As students grab their backpacks and head back to school, the Community Services Agency is inviting local unions and their supporters to grab their golf bags and enjoy the last of the warm weather at its 23rd Annual Golf Tournament, scheduled for September 24 at the all-union Enterprise Golf Course.
"Come to compete, come to win prizes, come to show solidarity with your fellow union members," says CSA Executive Director Sonte DuCote. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit CSA's Emergency Assistance Fund, which provided local union families facing hardship with over $1000 in the last week alone.
Details on our website at dclabor.org
 
In today's labor history,
on this date in 1963, the march for jobs and freedom—the Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have A Dream" speech march—was held in Washington, D.C. with 250,000 participating.

Today’s labor quote is by Martin Luther King, Jr. from his "I Have A Dream" speech in 1963: 
America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ''insufficient funds.''
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.
So we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

“They threw me under the bus.” Fortunately for UFCW Local 400 member Eric Jarrett, that wasn’t the end of the story.
Jarrett works as an overnight stocker at Safeway #1019 in Alexandria, Virginia.
His store is one of the few locations that is supposed to be open 24 hours. But one night, Jarrett was instructed to close the store when there was no cashier on duty. And even though he was following instructions, Jarrett’s manager suspended him and one of his coworkers.
But Jarrett didn’t take this sitting down.
Working with his union representative, he immediately filed a grievance and after three and a half weeks, Jarrett was reinstated and awarded full back pay.
“Safeway owes me [and my coworker] an apology for throwing us under the bus,” Jarrett said. “I’m just thankful our union’s got our backs.”
 
In today's labor history,
on this date in 1950, President Truman ordered the U.S. Army to seize all the nation's railroads to prevent a general strike. The railroads were not returned to their owners until two years later.   

Today’s labor quote is by New York Congresswoman Bella Azbug, who said:
“The establishment is made up of little men, very frightened.”

The AFL-CIO launched a 30-second television ad earlier this week highlighting the wave of collective action sweeping the country. From union organizing victories to the defeat of “right to work” in Missouri, “working people are on the rise,” the federation says. Here’s the ad. You can see the ad on our website at dclabor.org
 
In today's labor history,
on this date in 1877, The Gatling Gun Company – manufacturers of an early machine gun – wrote to B&O Railroad president John W. Garrett during a strike, urging their product be purchased to deal with the quote, unquote "recent riotous disturbances around the country."
Said the company: "Four or five men only are required to operate (a gun), and one Gatling ... can clear a street or block and keep it clear"

Today’s labor quote is by Mark Pizzo, a letter carrier in Snellville, Georgia, and the 2016 National Association of Letter Carriers Hero of the Year. The NALC was formed on this date in 1889. Pizzo’s quick action saved a 7-year-old girl from a pit bull attack.
Mark Pizzo, who said: “I guess I am a hero, but I don’t need a pat on the back; just let me do my job."

The EMS professionals at American Medical Response ambulance service in the District recently ratified their first contract after organizing with EMS Workers United/AFSCME District Council 20 last year.
The agreement tackles many problems EMTs and paramedics had been facing at the private ambulance service, including poorly stocked and poorly maintained ambulances.
“We decided to organize because we had three main issues – we wanted working equipment, fair scheduling and fair pay,” said EMT Lindsay Washington. “We are our patients’ primary providers. Without working equipment, we cannot give them the best care possible.”
And while they’re proud of the gains they’ve achieved, the EMS professionals aren’t satisfied.
“This was a big step,” said EMT Kyle Kemerer.
“Now, we want to utilize the framework of the contract to continue to keep the company in line, improve operations and improve the working conditions.”
 
On today’s labor calendar, tune in for “Your Rights at Work” today at 2pm here on WPFW when we’ll talk with DC Jobs with Justice’s Elizabeth Falcon about their plans to do outreach to workers and connect them with resources to address sexual assault and harassment on the job. That’s 2pm this afternoon right here on WPFW.

In today's labor history,
on this date in 1912, the U.S. Commission on Industrial Relations was formed by Congress, during a period of great labor and social unrest. After three years, and hearing witnesses ranging from Wobblies to capitalists, it issued an 11-volume report frequently critical of capitalism.

Today’s labor quote is by James 'O Connell and John Brown Lennon, of the American Federation of Labor, who both served on the U.S. Commission on Industrial Relations.
James 'O Connell and John Brown Lennon, who said:  
"Where (labor) organization is lacking, dangerous discontent is found on every hand; low wages and long hours prevail; exploitation in every direction is practiced; the people become sullen, have no regard for law and government, and are, in reality, a latent volcano, as dangerous to society as are the volcanoes of nature to the landscape surrounding them."