Hosted by Chris Garlock and Ed Smith
THANKS to everyone who pledged during the summer membership drive; thanks to your support we surpassed the drive goal! Special thanks to labor lawyers Jules Bernstein, Wendy Kahn and Ed James for their challenge grants. Today's guest(s): Lindsay Washington, American Medical Response EMT, who played a vital part in the organizing and bargaining committee at American Medical Response. “We decided to organize because we had three main issues – we wanted working equipment, fair scheduling and fair pay. We are our patients’ primary providers. Without working equipment, we cannot give them the best care possible.” Elise Bryant, president, Coalition of Labor Union Women; August 26 is Women's Equality Day, commemorating the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. On August 26, 1970, the Women’s Strike for Equality was staged in cities across the U.S.; a key focus of the strike—in fact, more accurately a series of marches and demonstrations—was equality in the workplace. MUSIC: “She Works Hard For The Money” - Donna Summer CREDITS: Produced by Pete Pocock and Chris Garlock; engineered by Robin Smith.
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Agreeing with incumbent President J. David Cox that “challenges have never been higher” for federal workers,
delegates to the American Federation of Government Employees convention in Las Vegas last week elected him to a third three-year term running the 317,000-member union. “I’m ready to put it all on the line and lead our members to victory in every fight and against every challenge,” Cox said. “This is about being the biggest, strongest, most organized, and engaged union there is, and I’m not going to stop until we reach that goal. We see the fight ahead. We will take those challenges head on, and as one union we will prevail!” In today's labor history, On this date in 1831, the slave revolt led by Nat Turner began in Southampton County, Virginia. The rebellion was quashed within two days. In the aftermath of the revolt, officials tried forty-eight black men and women on charges of conspiracy, insurrection, and treason. In total, the state executed 56 people, banished many more, and acquitted 15. The state reimbursed the slaveholders for the slaves who were convicted and executed. But in the hysterical climate that followed the rebellion, close to 120 black people were killed by the militia and white mobs. Today’s labor quote is by Martin Luther King Jr., who said: “Three hundred years of humiliation, abuse and deprivation cannot be expected to find voice in a whisper.” Two years after their previous contract expired, Metro workers have been awarded annual wage increase of 1.6 percent over a four-year period ending in July 2020. The decision was made by an arbitration board after contract negotiations stalled; members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 have been working without a contract since July 2016. The union accepted what it called a “rational decision,” adding that “We look forward to Metro’s timely implementation.” The award -- which also left the current pension system in place -- is effective retroactively to July 1, 2016. The award does not eliminate the issues that provoked Local 689 members to authorize a strike last month, including disciplinary policies, elimination of jobs and open positions, and Metro’s push to privatize some services. In a related action, over 100 Local 689 members and their supporters rallied at noon at Metro Center last Friday to call for WMATA GM Paul Wiedefeld’s firing in the wake of the special Metro train provided for the “Unite the Right” participants the previous Sunday, despite assurances by the transit agency that this would not be the case.
In today's labor history, on August 19, 1983, Phelps-Dodge copper miners in Morenci and Clifton Arizona were confronted by tanks, helicopters, and hundreds of state troopers and National Guardsmen brought in to walk strikebreakers through picketlines in what was to become a failed three-year fight by the Steelworkers and other unions. Today’s labor quote is by Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, who wrote in her autobiography, about her #1 hit “Respect”: “It was the need of the nation, the need of the average man and woman in the street, the businessman, the mother, the fireman, the teacher — everyone wanted respect.” Ah, the great outdoors. The fresh air, the sounds of nature, the s’mores! That’s right. When you’re planning an outdoor vacation during the final weeks of summer, you’ll need a bunch of supplies, both fun and practical. Whether you’re protecting against the elements or putting together a decadent fireside treat, Labor 411 reminds you to shop for ethical American-made brands manufactured by companies that treat their workers fairly. Enjoy the outdoors, and together we’ll camp our way to a stronger America. We’ve got a link to Labor 411’s list of Ethical Camping Essentials on our website at dclabor.org
In today's labor history, on this date in 1985, a year-long Hormel meatpackers' strike began in Austin, Minnesota, after the company demanded a 23 percent wage cut on top of a wage freeze that began in 1977. A thousand workers struck, but eventually Hormel replaced most of the workers and leased half of its factory to a company that only paid $6.50 an hour. Today’s labor quote is by strikers at the Minnesota Hormel plant in 1933, who rushed through the doors of a conference room where Jay Hormel and five company executives were meeting and declared: “We’re taking possession. So move out.” The company threw in the towel after four days of worker occupation of the plant, sparking union organizing at meatpacking plants in the upper midwest in the 1930s. |
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