Staffers at M+R voted overwhelmingly last Wednesday to join the Washington-Baltimore News Guild. The firm works primarily with labor unions and other non-profits.
AT&T Mobility workers continue to battle for a fair contract. A group of them recently briefed members of Congress on their dispute. "We asked them to call [AT&T CEO] Randall Stephenson or send him a letter to ask them to come back to the bargaining table," said Jeff Schmidt, an AT&T retail sales consultant in Fairfax, Virginia. Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 1903, The Old 97, a Southern Railway train officially known as the Fast Mail, derailed near Danville, Virginia, killing engineer “Steve” Broady and ten other railroad and postal workers. Many believe Broady had been ordered to speed to make up for lost time. The Wreck of the Old 97 inspired balladeers; a 1924 recording is sometimes cited as the first million-selling country music record. Today’s labor quote is from Johnny Cash’s version of “Wreck of the Old 97”: “They gave him his orders at Monroe Virginia Said Steve you’re way behind time This is not the 38 this is ‘ol 97 You must put her into Spencer on time” Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus, which is committed to improving the quality of life for all working families; find out more at unionplus.org.
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"Isn’t it weird that someone who could contend for the title of America’s Greatest Union Buster will be inducted into the Labor Department’s Hall of Honor?"
That’s the excellent question Washington Post columnist Joe Davidson asked in his September 19 column headlined "Induction of union-busting Reagan into Labor’s Hall of Honor shocks union," referencing AFGE 12's letter to Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta urging him to reconsider adding Reagan to the Hall of Honor (reported previously here on Union City Radio). Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 1891, two African-American sharecroppers were killed during an ultimately unsuccessful cotton-pickers’ strike in Lee County, Arkansas. By the time the strike had been suppressed, 15 African-Americans had died and another six had been imprisoned. A white plantation manager was killed as well. Today’s labor quote is by Joe Davidson, the Washington Post columnist who wrote: "Bayard Rustin, Dolores Huerta, the pioneers of the farmworker movement and the workers of the Memphis sanitation strike also are on the (Labor Hall of Honor) list of labor heroes and heroines. As a labor leader, Reagan was not in their league." Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus, which is committed to improving the quality of life for all working families; find out more at unionplus.org. Jennifer Bryant and Chris Garlock host. Guests: Benjamin Scott Blake (in-studio) on “For Justice, Liberty, and Equality: Unions Making History in America,” new labor history exhibit at UMD College Park Aldo Bellow on Films Across Borders series October 8 through December 12. Showcasing international tales of courage, hope, and determination, this careful selection of documentary and dramatic films will captivate you with stories of immigrants and refugees struggling to find a place to call home. Alan Paul, Director, The Pajama Game at Arena Stage. Runs October 27-December 24, with a special Labor Night – including after-show Talk Back with the cast – on December 13; click here for tickets. In a victory for patients and staff at Maryland’s correctional institutions, the Maryland Department of Health is adding 40 beds at mental health facilities to treat patients wrongfully held in jails. The move came after AFSCME Maryland held a news conference Tuesday morning condemning Governor Larry Hogan for a shortage of beds for mentally ill patients. “The fight isn't over yet,” said AFSCME Maryland president Patrick Moran. “We will continue to pressure Governor Hogan and the health department to fill vacancies in these facilities, ensuring there are enough workers on staff to care for mental health patients.”
On today's labor calendar, tune in at 9am this morning here on WPFW for a special Fall Labor Arts Preview edition of Arise! Guests will discuss a new labor history exhibit, a film series about immigration, and more. Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 1910, eighteen-year-old Annie Shapiro led a spontaneous walkout of 17 women at a Hart Schaffner & Marx garment factory in Chicago. It grew into a months-long mass strike involving 40,000 garment workers across the city, protesting 10-hour days, bullying bosses and cuts in already-low wages. Today’s labor quote is by Edmund Burke, who said: “When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.” Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus, which is committed to improving the quality of life for all working families; find out more at unionplus.org. |
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