Today is Memorial Day, when we honor those who have given their lives to defend this country. Today we’re involved in a different kind of war, one against a killer virus. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our lives and our economy. No one understands that better than America’s working people. For too many of us still working on the front lines of this pandemic, simply going to work could mean getting sick or even losing our lives. Millions of workers are now unemployed as this public health crisis has ripped across our country.
It is crucial that our elected leaders at every level of government act to save our nation, save our economy and save workers’ lives. That’s why we’re joining together to fight back with the Workers First Caravan on June 3. We must demand action from our elected leaders before this crisis pushes our nation past the point of no return. They must do the right thing for America’s workers and our families. Stay tuned for more details on local plans for June 3. In today’s labor history, on this date in 1932, thousands of unemployed WWI veterans arrived here in Washington, D.C. to demand early payment of a bonus they had been told would get, but not until 1945. They built a shantytown near the U.S. Capitol but were burned out by U.S. troops after two months. Today’s labor quote is by California Senator Hiram Johnson, who called the 1932 attack on the Bonus Army ‘one of the blackest pages in our history.’ Noting that the veterans had been hailed as heroes and saviors only a decade earlier, Johnson said that ‘The president sent against these men, emaciated from hunger, scantily clad, unarmed, the troops of the United States army. Tanks, tear-bombs, all of the weapons of modern warfare were directed against those who had borne the arms of the republic.’ Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. You can shop for a car or truck from home today and save more than $3,000 dollars; just go to unionplus.org, where you can research new and used cars online and look for the “Buy from Home” badge to see which dealerships offer remote paperwork and vehicle delivery right to your driveway. Find out more at unionplus.org Please be sure to support WPFW during our Spring Pledge Drive; call 202-588-9739 or 1-800-222-9739 or pledge online at wpfwfm.org, click on Donate Now. Thanks very much!
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Hey, in case you missed any of the Union City Radio segments this week, Here’s a quick sound collage of highlights…
(audio) Plumbers local five contributed $10,000 to CSA’s emergency assistance fund last week, which will be used to help unemployed union members struggling to maintain their households ...Signature Theater workers and what their union called an overwhelming display of solidarity, have voted to join I local 22 which will now begin negotiations for a first contract...Healthcare unions are continuing to work with members, elected officials, employers, and manufacturers to get healthcare workers the PPE crisis, pay and support they need to get through this pandemic…in Ukraine, unions and worker rights activists are leveraging trade unions, collective power to advocate for a better pay and conditions for working people and help provide emergency relief during quarantine…the Virginia interfaith center for public policy recently organized volunteers to sow and donate masks to UFCW local 400 grocery workers. Highlights from this week’s Union City Radio; find them all on our podcast, just search for Union City Radio on your favorite podcast platform. In today’s labor history, on this date in 1995, 2,300 members of the United Rubber Workers, on strike for 10 months against five Bridgestone-Firestone plants, agreed to return to work without a contract. They had been fighting demands for 12-hour shifts and wage increases tied to productivity gains. Today’s labor quote is by Bill Clinton, who said “I do not believe we can repair the basic fabric of society until people who are willing to work have work. Work organizes life. It gives structure and discipline to life.” Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. Did you know that you can shop for a car and truck from home and save more than $3,000 dollars this Memorial Day weekend? It’s true; just go to unionplus.org, where you can research new and used cars online and look for the “Buy from Home” badge to see which dealerships offer remote paperwork and vehicle delivery right to your driveway. Find out more at unionplus.org And of course, please be sure to support WPFW during our Spring Pledge Drive; call 202-588-9739 or 1-800-222-9739. You can also pledge online at wpfwfm.org -- click on Donate Now -- you can now give by using WPFW's CashApp account, just search for $WPFW. Thanks very much! In a recent post, UFCW Local 400 said that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed countless shortcomings in our country, from our inadequate healthcare system to our federal government’s feckless response.
“But,” the union added, “the crisis has also brought out the best in many members of our community.” One recent example comes from the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, which recently organized volunteers to sew and donate masks to UFCW Local 400 grocery workers. “It is one of the small ways we can show grocery workers and shelter residents that they are loved and appreciated,” said Kim Bobo, Executive Director at the Virginia Interfaith Center. In today’s labor history, on this date in 1934, ten thousand strikers at Toledo, Ohio’s Auto-Lite plant repelled police who had come to break up their strike for union recognition. The next day, two strikers were killed and 15 wounded when National Guard machine gun units opened fire. Two weeks later the company recognized the union and agreed to a 5 percent raise. Today’s labor quote is from a poem entitled The Stonecutters Kit, by Will Butler, which appeared in the January 1923 issue of The Stone Cutters Journal, published by the Granite Cutters International Association of America, which on this date in 1983 merged with the Tile, Marble, Terrazzo, Finishers & Shopmen union, which in turn five years later merged into the Carpenters union. There are two other things you need to know: “kit” refers to his bag of stone-cutting tools, and a hickory six-pounds weight is a sledgehammer. Here’s the last stanza of The Stonecutters Kit: Now I'm taking it easy, for my traveling days are over My old kit still is by my side, as it was in the days of yore My good old hickory six-pounds weight is still smiling up at me The shine I have upon its face would do you good to see I'd like to take it to that place where man is borne; I don't like parting with a friend but man is made to mourn. So I'll leave it to my buddy, who is a friend to me, If he's good to my old hickory, a true friend he will be. 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. And of course, please be sure to support WPFW during our Spring Pledge Drive; call 202-588-9739 or 1-800-222-9739. You can also pledge online at wpfwfm.org -- click on Donate Now -- you can now give by using WPFW's CashApp account, just search for $WPFW. Thanks very much! In international labor news, the Solidarity Center reports that in Ukraine, unions and worker rights activists are leveraging trade unions’ collective power to advocate for better pay and conditions for working people and help provide emergency relief during quarantine, despite the challenges posed by the country's worsening labor rights environment.
And unions in Jordan, Kenya, Zimbabwe and elsewhere are providing relief where resources allow and banding together to urge governments to provide financial and other social support for some of the world's 2 billion workers in the informal economy. Find out more at solidaritycenter.org In today’s labor history, on this date in 1909, while white locomotive firemen on the Georgia Railroad were on strike, blacks who were hired as replacements were whipped and stoned -- not by the union men, but by white citizens outraged that blacks were being hired over whites. The Engineers union threatened to stop work because their members were being affected by the violence. Today’s labor quote is by Eugene Victor Debs, imprisoned on this date in 1895 in Woodstock, Illinois for his role in the Pullman strike. Gene Debs, who said: “Too long have the workers of the world waited for some Moses to lead them out of bondage. I would not lead you out if I could; for if you could be led out, you could be led back again. I would have you make up your minds there is nothing that you cannot do for yourselves.” Union City Radio is supported by our friends at Union Plus. Hey, did you know that you can shop for a car and truck from home and save more than $3,000 dollars this Memorial Day? It’s true; just go to unionplus.org, where you can research new and used cars online and look for the “Buy from Home” badge to see which dealerships offer remote paperwork and vehicle delivery right to your door (well, driveway, actually). Find out more at unionplus.org And you can contribute right on your phone to WPFW during our Spring Pledge Drive; by using WPFW's CashApp account, just search for $WPFW. Or you can call 202-588-9739 or 1-800-222-9739 or pledge online at wpfwfm.org, click on Donate Now. Thanks very much! |
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