Teamster warehouse workers on Wednesday morning overwhelmingly approved a new 6-year contract at Safeway that saves jobs and ousts the company that had threatened to eliminate the jobs of over 700 area workers. “It’s a huge win,” said Teamsters Local 730 president Ritchie Brooks immediately after his members voted 205 to 18 in favor of the pact; in a separate meeting, Teamsters 639 members also approved it. The locals have been battling since last October when Safeway warehouse manager C&S Wholesale Grocers abruptly announced plans to close two Safeway distribution centers in Upper Marlboro and Landover. “The key to our victory was that everyone banded together,” Ritchie said. “Labor, political leaders and the community all came together to show Safeway our solidarity.” While workers gave up some concessions, they preserved every job and, most importantly, ousted C&S; Safeway will now manage the Upper Marlboro warehouse. Local and state officials pledged $1.5 million in financial incentives to keep the warehouse, and the deal also guarantees no outsourcing of jobs during the term of the contract. “Everyone came together and that’s the power of solidarity,” said Ritchie.
On our local labor calendar, there are just a few discounted tickets left to the January 27 Union Night at Arena Stage's production of "Sweat"; for details and the latest local labor events -- including weather-related updates -- go to dclabor.org and click on calendar. Here’s today’s labor history: On this date in 1826, Indian field hands at San Juan Capistrano mission refused to work, engaging in what was probably the first farm worker strike in California. Terence V. Powderly, leader of the Knights of Labor, was born on this date in 1849. In 1890, the United Mine Workers of America was founded in Columbus, Ohio, with the merger of the Knights of Labor Trade Assembly No. 135 and the National Progressive Miners Union. And in 1932, five hundred New York City tenants battled police to prevent evictions. Today’s labor quote is by Martin Luther King, Jr: "The labor movement did not diminish the strength of the nation but enlarged it...those who attack labor forget these simple truths but history remembers them."
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