“We will clean up the glass, sweep away the ashes and keep doing our part to bring a better day out of this hour of darkness and despair.” That was AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka’s on Monday morning, after protests Sunday night hit the national labor federation’s headquarters with fire and vandalism.
“The Labor Movement is much more than a building,” the AFL-CIO tweeted. “We’ve said it for years and we will say it again: Black Lives Matter.” “In this house,” the federation tweeted, “we will continue to fight for economic, social and racial justice with every fiber of our being.” On this week’s labor calendar, an important update: the “Workers First” caravan planned for this Wednesday has been postponed; we’ll keep you posted when it’s rescheduled.” In today’s labor history, on this date in 1786, twenty-six journeymen printers in Philadelphia staged the trade’s first strike in America over wages: a cut in their $6 weekly pay. Today’s labor quote is from a statement issued last Friday by the Communications Workers of America, which said: "We will never build enough power as working people if an entire community is living under the threat of death and subject to discrimination based on the color of their skin. We will never build enough power if an entire community has its neck under an oppressor's knee.” Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, many families are being hit with increased financial burdens. For those struggling with their credit, the Union Plus Credit Counseling program is still operating online and over the phone. Visit unionplus.org/creditcounseling to find out more.
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The DC and Maryland Primary Elections are tomorrow, June 2.
In DC, the Metro Washington Council has endorsed Robert White, Anthony Lorenzo Green, Trayon White, Jordan Grossman and Janeese Lewis George. In Maryland, we’ve endorsed Steny Hoyer, Paul Sarbanes, David Trone, Jamie Raskin and Anthony Brown. Voters are urged to vote by mail, and your ballot must be dropped off or postmarked by tomorrow. Details at dclabor.org In today’s labor history, on this date in 1888, the Ladies Federal Labor Union Number 2703, based in Illinois, was granted a charter from the American Federation of Labor. Women from a wide range of occupations were among the members, who ultimately were successful in coalescing women’s groups interested in suffrage, temperance, health, housing, and child labor reform to win state legislation in these areas. Today’s labor quote is by Charles Moyer, President of the Western Federation of Miners, responding to the strike on this date in 1903 by 3,500 immigrant copper miners in Clifton-Morenci, Arizona. Charles Moyer, who declared: “The men at Morenci have the full support of the Western Federation of Miners.” Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. If you're caring for an aging parent, get the legal assistance you need for estate planning with Union Plus MetLife Legal Plans. Details at UnionPlus.org Here’s a quick sound collage of highlights from Union City Radio segments this week…
(audio) “You walk inside the home And it's, it's the weirdest feeling in the world, you think you're walking into this like minefield, you don't know if there's little ticking time bomb everywhere. In the beginning, one of the first gas leaks that I had, it was a young couple with a child, and every time the furnace kicked on, it was just spewing out natural gas. I walk in and I'm all nervous, and the husband said, my wife just got a phone call that her father had just passed away of COVID-19 and she's on the floor crying and now the kid is out of the crib, he is screaming and he's running towards me and I'm a mom. And you know, any kid that runs towards you just kinda like want to pick up and say, Hey, it's okay. And I don't know if this child's been exposed. I don't know if I've been exposed, will, I give it to the child. I made sure they were safe. And I went and drove to a nearby parking lot and I probably sat there for about a half hour, 45 minutes. just thinking about what's going on in this world right now? What, what is going on? It was pretty crazy.” “We will keep the lights on in Las Vegas. Our community needs us. They need to see the big white truck. I have to brag on my crew; 'cause we're in this together. We decided to be in this together, we're doing the long haul and it makes me pretty proud and I'm glad that everybody's working together.” Jessica, a utility worker in Detroit, and Shannon, who works for the gas company in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Union City Radio last week. In today’s labor history, on this date in 1997, Rose Will Monroe, popularly known as Rosie the Riveter, died in Clarksville, Indiana. During World War Two she helped bring women into the labor force. Today’s labor quote is from Rosie The Riveter, recorded by the Four Vagabonds, an African-American group whose version caught on and rose on the Hit Parade: All the day long whether rain or shine She’s a part of the assembly line She’s making history, working for victory Rosie the Riveter Keeps a sharp lookout for sabotage Sitting up there on the fuselage That little frail can do more than a male will do Rosie the Riveter Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. You know, we could all use a little more cash right now. If you’re buying a new home or selling your current one (or both), earn $500 cash back for every $100,000 in home value when you use the Union Plus Real Estate Rewards program. Get the details at UnionPlus.org If you contributed during WPFW’s Spring Pledge Drive, Thank You! If not, you can still support Union City Radio and all the great programs here on WPFW by calling 202-588-9739 or 1-800-222-9739 or pledge online at wpfwfm.org, click on Donate Now. You can also give on your phone by using WPFW's CashApp account, just search for $WPFW. Thanks very much! Last week, the union at the Washington Post signed a contract extension. With a pandemic raging and the president ranting and the boss, Jeff Bezos, on track to become a trillionaire, why should readers care about the union? Because it protects one of America’s best newsrooms from being torn apart by some powerful egos. Check out Hamilton Nolan’s deep dive into the rich and fascinating history of the Newspaper Guild and the Washington Post in the Columbia Journalism Review; we’ve got a link to the story on our website, dclabor.org.
In today’s labor history, on this date in 2002, The Ground Zero cleanup at the site of the World Trade Center was completed three months ahead of schedule due to the heroic efforts of more than 3,000 building tradesmen & women who had worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for the previous 8 months. Today’s labor quote is by Steel Workers Organizing Committee picket line leaders at what became known as the Memorial Day Massacre, when police opened fire on striking steelworkers at Republic Steel in South Chicago on this date in 1937, killing ten and wounding more than 160. Steel Workers picket line leaders, who said "Stand fast! Stand fast! We got our right! We got our legal rights to picket!" Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, many families are being hit with increased financial burdens. For those struggling with their credit, the Union Plus Credit Counseling program is still operating online and over the phone. Visit unionplus.org to find out more. Thanks to everyone who contributed during WPFW’s Spring Pledge Drive; you can support Union City Radio and all the great programs here on WPFW by calling 202-588-9739 or 1-800-222-9739 or pledge online at wpfwfm.org, click on Donate Now. You can also give on your phone by using WPFW's CashApp account, just search for $WPFW. Thanks very much! |
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