Although Fast Track has passed in the Senate, “we still have a chance to stop the bill in the House,” reports Maya Goines at the AFL-CIO, which is working with the Stop Fast Track Coalition to plan a Memorial Day picnic at Congressman Steny Hoyer’s district office in Greenbelt today at 11am. Go to dclabor.org and click on calendar for complete details.

If your union or social justice organization has interns working for you this summer, the Metro Council would like to help them connect and network. Part of Metro Washington Council summer intern Sivan Rosenthal's work will be to invite interns from unions – internationals and/or locals -- and partner social justice organizations for a series of evening gatherings throughout the summer. These informal events will be an opportunity for summer interns in the DC area to meet other folks doing good work in the labor movement, learn about each others' work, and build a strong network of young -- and future -- leaders committed to advancing worker rights. Email [email protected] if you have interns.

On today’s labor calendar, our featured event is the free noontime screening of the film Anne Braden: Southern Patriot  with filmmaker Anne Lewis at the AFL-CIO; go to dclabor.org and click on calendar for complete details.

Here’s today’s labor history: in 1941, animators working for Walt Disney began what was to become a successful 5-week strike for recognition of their union, the Screen Cartoonists' Guild. The animated feature “Dumbo” was being created at the time and, according to Wikipedia, a number of strikers are caricatured in the feature as clowns who go to "hit the big boss for a raise."
And on this date in 1996, the United Farm Workers of America reached agreement with Bruce Church farms on a contract for 450 lettuce harvesters, ending a 17-year-long boycott. The pact raised wages, provided company-paid health benefits to workers and their families, created a seniority system to deal with seasonal layoffs and recalls, and established a pesticide monitoring system.

Today’s labor quote is by Cesar Chavez:
“From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength.”

This is Chris Garlock, with Union City Radio’s Your Rights at Work tip of the day:
If your primary language is not English, you have a right to receive information from DC government entities in your native language, also known as language access. This includes the right to receive interpretation services and vital documents in your own language at no cost to you.
Find out more about your rights at work from the Employment Justice Center, at DCEJC.ORG or call 202-828-9675.