Following on the heels of recent teacher strikes, AT&T Legacy workers have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike as CWA negotiates a new contract with the company. Hundreds of workers in the DC-metro area could walk off the job. CWA 2107 president Shannon Opfer said the vote was prompted mainly by an impasse around healthcare and job security. “It’s important for people to see that the labor movement is still alive,” she added, “and that we’re willing to strike for what we believe in.”
Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 1930, 17-year-old Jimmy Hoffa led his co-workers at a Kroger warehouse in Clinton, Indiana, in a successful job action. By refusing to unload a shipment of perishable strawberries, they forced the company to give in to their demands. Among other things: the “strawberry boys” had to report to work at 4:30 a.m., stay on the job for 12 hours, and were paid 32¢ an hour—only if growers arrived with berries to unload. Plus, they were required to spend three-fourths of any earnings buying goods from Kroger. Today’s labor quote is by Labor leader and Socialist Party founder Eugene V. Debs, who was imprisoned on this date in 1919 for opposing American entry into World War I. While in jail he ran for president, and received 1 million votes. Eugene Debs, who said: “The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class had nothing to gain and all to lose – especially their lives.” Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus, which provides unique products and discounts for working families. Check them out at unionplus.org!
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