Local retail workers, community leaders, and Walmart workers will rally today as part of a nationwide “Are You With Us?” grassroots initiative. The 3:30p action at the H Street Walmart asks people to stand with Walmart workers in their fight for a better life, exposing the negative impact the country’s largest employer has on all American workers. That includes paying employees poverty-level wages, cutting hours and schedules to force workers into part-time jobs and salaries, and insufficient benefits, forcing countless hard-working Walmart workers to live in poverty while they struggle to pay bills and support their families.
Today’s labor calendar is jam-packed: At 10 am, postal workers will deliver 150,000 signatures demanding postal banking to the Postmaster General; At noon, flight attendants will picket United Airlines at National Airport; At 1 pm I’ll discuss why CTE is a workplace issue on “Your Rights At Work” here on WPFW; At 2 pm, flight attendants will picket United Airlines at Dulles Airport; And the Walmart demo is at 3:30 pm at the H Street Walmart. Go to dclabor.org and click on calendar for complete details on all of these events. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1918, 1,000 members of the Australian Workers’ Union, led by Harold Nelson, marched on the Government House in Darwin, Australia, demanding the resignation of John Gilruth, Administrator of the Northern Territory. They were protesting unemployment, lack of political representation, and taxation without representation. Gilruth left under military protection, never to return, and Nelson went on to win the first Territory seat in Australia’s House of Representatives. Today’s labor quote is by Isaiah, a former Walmart worker: “Executives and management treat us like we’re disposable.”
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This is Chris Garlock, with the Metro Washington Council’s round-up of local labor news, updates and history.
Discounted registration for the AFL-CIO’s Civil Rights Conference has been extended through December 18. “Now is the time to speak up together and demand change,” says AFL-CIO Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Director Carmen Berkley. “In January, we aren’t just gonna talk about it. We are gonna be about changing the rules so that each of us feels safe in our communities, in our places of worship, and we’ll all be able to use our voices to speak up together to build an economy and a community that works our people.” The conference run January 15-18 here in Washington; Go to aflcio.org and click on the “2016 MLK Conference” button at the bottom of the page; use the code 200SPECIAL for the discounted rate. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1902, the New York City’s Majestic Theater became the first in the U.S. to employ women ushers. In 1951, the Bagel Bakers of America union continued a work slowdown at 32 of New York’s 34 bagel bakeries in a dispute over health and welfare fund payments and workplace sanitation. Coincidentally—or not—lox sales were down as much as 50 percent as well. The effect on the cream cheese market was not reported. And in 1977, eight female bank tellers in Willmar, Minnesota began the first strike against a bank in U.S. history, becoming known worldwide as “The Willmar 8.” The women were paid little more than half what male tellers were paid, were expected to work overtime without extra pay and were held in place at the bottom of the hierarchy. When a young man was hired right out of college and the women were told to train him to become their boss, the kettle boiled over. The strike ended in moral victory but economic defeat two years later. Today’s labor quote is by Doris Boshart, one of the Willmar 8, referring to the bank’s discrimination against female workers: "We talked about it amongst ourselves all the time. And it just kept growing and growing and we kept getting angrier and angrier." More than 500 state and university employees from across Maryland rallied in Baltimore last Thursday night to demand that Governor Larry Hogan "stop just talking and start negotiating in good faith." AFSCME Council 3, the largest union of state workers, says the governor hasn't responded to a single proposal -- "Many of which would save taxpayers money" -- from the union after two months of negotiations, with a December 31 deadline looming. Council 3 President Patrick Moran accused Hogan of "intentionally trying to run out the clock and ignore state employees. Enough is enough!"
Here’s today’s labor history: In 1913, the American Federation of Labor’s convention passed a 1¢ per capita assessment to aid the organization of women workers. On this date in 1921, the Kansas National Guard was called out to subdue thousands of protesting women who were going from mine to mine attacking non-striking miners in the Pittsburg coal fields. The women made headlines across the state and the nation and were dubbed the "Amazon Army" by the New York Times. In 1941, eight days after the attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor, the AFL pledged that there would be no strikes in defense-related plants for the duration of World War II. And on this date in 1967, the U.S. Age Discrimination in Employment Act became law. It bars employment discrimination against anyone aged 40 or older. In 2003, California's longest nurses’ strike ended after workers at Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo and Pinole approved a new contract with Tenet Healthcare, ending a 13-month walkout. Today’s labor quote is by Abigail Adams, writing to husband John Adams in 1776: “If particular care and attention are not paid to the ladies we are determined to foment a rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound to obey any laws in which we have no voice or representation.” Dozens of Capitol food workers went on strike again last week, calling on Senator Ted Cruz, who sits on the committee that oversees their contract, to support their push for better pay and union representation. The workers flooded the Texas Republican’s office to award Cruz the “Golden Grinch” award, and bring attention to their effort for a $15 an hour wage and collective bargaining rights. Over the past year, an increasing number of food service workers in the Senate and Capitol Visitor Center, who are employees of the contractor Restaurant Associates, have been walking off their jobs.
On today’s labor calendar, catch up on all the latest local labor news tonight at the Metro Washington Council’s Delegate Meeting, 6:30 at the AFL-CIO. Highlights include an update on the battle to keep the Safeway warehouse open in Upper Marlboro and save nearly a thousand jobs. And tonight at 6 is the Baltimore Women's Economic Security Agenda Community Forum in Baltimore. Go to dclabor.org and click on calendar for complete details. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1995, some 33,000 striking members of the Machinists ended a 69-day walkout at Boeing after winning pay and benefit increases and protections against subcontracting some of their work overseas. Today’s labor quote is by Reverend Leslie Copeland Tune of the Ecumenical Poverty Initiative, who led a prayer at last week’s action at Senator Ted Cruz’ office, asking “that their hearts would be pricked. That they would remember these workers when they sat down at their own tables with plenty while these workers are struggling to have enough to eat.” |
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