AFSCME, along with other public sector unions, has begun to ramp up its internal organizing efforts in response to a looming Supreme Court case which could eliminate agency shops overnight. In an agency shop, employers are free to hire union or non-union workers, and employees don’t have to join the union, but they do have to pay a fee to cover bargaining costs. The case has forced unions to take a critical look at how to involve more workers beyond just paying fees. This means letting workers know what the union does besides bargaining their contract. “It is important to convert people into actual members because it shows the strength of the union,” said Andre Powell, a shop steward with AFSCME. Since the new effort began, unions like AFSCME have organized over 100,000 workers into full-fledged union members, and defeated right-to-work laws in several southern states.
The 100th anniversary of labor martyr Joe Hill’s death is being marked this week with two concerts. Hill was executed by a Utah firing squad in 1915 after being convicted of what have now been established as trumped-up charges. The Joe Hill Roadshow is celebrating the life and legacy of this iconic organizer with a series of concerts, including this Thursday, July 23, in Washington, when Magpie, Charlie King, the DC Labor Chorus and George Mann will, perform at the Washington Ethical Society at 7:30 pm. Then on Friday in Baltimore, Magpie, Charlie King and George Mann will perform at the Unitarian Church at 7:30 pm. For more on the latest local labor news and updates, go to dclabor.org; for up-to-date listings for labor activities, click on calendar. Here’s today’s labor history: Newly unionized brewery workers in San Francisco, mostly German socialists, declared victory on this date in 1886 after the city’s breweries gave in to their demands for free beer, the closed shop, and the freedom to live anywhere (they had typically been required to live in the breweries). They also won a 10-hour day, 6-day week, and a board of arbitration. On this date in 1916, a bomb was set off during a "Preparedness Day" parade in San Francisco, killing 10 and injuring 40 more. Tom Mooney, a labor organizer, and Warren Billings, a shoe worker, were convicted of the crime, but both were pardoned 23 years later. Today’s labor quote is by Frederick Douglass: “It is a great mistake for any class of laborers to isolate itself and thus weaken the bond of brotherhood between those on whom the burdens and hardships of labor fall.”
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