After months of negotiations, AFSCME Local 2250 reports that it has reached a tentative agreement with the Prince George’s County Board of Education, winning raises across the board for represented employees. The union improved language around sick leave, grievances and reclassification, although it did not win any concessions on health care. Some of the most substantial wins were new management committees that would deal with Emergency Personnel, as well as more training opportunities. The bargaining team recommended ratification, and a mail ballot is being conducted.
On today’s labor calendar, with a vote in Congress on Fast Track expected any day, a Stop Fast Track Canvass in Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer’s district is scheduled for 10am tomorrow morning at AFSCME Local 2250’s offices in Upper Marlboro; this may change depending on actions in Congress, so be sure to go to dclabor.org and click on calendar for the latest details. Here’s today’s labor history: Fifty thousand members of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen employed in meatpacking plants walked off their jobs on this date in 1904. Their demands included equalization of wages and conditions throughout U.S. plants In 1945, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated two sections of a Florida law: one required state licensing of paid union business agents, the other required registration with the state of all unions and their officers. And in 1981, a Major League Baseball strike began, forcing cancellation of 713 games. Most observers blamed team owners for the strike: they were trying to recover from a court decision favoring the players on free agency. Today’s labor quote is by Marvin Miller, Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association from 1966 to 1982: “Never count on an arbitrator or courts...You may think you know how it will come out but don't count on it. A strike you can count on because you only call a strike when you know you can win." Marvin Miller, who said: “The notion that you can just ignore the union is foolish, and becomes more foolish each time they do it."
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Building on district-wide momentum, nearly 300 part-time faculty at Trinity Washington University have voted to unionize, joining SEIU Local 500. Trinity Washington will be the ninth university in the DC area to organize adjunct faculty with the SEIU local. One of the most contingent jobs in a university’s workforce, adjunct professors are rehired every semester on a per-course basis, and many part-time professors are also never offered a path to tenure. The vote to unionize the adjuncts “gives us a unified voice and clear channel for us to be heard,” said Mitch Tropin, adjunct professor of communications at Trinity, “I know from experience this will have a positive effect on the important educational mission of the University.”
On today’s labor calendar, CASA of Maryland is celebrating their 30th anniversary and 3rd annual Justice Awards tonight from 6 to 8pm; Congressman Chris Van Hollen keynotes. Complete details at dclabor.org; click on calendar. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1894, representatives from the American Federation of Labor, the Knights of Labor, populists, railroad brotherhoods and other trade unions held a unity conference in St. Louis but failed to overcome their differences. In 1913, police shot at maritime workers striking the United Fruit Company in New Orleans; one worker was killed and two were wounded. And in 1969, John L. Lewis died. A legendary figure, he was president of the United Mine Workers from 1920 to 1960 and a driving force behind the formation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO. The “L” stood for “Llewellyn,” by the way. Today’s labor quote is by John L. Lewis: “It is a sad commentary upon our form of government when every decision of the Supreme Court seems designed to fatten capital and starve and destroy labor.” John L. Lewis, who said “The future of labor is the future of America.” If you – or someone you know -- answered Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call to spend the summer of 1965 in the South registering black people to vote, local activist Jo Freeman wants to invite you to a 50th Anniversary Reunion. “We need to celebrate what we accomplished that summer,” says Freeman. “The Reunion will give us an opportunity to reconnect with former colleagues and friends and share with each other the impact that SCOPE and SCLC has had in our lives. But we also want to share our stories with the young people of today.” The Reunion will be held October 1-4 in Atlanta. Go to dclabor.org to check out the Reunion website or reach Freeman.
On today’s labor calendar, the Albert Shanker Institute and the American Federation of Teachers host "The Affordability Crisis: Rescuing the Dream of College Education for the Working Class Poor" from noon to 2pm, featuring Senator Elizabeth Warren. Go to shankerinstitute.org to register or watch the livestream. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1937, the mayor of Monroe, Michigan organizes a vigilante mob of 1,400 armed with baseball bats and tear-gas to break the organizing picket line of 200 striking workers at Newton Steel. In 1946, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that preliminary work activities, where controlled by the employer and performed entirely for the employer's benefit, are properly included as working time. The decision is known as the "portal to portal case." And in 1963, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, mandating equal pay to women who are performing the same jobs as men. Today’s labor quote is by Congresswoman Jackie Speier: “Since President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963, the gap between men and women's earnings has narrowed by less than a half-cent per year. At this rate, American women will have to wait until 2062 to bring home the same salary as their male counterparts.” Jackie Speier has represented California's 14th congressional district since 2008. Last week, workers from UFCW Local 400 joined Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe as he signed a declaration increasing the catch limit for the Atlantic menhaden. One of the most abundant species of finfish in the coastal Atlantic, the menhaden is factory processed for oil, protein meal and solubles, and is used as bait for commercial and recreational fishing. The higher limit will result in more jobs for the Virginia fishermen who are represented by Local 400.
Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1865, Helen Marot was born in Philadelphia to a wealthy family. She went on to organize the Bookkeepers, Stenographers and Accountants Union in New York, and to organize and lead the city's 1909-1910 Shirtwaist Strike. In 1912, she was a member of a commission investigating the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Today’s labor quote is by Helen Marot: “The labor unions are group efforts in the direction of democracy. Like the political efforts in the same direction, they become many times stultified and lead up blind alleys. But the effort creates power. While the economic gains are themselves important and are measures of strength, the significance of the labor union is its assertion of the manhood of labor.” |
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