Money Party. And it has two branches – the Republican branch and the Democratic branch." Arnold Miller was president of the United Mine Workers from 1972 to 1979 |
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