News Articles Archives
- Jun 6, 2007 Organizing and Rockin' He organizes workers and he sings, too! Catch the incomparable Baldemar Velasquez this Saturday night as he and Jesse Ponce celebrate the release of their second CD this Saturday in Takoma Park. Velasquez is President of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO, (FLOC), which "is both... more...
- Jun 6, 2007 Labor Updates (6/6/2007) Congress is now considering legislation to stop privatization of letter carrier routes, reports Ken Lerch, President of Branch 3825 of the National Association of Letter Carriers. "A bi-partisan group of 168 members have formally co-sponsored H.R. 282, a measure that calls on the Postal Service... more...
- Jun 5, 2007 Labor on the Move The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) has hired ERIC NAKANO as the new Assistant Executive Director. Nakano will develop and manage APALA's organizing and political programs and participate in executive level management of the organization. Nakano is a... more...
- Jun 5, 2007 Iraqi Worker Tour Begins Today Plans are moving forward for US Labor Against the War's (USLAW) "Voices of Iraqi Workers Solidarity Tour" despite Faleh Abood Umara's potential absence, reports Denice Lombard of USLAW. Although Iraqi unionist Abood Umara was not allowed to board his flight to the US Sunday, tour coordinators... more...
- Jun 4, 2007 Workers Join Immigrant Rights Rally Chanting "Si se puede!" and demanding "Bush escucha, estamos en la lucha," thousands -- including many union members – rallied for immigrant rights in the blistering heat Saturday. Speakers addressed the effects of the Senate compromise immigration bill on workers' rights, families, and the... more...
- Jun 4, 2007 Iraqi Workers Protest Oil Law Tomorrow "Hands off Iraqi oil!" will be the demand TOMORROW as local activists join visiting Iraqi workers for a rally to protest the proposed privatization of Iraqi oil under a new Iraqi oil law. The rally starts at 5P outside the offices of BearingPoint, the contractor commissioned to write the... more...
- Jun 4, 2007 Labor Updates (6/4/07) Montgomery County officials are beginning to take action on the Montgomery County Worker Safety Initiative , an innovative package of proposals to crack down on negligent employers, reports Jim Grossfeld, Newspaper Guild CWA Local 32035 and member of the Montgomery County Commission on Health.... more...
- Jun 1, 2007 American Eagle Day of Action Saturday Workers, students and labor activists will gather at nine American Eagle Outfitters stores throughout the Metro DC area Saturday to expose unfair treatment of workers at in its distribution warehouse and to demand the clothing retailer live up to its code of conduct. Workers at the Canadian... more...
- Jun 1, 2007 Workers Protest DOL Outsourcing Wednesday Workers and labor activists will rally Wednesday, June 6, at noon against the outsourcing of hundreds of union jobs at the Department of Labor. Earlier this month, AFGE demanded a Congressional investigation into the outsourcing decision and also questioned the ability of GAP Solutions Inc.,... more...
- Jun 1, 2007 LOC Worker Campaign "Still in Full Swing" The campaign to stop unionbusting tactics at the Library of Congress (LOC) is “still in full swing,” reports the LOC Professional Guild, AFSCME 2910. Over 700 people have sent emails, letters and faxes to LOC officials stating “employees who participate in labor organizations, or who - as... more...
- May 31, 2007 "Voices of Iraqi Workers" Comes to DC Two Iraqi labor leaders -- Faleh Abood Umara and Hashmeya Muhsin Hussein – will be in DC next week for the first stop of the National “Voices of Iraqi Workers Solidarity Tour.” Abood Umara and Muhsin Hussein will join labor and community activists for a rally against the US-engineered... more...
- May 31, 2007 Labor Updates Hundreds are expected for an IMMIGRANT RIGHTS RALLY this Saturday at 1P to “demand humane immigration reform and an end to raids that are tearing apart families.” The National Capital Immigration Coalition, one of the organizers of the last year’s DC immigrant rights march, is sponsoring... more...
- May 31, 2007 Working America Launches Summer Campaign It’s going to be a busy summer for some 180 Working America canvassers. They’ll be knocking on tens of thousands of doors in nine states to give working people a chance to make their voices heard on important national issues—especially health care. When they are knocking on the doors this... more...
- May 30, 2007 Black Trade Unionists Call For Building Political Strength “Nearly 1,500 union members,” including Metro Council President Joslyn Williams, met in Chicago this weekend for the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Annual Convention, reports James Parks of the AFL-CIO Now Blog . The convention focused on the effects of the Bush administration’s... more...
- May 30, 2007 Contract Talks Resume with ABC The broadcast and cable workers union resumed contract negotiations with ABC May 21 after an eight-week recess. The contract talks – which cover 2,500 workers, including members of NABET 31 in DC -- were suspended, days before the contract’s expiration in late March, after ABC proposed... more...
- May 30, 2007 Minimum Wage Increase Passes Both the House and Senate approved the first increase in the minimum wage in over a decade Thursday night, reported Stephen Labaton in Friday’s New York Times . The measure raises the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 but through “three stages over two years,” Labaton reported. The... more...
- May 29, 2007 Walter Reed Workers to Vote on Union More than 100 Department of Public Works workers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) will vote in a union certification election, reports the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 99 who filed an election petition on behalf of the workers last Wednesday. The workers... more...
- May 29, 2007 Immigration Rights Topic of Thursday Town Hall Meeting Immigrant rights and community activists will meet Thursday, 5/31, to discuss defending immigrant rights in the face of the recently proposed Senate immigration bill. Speakers, including Nativo Lopez, President of the Mexican American Political Association and local activists, will talk... more...
- May 24, 2007 Defense Worker Unions Fight to Overturn Bush Personnel Rules By Mark Gruenberg, WASHINGTON (PAI)--Though they face "an uphill battle" in a top federal court, leaders of the unions representing 700,000 civilian Defense Department workers will fight to overturn GOP President George W. Bush's DOD personnel rules--upheld by a court panel--that virtually wipe... more...
- May 24, 2007 No Vacation Nation The “no-vacation nation” – that’s the reputation the U.S. has in a world where nearly all rich industrialized countries guarantee workers paid vacation time. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, 28 million U.S. workers – or one in four – don’t get any paid... more...
- May 24, 2007 Asian American Workers and the New Immigrant Rights Movement Kent Wong, labor scholar and activist, discusses the role of Asian Americans in the new immigrant rights movement at next Tuesday's brown bag lunch discussion. Wong is the Director of the Center for Labor Research and Education at UCLA and has served as the Founding President of the Asian... more...
- May 24, 2007 Fairfax County Passes Big Box Bill On Monday, May 21 the Fairfax (VA) County Board of Supervisors passed a zoning ordinance amendment on "big box" stores, reports the NOVA CLC NEWS. "The ordinance sought to mitigate the negative effects that large retail establishments -- Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Best Buy, Home Depot, etc. -- often have... more...
- May 24, 2007 MD Legislative Synopsis Posted Online The 2007 Maryland General Assembly Legislative Synopsis - which highlights issues affecting Maryland's workers and other bills of interest -- has just been released by the Maryland State and District of Columbia AFL-CIO, reports Secretary-Treasurer Donna Edwards. Click here to download the... more...
- May 24, 2007 DC Building Service Worker Support Spreads Two meetings in downtown office buildings this week brought office tenants together with security officers to discuss the working conditions of building services workers. The Washington Area Women's Foundation hosted the first meeting on Monday and American Rights At Work hosted another on... more...
- May 24, 2007 Labor Chorus Tickets Going Fast "There's still time to buy tickets for your local for the June 2 DC Labor Chorus Benefit Concert for the Dinner Program for Homeless Women," says DC Labor Chorus member Fred Solowey, "but the clock is ticking." A number of area labor bodies, including the National Conference of Firemen &... more...
- May 23, 2007 Last Stop, Durban By Rick Powell My last stop before heading home has a great deal of history. Durban is in Natal province or the Zulu Kingdom, located on the Indian Ocean side with the largest population of Indians outside of India. Gandhi lived there for a while as a young man and... more...
- May 23, 2007 Council Meeting Highlights AFGE 12 rally against contracting out set for June 6... 2007 Directory of Council Affiliates just published (will be mailed to affiliates next week)...Maryland/DC State AFL-CIO 2007 Legislative Synopsis now available (will be posted on our website soon)...Upcoming June visit by two Iraqi... more...
- May 23, 2007 Labor Walks to End Cervical Cancer Union members made up the largest group of walkers at Saturday's First "Beat the Clock" Walk against cervical cancer. More than 350 turned out, raising over $1,000 for cervical cancer education and awareness. "To end cervical cancer we have to do what the unions do," said the Walk's founder,... more...
- May 23, 2007 Union Women Cook The Metro DC Coalition of Labor Union Women Chapter is accepting recipe submissions from labor women for their Historical Cookbook. "As working women we have always had to combine work with family life" and "this book is to remind everyone that we do wear many different hats," says Metro DC CLUW... more...
- May 22, 2007 Council Highlights New Metro Washington Council delegates Leslie Richards ( NEA UDC Faculty Association President, 3rd from r ), Dan Dugan ( IAFF 36 President, r ) and Jaclyn Lichter ( SEIU 500 Political Director, 2nd from r ) were sworn in by Metro Council President Jos Williams (l) at Monday night’s May... more...
- May 22, 2007 Music, Art and Organizing "You have to organize hearts as well as heads," says John McCutcheon, president of AFM Local 1000. Labor organizers, activists and artists will converge on the National Labor College in Silver Spring for the Conference on Creative Organizing and the Great Labor Arts Exchange June 17-19. The... more...
- May 22, 2007 Labor Night with the Nats Over 3,000 tickets have already been sold for the Community Services Agency’s “Labor Night with the Nats” on Friday, 7/20. Tickets are still available! Buy 50 or more tickets and your local’s name will appear on the scoreboard. For more info, email Kathleen McKirchy,... more...
- May 22, 2007 Drive Away with Discounts Whether it's a car, van or SUV, working families can drive in style for less with the Union Plus rental car discount, perfect for a summer trip or night on the town. The Union Plus discount offers up to 25% savings on union rental car services; click here for more info. more...
- May 21, 2007 Court Decision to Allow Union Busting at DOD In "a major setback" for federal workers, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned a lower court decision concerning collective bargaining rights at the Department of Defense (DoD) Friday morning. "The decision will allow the government to eliminate any meaningful... more...
- May 21, 2007 Notes From Capetown By Rick Powell Capetown, the tip of Africa where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean, is called the Mother City by the Dutch who colonized the country and it was the single place in all of Africa were white people were in the majority during apartheid because... more...
- May 21, 2007 Transit Local Driving for Change Jackie Jeter likes being in the driver’s seat. She’s also accustomed to getting where she’s going. The first female president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 started out driving DC buses in 1979 and switched to Metro trains in 1987. She became a shop steward... more...
- May 21, 2007 A Look at Work in Japan Although Japan is still the world’s second largest economy, it faces increasing economic challenges from developing countries, especially China and India. DC LERA’s Wednesday lunchtime program takes a look at “Japanese Employment and Society – Past, Present, and Future” with... more...
- May 21, 2007 NLRB Tackles E-mail The National Labor Relations Board recently heard arguments on whether unions can communicate with workers by company e-mail. Unions, led by The Newspaper Guild, said e-mail is like flyers, and should have no restrictions. Firms said they should be able to control their e-mail systems... more...
- May 18, 2007 Transportation Workers Rally Thousands of transportation workers – pilots, flight attendants and machinists – rallied Thursday on the Mall to protest the Bush administration’s anti-worker policies. Amid a sea of blue t-shirts proclaiming “Enough is Enough” beneath a bright blue sky, transportation union leaders... more...
- May 18, 2007 Baltimore Hotel Worker Demo Saturday "No justice, no sleep!" will be the chant this Saturday when UNITE-HERE workers demonstrate at the Sheraton City Center (formerly the Wyndham Baltimore). With the hotel full of Preakness guests, Hotel Workers Rising says, “This is a prime time to inform the public that all workers deserve to... more...
- May 17, 2007 AFGE Demands Investigation of DOL Outsourcing The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) announced Wednesday that it is seeking a Congressional investigation the Department of Labor’s (DOL) decision to outsource 250 jobs this week. AFGE is also considering filing a class action lawsuit against the DOL and Secretary Elaine... more...
- May 17, 2007 The View From London Road By Rick Powell (Johannesburg, South Africa, May 15) The only thing that has changed since I was last in Johannesburg is that eight years have passed. The view from London Road is pretty much the same as it was in 1999 when I was here to observe the second national election for President and... more...
- May 17, 2007 Senate Begins Hearings on DC Voting Rights DC voting rights took another step forward Tuesday when the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee began hearings on the DC Voting Right Act. “This is a historic time for the citizens of the District of Columbia,” said Senator Orrin Hatch (R., UT). “I intend to make... more...
- May 17, 2007 MD/DC AFL-CIO to Honor Ackerman & Forcino AFL-CIO Political Director Karen Ackerman and Central Maryland AFL-CIO President Emeritus Don Forcino are the honorees at the June 15 Maryland State & District of Columbia AFL-CIO COPE “ Salute To Leadership” at the National Labor College. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley will... more...
- May 16, 2007 Transportation Workers Rally Thursday Thousands of transportation workers will rally on the National Mall at noon tomorrow to say “Enough is Enough” to the federal government’s “all-talk, no-action policies that place profits ahead of safety and security, and corporate needs ahead of workers.” The May 17 Day of Action... more...
- May 16, 2007 The Memphis Strike: Martin Luther King's Last Campaign Click here to download the recent issue of Poverty & Race, which includes an overview of Michael Honey's new book on the 1968 Memphis sanitation worker's strike. Poverty & Race is published by the Poverty & Race Research Action Council . more...
- May 16, 2007 Labor Updates (5/16/07) Eighteen member activists participated in CWA 2336's April 27 Boot Camp shop steward training, " the first phase of the union's effort to build an army of activists that will re-ignite the vigor and muscle of the labor movement—muscle that is required to make necessary changes for workers in... more...
- May 15, 2007 GAO Workers to Vote on Union By Mark Gruenberg, WASHINGTON (PAI) Upset by a pay-for-performance system their agency imposed just over a year ago, top federal analysts and investigators at the non-partisan Government Accountability Office filed May 8 for a recognition election there, voting on whether the Professional and... more...
- May 15, 2007 The Seafarer and the Queen By Mark Gruenberg, WASHINGTON (PAI) Seafarers President Michael Sacco donned white tie and tails on May 7 as the only union leader at GOP President George W. Bush’s state dinner for Queen Elizabeth II. While Sacco was surprised by the invitation, he was “appreciative and honored in... more...
- May 15, 2007 Union Women Earn More, But Still Less Than Men Unionized professional women receive better wages and benefits than women in the non-union sector but women still make less than their male counterparts according to a new fact sheet. “The union difference is quite apparent when you look at the median weekly wages” for professional women,... more...
- May 15, 2007 King, Labor & Economic Justice The connections between Martin Luther King, labor and economic justice will be explored in a special May 15 event at Busboys and Poets . The Labor Heritage Foundation and the Poverty Research Action Council host Michael Honey, author of Going Down Jericho Road: The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther... more...
- May 15, 2007 Labor Updates (5/15/07) The Justice Department has become a "plantation" rife with racial discrimination and a "dramatic drain in African-African staff over the past few years," reports Paul Kiel in his May 14 Talking Points Memo expose . AFSCME's Counsel 26 members "talk about disrespect from managers,"... more...
- May 14, 2007 Maryland Gets Living Wage Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the living wage into law last Tuesday, setting minimum wages for employees of government contractors at $11.30 an hour in the Baltimore-Washington area and $8.50 an hour in the rest of the state. Since 1994, more than 140 communities - including the District... more...
- May 14, 2007 Students Join Labor Chorus Benefit Concert Students from DC’s Shepherd Elementary School will join their music teacher, Ken Giles, and the rest of the D.C. Labor Chorus for a medley of civil rights songs at the June 2 concert by the DC Labor Chorus to benefit the Dinner Program for Homeless Women. Tickets are going fast: click here... more...
- May 14, 2007 Senate Committee to Consider DC Voting Rights A US Senate committee is holding a hearing on the DC House Voting Rights Act Tuesday morning. “After 200 years of inaction, the U.S. Senate is moving quickly to consider DC voting rights,” says local activist Ann Hoffman. The DC Voting Rights Act was introduced this month by Utah Republican... more...
- May 14, 2007 CWA's Tarlau Wins in Mt. Rainier Local activist and CWA member Jimmy Tarlau will be sworn in today as a City Council member in Mt. Rainier, MD. Tarlau won in last Tuesday’s election, running unopposed after collecting over 150 signatures on his nominating petitions (only 20 were needed), visiting over 400 homes and apartments... more...
- May 14, 2007 Wal-Mart Urged to Respect Moms Local labor activists leafleted the Germantown WalMart Friday morning to help launch a nationwide Mother's Day Card Campaign calling on Wal-Mart, the nation's largest private employer of women, “to publicly end its mistreatment of women workers and their families,” reports Doug Menapace of... more...
- May 14, 2007 Metro Council & CSA Event Photos Available Online Accessing photos of Metro Council and Community Services Agency premiere events dating back to 2005 is just a click away ! Photos from the 2007 and 2006 Evening with Labor, 2006 and 2005 Community Services Agency Bowling and Golf Tournaments and other events are available for downloading or... more...
- May 11, 2007 Union Women's Work Not Done “Throughout my whole working life, my fate was always dependent on a manager's decision,” said Teresa Martin at Metro DC CLUW’s Gloria T. Johnson Awards Luncheon last Sunday, “I was laid off…forced to take a (lowerpaying) job…When I finally was hired for my present job and joined the... more...
- May 11, 2007 Labor Updates (5/11/07) GAO ANALYSTS TO SEEK UNION REPRESENTATION “Watchdogs who work for the Congress are ready to seek union representation,” reports Stephen Barr in the Washington Post (5/8)… UNIONS ARGUE FOR OVERTURNING ‘WORKERS ARE SUPERVISORS’ RULING "Cheered on by dozens of nurses in the... more...
- May 10, 2007 UDC Faculty Union has Deep Roots Faculty members at the only public institution of higher education in the District of Columbia organized a union soon after the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) was chartered in 1974. The latest affiliate of the Metro Washington Council, the UDC Faculty Association – a National... more...
- May 10, 2007 Firefighters Block Firing in Rosenbaum Case “A D.C. Superior Court judge has issued a temporary restraining order stopping Mayor Adrian M. Fenty from dismissing a firefighter in connection with the botched emergency response for journalist David E. Rosenbaum,” reports Matthew Cella in The Washington Times. Firefighters Local 36 had... more...
- May 10, 2007 UNION CITY Readers Want More “If you ask UNION CITY readers what we want, the answer is simply 'More',” responded one reader to our recent survey. “More hard-hitting stories about how DC workers are fighting and winning. More stories about progressive local politics and elected officials in DC and MD. More... more...
- May 10, 2007 Stamp Out Hunger Saturday Help thousands of hungry families this Saturday without even leaving your house. Food donations left near your mailbox will be picked up by your letter carrier in this Saturday’s 15th Annual Letter Carriers National Food Drive. Summer is a critical time for “millions of children whose school... more...
- May 9, 2007 Registration Deadline for Cancer Walk This Saturday, May 12, is the deadline to register to walk with the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) team in the First Annual “Beat the Clock” Walk for Cervical Cancer/HPV Prevention and Awareness. The May 19 fundraiser walk is dedicated to eradicating cervical cancer, celebrate those... more...
- May 9, 2007 Healthcare Workers Celebrate Nurse's Week 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East will celebrate Maryland’s nurses with a Nurse’s Week event in Bowie, MD today. “Nurses in Maryland have much to celebrate,” says Carol Bragg, an RN at Prince George’s Hospital in Cheverly, “including passage of a Safe Patient Lifting law... more...
- May 9, 2007 Crofton Sends Wal-Mart Packing “We beat Wal-Mart in ways we never thought possible,” said Madonna Brennan, Co-Chair of Crofton First, a grass-roots organization, reacting to last Friday’s report that the big box giant had scrapped plans for a new megastore in Crofton, MD. “There is power in people and we used it well... more...
- May 8, 2007 Apprenticeship Programs "Gold Mine" for DC Workers Union apprenticeship programs in the District “are gold mines for both young people and adults” testified Metro Washington Council President Jos Williams Saturday. The 16 existing programs cover all trades and crafts in the construction industry, Williams told the Committee on Workforce... more...
- May 8, 2007 Union Mom Now you can celebrate Mother's Day this Sunday and support working women too! Here are a few union-made in the USA gifts from The Union Shop: Fiesta Disc Pitchers . Made for decades by a proud group of union workers and a company that has bucked job-exporting trends. Available in colors... more...
- May 7, 2007 SEIU 500 Members Donate Food to Hungry Children Montgomery County transportation workers donated 1,700 pounds of food to a local food bank last month. The SEIU 500 members conducted a month-long drive to help needy children have healthy, hunger-free weekends. Montgomery County Superintendent of Schools Jerry D. Weast and Board of Education... more...
- May 7, 2007 Labor Updates (5/7/07) Mark your calendar for the Machinist’s 5th annual DAY OF ACTION on Thursday, May 17 on the National Mall. The broad-based transportation labor demonstration will focus on fighting those who “trample on workers’ rights, destroy pensions, sell-off jobs through globalization, pursue... more...
- May 7, 2007 Mystery Solved Last Tuesday’s mystery demo (5/4 UNION CITY) was by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters, which targeted Ernst & Young for hiring a construction company that subcontracted work to Maryland Applicators, which it says is eroding area standards for local carpenters. With... more...
- May 4, 2007 Mystery Demo AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center Director (and former union clown) Murray Horwitz grabbed a shot of this demo on Connecticut Avenue on Tuesday morning. Anyone know who organized it and why? Email us with details at streetheat@dclaborarchives.org more...
- May 3, 2007 Colombian President Met with Protests Dozens of labor and human rights activists joined an impromptu lunch rally Wednesday to protest the rights abuses and paramilitary killings occurring in Colombia under President Alvaro Uribe’s watch. Chanting “No labor rights? This treaty bites,” and holding images of victims of... more...
- May 3, 2007 Joe Jencks Sings Labor Songs Saturday Singer/songwriter Joe Jencks – who has earned wide recognition for his songs about working people – will perform in concert (calendar link) this Saturday at Oseh Shalom synagogue in Laurel, MD. The concert of labor music along with songs of peace, faith and justice, is part of the... more...
- May 3, 2007 Hundreds Rally in DC for Darfur With time inexorably slipping away in a bloody hourglass, hundreds of activists gathered in Lafayette Park last Sunday to demand action on Darfur. The demonstration was one of more than 400 held worldwide as part of "Global Days for Darfur" organized by a coalition of religious organizations,... more...
- May 3, 2007 CLUW Lunch Spotlights Brown & Martin The spotlight will be on the work and leadership of two area labor women -- Clayola Brown and Teresa Martin – at Sunday’s Metro DC Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) Gloria Johnson Awards Luncheon. Brown and Martin have “worked unselfishly for the benefit of others and... more...
- May 2, 2007 Council Introduces Paid Sick Days Bill Cough drops and tissues were passed out to DC City Councilmembers arriving early Tuesday morning for a pre-Council breakfast meeting. The "Get Well" packages were attached to briefing packets on the Paid Sick and Safe Days Act of 2007, which would provide a minimum standard of 10 paid days off... more...
- May 2, 2007 Labor Updates (5/2/07 HIRING HALL) The Montgomery County Council unanimously approved pay increases for most county employees and police officers last Tuesday…April 24 was also Equal Pay Day, the day that marks how far into the calendar year a woman must work to earn as much as a man earned last year. Even though women make up... more...
- May 2, 2007 DC Vote Effort Moves to Senate The bill to give DC a permanent voting member of the House of Representatives is awaiting action in the U.S. Senate, having sailed through the House on April 19 by a bipartisan vote of 241-177, reports Ann Hoffman. “Senate supporters are working on a new draft of the bill to be introduced in... more...
- May 2, 2007 Labor's Candidate Wins in DC Ward 4 Labor-endorsed candidate Muriel Bowser won Tuesday's DC Ward 4 City Council member race with 4,486 votes, or 40% of the total vote; 2nd-place finisher Michael Brown got 3,269 votes. "Labor contributed at least a thousand Ward 4 union votes to Muriel Bowser's victory," said Metro Council... more...
- May 1, 2007 Paid Sick Days Advance in DC District workers would be guaranteed paid sick days under a bill that will be introduced Tuesday morning at the DC City Council. Supporters will rally at 9:30A. The Paid Sick and Safe Days Act “provides workers in DC with a minimum standard of 10 paid days off when they or a family member are... more...
- May 1, 2007 Labor GOTV Seen as Critical in Today's DC Vote With voter turnout expected to be very low in today’s DC City Council Special Elections, labor turnout “may well be the winning margin,” says Metro Council Political Coordinator Rick Powell. Union activists are covering 5 critical precincts in Ward 4 where labor-endorsed candidate Muriel... more...
- May 1, 2007 MC County Council Urged to Act on Job Safety Montgomery County Council members received hand-delivered copies of the 2007 edition of "Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect" as part of the weeklong nationwide commemoration of Workers Memorial Day. The study, prepared annually by the AFL-CIO and released last Wednesday, chronicles the... more...
- May 1, 2007 Uneasy Crown at Burger King “The crown, the crown, the crown is going down!” chanted a lively group of students and community members at last Saturday’s rally for farmworker justice in Chinatown. “Down, down with exploitation! Up, up with fair food nation!” the group chanted. Farmworkers recently began a campaign... more...
- Apr 30, 2007 New Transit Local in the Fast Lane Living proof of the power of organizing, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1764 has nearly tripled membership in the last seven months. The local, whose 682 members work for area transportation companies, is a brand-new affiliate of the Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO, and was chartered... more...
- Apr 30, 2007 UMD Student Arrested for Worker Rights Action University of Maryland students demanding worker rights were barred and arrested last Thursday at the College Park Campus. When eleven students held a demonstration in UMD-College Park President Dan Motes’ office, campus police blocked the exits, demanded identification, and arrested one... more...
- Apr 30, 2007 Childcare Providers Rally for Kids Tuesday Childcare providers, unions and community allies will rally Tuesday at the Maryland State Department of Education’s (MSDE) office in Baltimore, protesting ongoing errors by the state that have left hundreds of family child care providers without pay since as far back as January. The... more...
- Apr 30, 2007 Tickets, Ad Space Still Available for CLUW Awards Lunch Tickets and journal ad spaces for Sunday’s Gloria Johnson Awards Luncheon are still available. This year’s luncheon, sponsored by the Metro DC Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, will recognize local labor leaders Clayola Brown, President of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, and... more...
- Apr 27, 2007 Getting Out The Union Vote in DC Ward 4 Race Union members will be out in force across DC’s Ward 4 this Saturday, door-knocking for labor-endorsed City Council candidate Muriel Bowser, who’s running to fill the seat vacated by DC Mayor Adrian Fenty. Labor turnout is expected to be key in Tuesday’s Special Election, reports Metro... more...
- Apr 27, 2007 WHC Nurses OK Contract Nurses at Washington Hospital Center (WHC) ratified a new contract last week, reports Stephen Frum, Chief Shop Steward of Nurses United, which represents 1,500 nurses at WHC. The vote was 95% in favor of the contract, which won significant improvements in wages, hours and working conditions.... more...
- Apr 26, 2007 Teamsters Honor Salvadoran Human Rights Activist Dr. Beatrice Alamanni de Carrillo, the Ombusman of the Salvadoran Human Rights Office, will receive the first Teamsters “Gilberto Soto Human Rights Award” tonight. Dr. de Carrillo is being recognized “for her role in exposing the Salvadoran government’s coverup of the assassination” of... more...
- Apr 26, 2007 Farmworkers Target Burger King On the heels of a major victory against McDonald's, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers has set its sights on Burger King next. Students, labor leaders, and community activists will target the Chinatown Burger King this Saturday urging them to follow McDonald’s lead and pay farmworkers... more...
- Apr 26, 2007 Planning for Iragi Union Leaders DC Visit As Congress and President Bush spar this week over funding and ending US involvement in the war in Iraq, planning continues for a June visit by two Iraqi union leaders. Faleh Abood Umara, General Secretary of the Federation of Oil Workers, and Hashemeya Mohsen al Hussein, President of the... more...
- Apr 25, 2007 Death at Work on the Rise Workplace fatality rates in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia rose last year after dropping for the previous three years. The nation's workplace safety laws are too weak to effectively protect the nation's workers, according to the AFL-CIO's annual Death on the Job report ,... more...
- Apr 25, 2007 Schniderman Re-Elected Council 26 President Saul Schniderman was re-elected President of AFSCME Council 26 on April 19. Schniderman, who leads AFSCME Local 2910 , has served since 1998 as President of the Council, which includes 20 AFSCME federal sector locals. Fifteen of the Council’s 20 locals participated in the election, with votes... more...
- Apr 24, 2007 Labor Knocks for Bowser Union members doorknocked District union households Saturday to get out the vote for Muriel Bowser, the Metro Council's endorsed candidate in the DC Council Ward 4 Special Election. The Ward 4 election, to replace the Council seat previously held by DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, is set for May 1.... more...
- Apr 23, 2007 Graham, Mason Honored Saturday Charles Graham, Business Manager of IBEW Local 26, and Fred Mason, President of the Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO, will be honored for their leadership and service to the labor movement at the 15th annual A. Philip Randolph birthday celebration. The annual event, hosted by the Greater... more...
- Apr 23, 2007 To 'Beat the Clock,' Union Members Walk Tamika Felder, a Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW)/AFSCME member and cervical cancer survivor, will join a CLUW delegation of union members and their family and friends for a walk to "Beat the Clock" for Cervical Cancer/HPV Prevention and Awareness. Felder is the organizer of the first... more...
- Apr 23, 2007 Labor Chorus Concert Benefits Homeless A June 2 concert by the DC Labor Chorus will benefit the Dinner Program for Homeless Women. “I’ll be there and I hope you will be too,” says Metro Washington Council President Jos Williams. “I rarely feel better than after hearing our local labor movement’s secret weapon perform.”... more...
- Apr 20, 2007 Student Dinner Unites GWU Workers Members of George Washington University's Progressive Student Union hosted a Worker Appreciation Dinner Wednesday night to thank the professors, cleaning and maintenance workers, and food service workers who make their education possible. More than 20 workers attended, including members of UNITE... more...
- Apr 20, 2007 Montgomery County Workers Urge Council to OK Contract Dozens of Montgomery County employees packed a County budget hearing on short notice Thursday afternoon to make sure their recently-negotiated contract is not threatened. The show of strength came after several Council members questioned the contract at Monday’s budget hearing “and we just... more...
- Apr 20, 2007 Starbucks Workers Fight Bitter Conditions Baristas and their supporters rallied for better working conditions outside a Dupont Circle Starbucks last week. Complaints include understaffing and erratic work schedules, low wages, unaffordable health care, and the need for the right to organize. “If you repeat a lie enough times, it will... more...
- Apr 19, 2007 Workers Extend Contract; PG Hospital to Remain Open The Prince George's County Executive and County Council agreed Wednesday afternoon to continue funding the PG County Hospital through 2008.In an effort to help keep Prince George's hospitals open, the 1,800 healthcare workers at Prince George's hospital system voted Tuesday to extend their... more...
- Apr 19, 2007 Dan Dugan Takes Reins at DC Firefighters If the name of the new President of Firefighters Local 36 sounds familiar, that’s because Dan Dugan’s roots spring from his father, Jim Dugan, the well-known President of the Pressmen’s Union who were locked out at the Washington Post in 1975. Dan Dugan, 44, hadn’t planned on being a... more...
- Apr 19, 2007 Turning Up the Heat on Paula Deen Paula Deen, the popular TV cook and host of “Paula’s Home Cooking,” was greeted with a prayer vigil supporting Smithfield workers Wednesday night when she appeared at a booksigning at the National Museum of Natural History. A delegation of clergy and former Smithfield worker Lenora Bailey... more...
- Apr 19, 2007 Federal Workers Face Increased Scrutiny Over Email File this under irony or hypocrisy. As questions continue to rage about partisan emails from high-ranking White House officials in the federal prosecutor firing scandal, an increasing number of lower-level federal employees are being investigated for sending politically oriented email messages to... more...
- Apr 18, 2007 Community Rallies to Save PG Hospital “We’re not asking for a handout,” Laurel Regional Medical Surgical/Rehab Director Colleen Triumph told UNION CITY Tuesday morning as fifty demonstrators chanting “Save our hospitals!” circled in front of the Prince George’s County Administration Building where the County Council was... more...
- Apr 18, 2007 Paula Deen Not Cookin' for Smithfield Workers Local labor activists and workers will hold a vigil at 6P today at Paula Deen’s DC book signing at the National Museum of Natural History. The popular cook and host of the Food Network’s “Paula’s Home Cooking” has a promotional partnership with Smithfield Foods that the United Food and... more...
- Apr 18, 2007 Iraqi Union Leaders to Visit DC Local organizers will meet tonight to plan DC events for two Iraqi union leaders who will visit in June. “Faleh Abood Umara, General Secretary of the Federation of Oil Workers, and Hashemeya Mohsen al Hussein, President of the Electrical Utility Workers Union, have finally received their... more...
- Apr 17, 2007 UDC Faculty Chartered by AFL-CIO In a landmark affiliation, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) Faculty Association was officially chartered as an affiliate by the AFL-CIO at Monday night’s Metro Washington Council Delegate’s Meeting. “We’ll work very hard to ensure that our voice is heard throughout... more...
- Apr 17, 2007 Thousands Demand Vote in DC “We may be emancipated but we sure aren’t free!” shouted a hoarse but defiant DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton at Monday afternoon’s DC Vote march and rally. Thousands from across the District marched down Pennsylvania Avenue chanting “Free DC!” as temperatures dropped, the wind... more...
- Apr 17, 2007 Library Workers Day Celebrates American Dream Free buttons and bookmarks at the Library of Congress today mark Library Workers Day. “Libraries are part of the American dream,” says AFSCME Local 2910 President Saul Schniderman, “places for opportunity, education, lifelong learning and free and equal access to a world of resources no... more...
- Apr 17, 2007 Letter Carriers Protest Outsourcing at Postal HQ Your friendly letter carrier may soon be a thing of the past. The Postal Service’s push to privatize and outsource letter carriers was targeted by a rally of hundreds of carriers Monday afternoon at Postal Service headquarters at L’Enfant Plaza, organized by the National Association of... more...
- Apr 17, 2007 Rodmen Mark 90th Anniversary A packed house of more than 500 turned out for Saturday night’s celebration of Reinforcing Ironworkers Local 201’s 90th anniversary. Chartered in 1917, Local 201 was “probably the first integrated Local Union in our International,” with twelve black and eleven white members. Known as the... more...
- Apr 16, 2007 Letter Carriers to Picket Postal Service HQ to Protest Outsourcing Letter carriers from 18 states across the nation will demonstrate today at 2P in front of U.S. Postal Service headquarters. National Association of Letter Carriers President William H. Young will lead informational picketing to protest contracting out of city letter carriers jobs. Young and the... more...
- Apr 16, 2007 UDC Faculty Association Gets AFL-CIO Charter In one of the first affiliations on the local level, the University of District Columbia Faculty Association – the NEA local at the University of the District of Columbia -- will join the AFL-CIO, the Maryland State & District of Columbia AFL-CIO and the Metro Washington Council at... more...
- Apr 16, 2007 CSA Creative Fundraising Award: Association of Supervisory and Administrative Personnel Here’s a way to honor your members and raise money for a good cause. The Association of Supervisory and Administrative School Personnel (ASASP), makes a contribution to the Community Services Agency in the name of members or family members of union members who have passed on. The Agency then... more...
- Apr 13, 2007 Hotel Workers Launch Contract Campaign Chanting “We’ll remember in September!” well over a thousand hotel workers and their supporters marched through downtown Washington Thursday. The show of strength by the members of UNITE HERE Local 25 was the kick-off of the local’s campaign for a new contract for more than 5,000 area... more...
- Apr 12, 2007 Seder Gives Voice to Domestic Workers Domestic workers were the focus of the Labor Seder Wednesday night in the annual celebration of struggle organized by Jews United for Justice. Nearly 200 activists gathered at Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, MD at the 6th annual event, which this year brought forth the stories of domestic workers,... more...
- Apr 11, 2007 Maryland 1st State to Pass Living Wage Maryland became the first state to require contractors to pay workers a living wage Tuesday night, the fruit of a months-long coalition campaign that included union members, religious leaders and civil rights advocates. On its last day in session, the Maryland Senate voted, 31–16, to approve... more...
- Apr 11, 2007 PG Workers & Patients, Left in Lurch, Keep Hope Alive Healthcare workers and patients in Prince George’s County may soon lose the county’s only hospital. Negotiations between state and local officials to approve a funding plan to keep Prince George’s County hospital open collapsed earlier this week. “It’s a full-blown crisis, a desperate... more...
- Apr 11, 2007 Farmworkers Win Raise from McDonald's Florida farmworkers achieved a major victory Monday when McDonald’s agreed to pay a penny more per pound for tomatoes. The agreement not only effectively doubled farmworker pay but sent “a strong message to the rest of the restaurant and supermarket industry that it is now time to stand... more...
- Apr 11, 2007 Hotel Workers Take to Streets Hundreds of area hotel workers and their supporters will take to the streets of Northwest DC Thursday to kick off their 2007 contract campaign. “Hotel workers deserve to be a part of the middle class,” says John Boardman, UNITE HERE Local 25 Executive Secretary-Treasurer. “They are... more...
- Apr 11, 2007 UDC Faculty Association Gets AFL-CIO Charter In one of the first affiliations on the local level, the University of District Columbia Faculty Association – the NEA local at the University of the District of Columbia -- will join the AFL-CIO, the Maryland State & District of Columbia AFL-CIO and the Metro Washington Council next... more...
- Apr 9, 2007 Labor Council Endorses Muriel Bowser in DC Ward 4 Special Election, Takes No Position in Ward 7 The Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO voted Thursday, April 4 to endorse the candidacy of Muriel Bowser for the Ward 4 Special Election. "Working families in the District will be well-represented with Muriel on the City Council," said MWC AFL-CIO President Jos Williams. "DC... more...
- Apr 9, 2007 Capitol Workers Win Long-Awaited Contract More than 600 laborers, custodial workers, gardeners and botanists who work for the Architect of the Capitol ratified their first contract last week. “Special congratulations to AFSCME Local 626 President Wally Reed, the negotiating team members and Council Representative Peter Inman for their... more...
- Apr 9, 2007 300 Rally to Save PG Hospitals "Keep this hospital open! No more band aids!" demanded over 300 community, labor and religious activists at a Thursday rally in front of the Prince George's Community Hospital. "Those who can't go anywhere else need this hospital," said Debbie Wilkes, a neo-natal nurse at the hospital, "and... more...
- Apr 9, 2007 Workers March on Guardsmark Chanting "Guardsmark! Unfair!" students and labor activists joined dozens of SEIU 32BJ members last Wednesday for a late-afternoon rally and march around the DC headquarters of Guardsmark, a national security contractor. Demanding that the company improve the lives of their workforce, the union... more...
- Apr 9, 2007 DC Voting Rights March Expected to Be Largest Ever In what's being billed as "the largest march in history for DC voting rights," DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC Council Chairman Vincent Gray and members of Congress are expected to join thousands for the April 16 DC Voting Rights March. The march, sponsored by DC Vote,... more...
- Apr 9, 2007 Crofton Sends Wal-Mart Packing “We beat Wal-Mart in ways we never thought possible,” said Madonna Brennan, Co-Chair of Crofton First, a grass-roots organization, reacting to last Friday’s report that the big box giant had scrapped plans for a new megastore in Crofton, MD. “There is power in people and we used it well... more...
- Apr 4, 2007 DC Students Demand Sweat-Free Apparel Students across the District are participating in Sweat-free Days of Action as part of the Student-Labor Week of Action to draw attention to the working conditions for those who manufacture university apparel. George Washington University held their event yesterday while George Mason University... more...
- Apr 4, 2007 Library of Congress Grilled on Union Harassment The simmering union struggle in the quiet halls of the Library of Congress boiled over in a March 22 House appropriation subcommittee hearing when Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D- FL), grilled Library of Congress (LOC) Chief Operating Officer Jo Ann Jenkins about the ongoing dispute over... more...
- Apr 4, 2007 770 Join Machinists Machinists recently scored a major organizing victory at the Patuxent River Naval Base in Southern Maryland when 770 aircraft repair technicians employed by DynCorp International joined IAM District 4. “This win is the latest in a series of organizing wins for the Machinists Union,”... more...
- Apr 4, 2007 CWA’s Tarlau Endorsed for Mt. Rainier City Council Local labor activist Jimmy Tarlau – a staff rep for the Communications Workers of America – has been endorsed by the Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO in his bid for the Mt. Rainier City Council Ward 1 seat. The election is on May 7th and Tarlau also has the support of the incumbent, Carol... more...
- Apr 4, 2007 GW Students Wield Technology Against Unionbusting With laptops fired up and online, George Washington University students recruited graduating seniors to participate in an high-tech campaign last Friday to stop unionbusting at the State Plaza hotel. Camped out at tables set up in GW’s mid-campus Quad, the students -- using laptops wired into... more...
- Apr 4, 2007 Bargaining Talks with ABC Suspended Contract talks between ABC and the broadcast and cable workers union were suspended last week. The contract talks – which cover 2,500 workers, including members of NABET 31 in DC -- were suspended on March 27, just “days before the contract was set to expire” according to a report by the... more...
- Apr 2, 2007 NoVa Activists Stage "Spirited" March A sleepy Ballston awakened Saturday morning to a noisy and spirited demonstration by more than 100 student, community, civil rights, and labor activists who demanded respect for workers' rights. The March for Fair Food was part of the national day of action in support of Smithfield Packing... more...
- Apr 2, 2007 DC School Bus Drivers Rally Nearly 500 D.C. school bus drivers and attendants demonstrated outside the school system's headquarters last Thursday to protest unpaid bonuses and salary increases dating to 2005, reports the Washington Post. The union's 1,350 members are owed $1.3 million in bonuses and two annual salary... more...
- Apr 2, 2007 Sweeney to Speak at DC Voting Rights Rally AFL-CIO President John Sweeney will be one of the featured speakers at the DC Voting Rights March on Monday, April 16. The AFL-CIO strongly supported DC voting rights in a resolution introduced by Metro Council President Jos Williams and adopted unanimously at its 2005 National Convention. The... more...
- Apr 2, 2007 Big Apple Bites Walmart The head of Wal-Mart and the New York City Labor Council agreed on one thing last week: there’s no place for Wal-Mart in the Big Apple. Saying “I don’t care if we are ever here,” Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott bailed out of New York City last week, citing opposition from workers and community... more...
- Apr 2, 2007 Bricklayers "Knock 'em Down" And Collect The Cash, Too Members of the Bricklayer IU “Knocks ‘Em Down” bowling team (members of OPEIU Local 2) collected $1,002.95 for the Community Services Agency’s (CSA) 2006 Bowling for Gold tournament fundraiser, winning the award for Most Pledges Collected. Team members won $75 each, most of which was... more...
- Mar 28, 2007 "Dirty Secrets" Exposed at Starbucks, McDonald's and Harris Teeter Students and community and labor activists are banding together to expose “dirty secrets” at Starbucks, McDonald’s and Harris Teeter this Saturday. “Harris Teeter sells bacon produced by Smithfield Food, a company with a history of horrible abuse in its North Carolina... more...
- Mar 28, 2007 Harris & Lopossay Win Top Guild Prizes The Baltimore Sun’s Melissa Harris and Monica Lopossay have won top awards at the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild’s Annual Front Page Awards. The annual dinner honors Guild members for their outstanding journalistic work and union activism throughout the year. Harris’... more...
- Mar 28, 2007 Outstanding Citizen Terry Lynch We neglected to include Wilhelmina J. Rolark Outstanding Citizen Award winner TERRY LYNCH in Monday’s list of 2006 award winners at this year’s Evening With Labor. In his work as the Executive Director of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations, a non-profit ecumenical association... more...
- Mar 26, 2007 Local Labor Celebrates 30th Annual Dinner “After I got hurt playing football there was no one around that wanted me except my union," said Gene Pinder at Saturday night’s 30 th Annual Evening With Labor dinner. Pinder, Business Manager of the Baltimore-Washington Laborers’ District Council, was named J.C. Turner... more...
- Mar 26, 2007 2006 Evening with Labor Awardees J.C. Turner Award for Outstanding Trades Unionist of the Year: GENE PINDER, Business Manager, Baltimore-Washington Laborers’ District Council, Committee on Political Education (COPE) Awards: JIM LOWERY, Elevator Constructors Local 10 (MD); ERIC STARIN, Office and Professional... more...
- Mar 21, 2007 Walmart "Welcomed" to Landover Hills “Do the right thing, because we are watching,” warned Rev. Jarvis Johnson at this morning’s press conference outside the new Walmart in Landover Hills, MD. Over 50 labor activists, community and political supporters gathered to “Welcome Walmart” to the community as the... more...
- Mar 21, 2007 Georgetown Students Rally Over forty students rallied at Georgetown on Tuesday to show their support for security guards who begin contract negotiations this week. With chants of "Ain't no power," and "Si se puede," the students marched to the administration building, disturbing the university President and... more...
- Mar 19, 2007 Pinder Outstanding Trade Unionist Gene Pinder, Business Manager of the Baltimore-Washington Laborers’ District Council, heads up this Saturday’s honorees at the 30 th annual Evening With Labor as the J.C. Turner Award for Outstanding Trades Unionist of the Year. Tickets are still available for the celebration of... more...
- Mar 19, 2007 Solidarity Center Condemns Attacks Against the Zimbabwe Trade Union Congress The escalating attacks against unions and civil society organizations in Zimbabwe were condemned Friday by the Solidarity Center after government security forces raided the headquarters of the Zimbabwe Trade Union Congress (ZCTU) and beat and arrested opposition leaders during a... more...
- Mar 19, 2007 Report Finds Guestworkers in "Close to Slavery" Conditions “Workers who come to the United States on short term, seasonal contracts are routinely exploited and have few legal safeguards” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, reported Matthew Bigg last Monday on the Reuters website. The Center’s report, “Close to Slavery:... more...
- Mar 14, 2007 New England Grocery Workers Win Contract Stop & Shop workers represented by five United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) local unions in New England ratified a three-year contract last weekend that secures them affordable, quality health care. The coordinated effort in New England was part of a nationwide bargaining... more...
- Mar 14, 2007 Artists, Musicians Celebrate Oaxacan Resistance The struggle for justice in Oaxaca, Mexico will be celebrated in music and art this Friday. The fundraiser for Oaxacan art and solidarity efforts (see On the Line) also features food, refreshments, dancing, video reportbacks from recent events in Oaxaca, and revolutionary,... more...
- Mar 12, 2007 Ingleside Workers & Supporters Rally “Seeing all these people who are here for us has lifted our spirits,” Icline McAdams said at Saturday’s rally for healthcare workers at the Ingleside Nursing Home. “It makes us remember how hard we fought to have a union and why we can’t give up or in.” McAdams and her... more...
- Mar 12, 2007 Library of Congress Flooded with Pro-Union E-mails “More than 300 e-mails and letters have been sent to Librarian of Congress James Billington urging him to stop “union-busting” at his institution,” reports Kelly McCormack in Thursday’s edition of The Hill. “Employees, librarians, members of library groups nationwide and... more...
- Feb 12, 2007 DC Council Takes Steps Towards Retail Living Wage Could Wal-Mart pay living wages? Several members of the DC Council said "yes" on Tuesday when they introduced legislation that would require "big box" retailers operating in the District to provide all workers compensation equal to the DC Living Wage of $11.75 per hour. Councilmember Phil... more...
- Jan 18, 2007 Dairy Workers Still on Strike Federal mediation Wednesday failed to achieve a settlement to the walk-out by dairy workers and drivers at Quick Way Transportation and Marva Maid. The strike over unfair labor practices - including bargaining in bad faith by the employer - is now in its 6th day and plans are in the works to... more...
- Dec 20, 2006 Worker Safety Proposal Urged for Montgomery County The Montgomery County Commission on Health passed a proposal calling for increased community awareness and mobilization of county resources to combat occupational hazards in the region’s workplaces last Thursday, December 14, reports Commission member Jim Grossfeld. The “Worker Health &... more...
- Dec 11, 2006 Council Okays Affordable Housing Bill A two-year grassroots campaign for affordable housing bore fruit Tuesday when the D.C. City Council unanimously passed a landmark Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) law. The new law – which outgoing Mayor Tony Williams has pledged to sign -- will require setting aside units for moderate-income renters... more...
- Dec 4, 2006 Putting On The Union At The Ritz Building engineering staff at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton voted to form a union on November 30, reports Chris Mattingly at Operating Engineers Local 99, which will represent the workers. Twenty workers make up the building engineering staff,... more...
- Dec 4, 2006 GW Ordered To Negotiate With Workers Adjunct faculty at The George Washington University (GW) won a significant victory last week with the decision by a federal appeals court affirming the results of an election that united the part-time faculty with SEIU Local 500. "The appeals court ruling defends the legal rights of... more...
- Nov 20, 2006 Right To Organize Demanded For LAZ Parking Workers At Metro Bright yellow signs and loud cheers livened up the gray courtyard in front of Metro headquarters in downtown DC last Thursday morning as several dozen activists braved the rain and wind to tell the Metro board that parking workers deserve the right to organize and a living wage. LAZ... more...
- Nov 20, 2006 Parole Comission Workers Say Union Yes Workers at the U.S. Parole Commission voted 22-6 last Thursday, November 16 to join AFSCME, reports AFSCME Council Executive Director Carl Goldman. The newly-unionized Commission employees include case workers who handle parole for federal and Washington, DC offenders. “ Kudos to... more...
- Nov 20, 2006 Labor Helping Transitions Maryland/DC AFL-CIO State Fed President Fred Mason and Metro Council President Jos Williams are among the local labor leaders serving on transition teams. Mason is on Maryland Governor-elect O'Malley’s transition team and Williams is on MD Comptroller Peter Franchot’s team, as... more...
- Nov 20, 2006 Smithfield Workers Win After a two-day walk-out late last week by hundreds of Smithfield Packing workers in Tar Heel, North Carolina, Smithfield agreed to workers' demands to halt the wholesale firings of employees and agreed to reconsider their implementation of immigration policies in the plant. The... more...
- Nov 6, 2006 MONTCO Janitors Demonstrate Support For Houston Strikers Unionized janitors in Montgomery County staged an impromptu solidarity demonstration last Thursday in support of striking janitors in Houston. Janitors passed out flyers on North Washington Street in Rockville “to show that our companies in Houston are not agreeing to pay a fair and... more...
- Nov 3, 2006 Massive Labor GOTV Kicks Off "Final Four" Days: More than 100,000 union activists will be out talking to union members and their families door-to-door across the country this Saturday, as the 2006 campaign enters the critical final stretch. Nationwide, they will knock on 3.5 million union doors, make more than 5 million phone... more...
- Oct 30, 2006 Borbely, Lorckride & Bobb GET Metro Labor Council Nod In DC School Board Races Marc Borbely, William Lockridge and Robert Bobb were endorsed last week by the Metro Washington Council in their races for DC School Board. “Marc Borbely was instrumental in the School Modernization Coalition to get money to improve the physical structure and maintenance of our... more...
- Oct 25, 2006 Cirque du Soleil Settles With Union; Thursday Picket Cancelled Cirque du Soleil's DC performances are now union, thanks to the threat of Opening Night Streetheat and last-minute negotiations. “Solidarity works!” IATSE 22 President Chuck Clay told UNION CITY. Cirque has agreed that stagehands represented by Local 22 will work the show during Cirque’s... more...
- Oct 10, 2006 Architect Of The Capitol Workers Vote Union Employees of the Architect of the Capitol voted overwhelmingly for union representation on October 5, voting 50-21 to join Council 26 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The eighty four workers are responsible for maintaining the Library of... more...
- Oct 10, 2006 Labor Friend Charlie Mason Dies Longtime friend of labor Charlie Mason died on October 1; he was 95. “Charlie and Hilda never stopped fighting for the dispossessed,” said Metro Council President Jos Williams. “Charlie wasn’t just a strong supporter of working families, but a mentor for many of today’s... more...
- Oct 2, 2006 Religious Leaders Investigate Peabody Coal Peabody coalminers were scheduled to leaflet early this morning at the J.W. Marriott Hotel Pennsylvania Avenue, where Peabody CEO Gregory H. Boyce is speaking. In July, Religious Leaders for Coalfield Justice and Interfaith Worker Justice convened a fact-finding delegation of... more...
- Oct 2, 2006 Shocking Footage of Zimbabwe Beatings Screened It’s a familiar scene: a group of peaceful demonstrators is being loaded into a waiting police van. Suddenly, though, there’s a flash of white, then another and another, as police batons begin to rain down and though we cannot see the blows landing it’s clear that something... more...
- Sep 25, 2006 Zimbabwe Bars U.S. Unionists A delegation of black labor leaders and educators from the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), a constituency group of the AFL-CIO, were denied entry into Zimbabwe on Friday, September 22, CBTU reports. The members of the delegation were Bill Lucy (AFSCME), Harold Rogers... more...
- Sep 18, 2006 Labor Filmfest Celebrates Activism “If film is going to be an art, it’s going to have to be an art that does something,” AFTRA President John Connolly (and FilmFest Advisory Board member) said Sunday night at the DC Labor FilmFest screening of North Country. The FilmFest amused, provoked and entertained nearly... more...
- Sep 5, 2006 Labor's Candidates: MD District 20 Ida Ruben, State Senate: Ruben has compiled an exemplary labor record during her 31 years of elective office. Currently serving as President Pro Tem of the Senate and a member of the powerful Budget & Taxation Committee, Ruben used her influence most recently to make... more...
- Sep 1, 2006 Labor's Candidates: Prince George's District 23 Team Douglas J. J. Peters heads up a team of experienced legislators with a pro-labor bent who hail from Prince George’s District 23. Peters is the current county councilmember from District 4 and is running for the... more...
- Aug 28, 2006 Labor's Candidates: Kurt Walter, Prince George’s Democratic Central Committee The Recording Secretary for Plumber’s Local 5, Kurt Walter is better known for his tireless efforts at leading voter registration drives. Walter has literally signed up thousands of new voters to the rolls in Prince George’s County, where he serves as a member of the Prince... more...
- Aug 25, 2006 Labor's Candidates: Linda Cropp, DC Mayor Linda Cropp, endorsed for DC Mayor by the Metro Washington Council, has earned a reputation for getting results. As Chairman of the Council, Cropp worked alongside Mayor Williams—passing ten consecutive balanced budgets and helping bring the city back from bankruptcy. A longtime union... more...
- Aug 25, 2006 Labor's Candidates: Leventhal, Subin, Trachtenberg & Elrich, Montgomery County Council At-Large Incumbent GEORGE LEVENTHAL earned the endorsement for standing up for worker rights. He stood up for workers at the publicly funded CSAAC and urged them to refrain from intimidation tactics; The... more...
- Aug 21, 2006 Labor's Candidates: Prince George's District 24: A home for labor With a combined 95% pro-labor voting record in the last four years, the Prince George's District 24 delegation -- Senator Nathaniel Exum, along with Delegates Carolyn Howard, Joanne Benson and Michael Vaughn -- have a one of the most pro-union General Assembly groups in the state.... more...
- Aug 11, 2006 O'Malley: "We Can Do Better" “We can do better than a Governor who vetoed a minimum wage increase,” declared Martin O’Malley at last night’s Labor 2006 Get-Out-the-Vote Kickoff Rally. O’Malley, who joined dozens of labor-endorsed candidates and hundreds of area union members at Amalgamated Transit... more...
- Aug 11, 2006 Labor's Candidates: Valerie Ervin (Montgomery County Council 5) Valerie Ervin’s deep roots in the labor movement started with her career with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). Ervin went on to be an instructor at the George Meany Center for Labor Studies (now the National Labor College) in Silver Spring, later rising... more...
- Aug 7, 2006 Williams In Nigeria To Help Build Movement Metro Council President Jos Williams arrived in Nigeria last night for a week-long effort in partnership with the Organizing Institute (OI) of the AFL-CIO to rebuild the organizing capacity of the Nigerian labor movement. President Williams is being fully briefed on the situation in... more...
- Aug 7, 2006 NYC Transit Workers Picket Pataki At Press Club A group of angry New York City transit workers descended on the National Press Club today protesting the appearance of Governor George Pataki. With banners reading “Pakati couldn’t make it in New York – he can’t make it anywhere” and “Bad governors make bad... more...
- Aug 7, 2006 Technicians Demand End To WJLA Clowning Around “Bobby Joe the Clown” was featured at a recent rally as broadcast technicians at WJLA/Newschannel 8 continue to struggle to get a fair contract. Modeled on station owner Joe Albritton, “Bobby Joe the Clown” led the members of NABET-CWA 31 at the July 29 rally outside the... more...
- Aug 4, 2006 Labor's Candidates: Veronica Turner (MD 26) Elected four years ago when the Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO led a door-to-door effort among Prince George’s County union members urging them to put a union leader in the state house, SEIU 1199 leader Veronica Turner has kicked off her re-election effort for State Delegate in... more...
- Jul 31, 2006 Chicago Passes Landmark Big Box Bill After hours of heated debate, Chicago's city council last week passed historic legislation that will require "big-box" stores in the city to pay workers a living wage and benefits. Stores that are at least 90,000 square feet and whose parent companies have over $1 billion in annual... more...
- Jul 24, 2006 Williams Named NAACP "Keeper Of The Flame" Metro Council President Jos Williams was one of just five people to receive the NAACP’s annual “Keeper of the Flame” award at last week’s 38th Annual Labor Luncheon, held on July 19. Named after former NAACP Executive Director Benjamin Hooks, the Keeper of the Flame Award... more...
- Jul 17, 2006 NLRB, 14th Street Shut Down By Huge Labor Protest Chanting “Shut it down!” over 1,000 labor activists halted midday traffic in downtown Washington DC for over an hour last Thursday in a spirited protest outside National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) headquarters. “We’re fired up, won’t take it no more!” chanted the... more...
- Jul 17, 2006 Hanging Up on Verizon Wireless " Verizon Wireless won’t allow their people to organize,” said Clyde Rucker of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) at last Friday’s noontime demonstration outside the L Street Verizon Wireless store. “They use intimidation tactics and when I worked there I was fired for... more...
- Jul 10, 2006 "Union Dudes" Post First Loss In Hoops Tourney “Who’s that dude? He’s a Union Dude” said the announcer at the George Goldman Shooters League Tournament Thursday. The purple and orange jerseys of SEIU’s Union Dudes basketball team vied with the black, white and red of the Madness team in the second round of the Shooters... more...
- Jun 26, 2006 Duncan Courageous, Says Williams “Doug Duncan’s withdrawal from the race for Governor is marked with both sadness and hope,” said Metro Council President Jos Williams Friday. “Doug has been an outstanding champion of working men and women throughout his three terms as County Executive of Montgomery County.”... more...
- Jun 26, 2006 NC Meatpackers Bring Campaign to DC Vowing to be “respected and not neglected,” Smithfield Packing workers came to Washington Thursday as part of a national campaign to win a union at the Tarheel, NC meatpacking plant. Five current and former Smithfield workers told harrowing tales of injuries, harassment and... more...
- Jun 26, 2006 Engineers Demand Jobs, Union Dodging noontime rains last Thursday, two dozen activists demonstrated in Rockville in support of building engineers fired for trying to organize a union with IUOE Local 99. “The NLRB told America’s Capital Partners (ACP) that if you fire two out of the three workers in a unit,... more...
- Jun 19, 2006 Broadcast Workers Say No To WJLA Workers at WJLA-NewsChannel 8, members of NABET-CWA Local 31, voted overwhelmingly to reject the Company’s “best and final” contract offer last week. “It's gratifying to the bargaining committee's efforts that the membership understood the importance of arbitration in... more...
- Jun 19, 2006 Uelein Gets Joe Hill Award Tuesday Local activist and musician Joe Uehlein will receive the Joe Hill Award from the Labor Heritage Foundation (LHF) at the 28th Annual Great Labor Arts Exchange (GLAE) at the National Labor College on Tuesday, June 20. Uehlein, a labor organizer and arts-activist for over three decades,... more...
- Jun 19, 2006 "There's Blood On That Bacon" DC immigrant rights groups will help kick off a national campaign against the nation’s largest pork processing plant this Thursday (see Calendar for details). Immigrant and African American workers are fighting against sweatshop conditions at Smithfield Packing in North Carolina.... more...
- Jun 19, 2006 Young, Female, and Activated By Sara Wallace-Keeshen As a young female activist, last Friday’s “Get a CLUW” conference was a tremendous opportunity to network with generations of knowledgeable women organizers from across the country. More than anything else, I learned about the tremendous... more...
- Jun 12, 2006 Stamping Out Hunger Local letter-carriers collected almost 80,000 pounds of food during the May 13 “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive, during which 70.5 million pounds were collected nationally. The record-breaking amount of food donations were delivered to area food banks by National Association of Letter... more...
- Jun 5, 2006 Korea Trade Agreement Protested Wearing bright orange “stop the FTA” headbands and marching to the beat of Korean drummers, over a thousand workers, farmers, and activists took over downtown DC streets Sunday in a protest against a new trade agreement that critics say will devastate workers and farmers in... more...
- Jun 5, 2006 Pride At Work Honors Local Champions Of Worker Rights The Washington, DC chapter of Pride At Work will hold its third annual ceremony recognizing local champions supporting civil and workers’ rights on Friday, June 9 to kick off this year’s Capital Pride festivities. “Our annual awards ceremony is an effort to distinguish... more...
- Jun 5, 2006 Living Under the Trees Many of the farm workers picking table grapes in California’s Coachella Valley are indigenous Purepecha immigrants from Ocumichu, a town in the Mexican state of Michoacan. Otilia Esteban Nicolas has been picking grapes for six years, and lives in a trailer camp in the... more...
- May 22, 2006 Transit Workers Rally For Safety “Metro opens doors, they shouldn’t open caskets!” chanted members of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 who rallied last Thursday morning at Metro headquarters in downtown DC. The rally was prompted by unsafe working conditions the union says caused the recent... more...
- May 22, 2006 DC Constituency Groups Organize Members of area chapters of AFL-CIO constituency groups met last Saturday in their first-ever joint meeting. Sixteen local activists from the Coalition of Labor Union Women, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and the A. Phillip Randolph... more...
- May 15, 2006 Demanding a Voice at Piper Aircraft Rain didn't deter demonstrators protesting Piper Aircraft's anti-union campaign Thursday morning at a stockholder meeting for American Capital Strategies (which owns Piper) in Bethesda. Workers trying to organize a union with the Machinists charge the Piper's anti-worker management... more...
- May 1, 2006 Wal-Mart "Welcomed" To PG County "We welcome Wal-Mart to PG County," UFCW 400 Political Director Mark Federici said at a Landover Hills rally last Thursday afternoon, "We welcome Wal-Mart to pay a living wage, to provide healthcare for its workers and to respect their right to organize." Nearly 100 labor... more...
- May 1, 2006 Labor Marches Against War Between fifteen and twenty thousand labor antiwar activists turned out for last Saturday’s anti-war march in New York City, reports Michael Eisenscher of US Labor Against the War (USLAW), one of the groups organizing the event. Organizers estimate 350,000 or more people joined... more...
- May 1, 2006 Longtime Allies Win Council Endorsement Longtime political representatives and new candidates alike have received the Metro Council’s endorsement in this year’s elections. Newcomers Tom Hucker and Shirley Thompson got the Council’s nod, along with Congressional representatives Al Wynn (D, MD 4), Steny Hoyer (D, MD... more...
- Apr 24, 2006 Activists Occupy DC Building To Support Miami Hunger Strike Activists occupied a downtown DC office building Friday at lunchtime to protest union-busting by UNICCO, the building services company that has sparked a 3-week hunger strike at the University of Miami. Chanting “UNICCO has got to go!” two dozen demonstrators stormed the lobby of... more...
- Apr 17, 2006 DC Teamsters Settle Waste Management Strike Local drivers for Waste Management returned to work this morning after approving a contract Saturday that preserved pension benefits and provides modest wage increases. Nearly 100 local Teamsters and 125 in New York City had struck Waste Management on April 3; the New York City... more...
- Apr 17, 2006 GW Faculty Union Struggle Continues The George Washington University Coalition for Fair Labor has now collected nearly 1,000 signatures on their petition to support the Adjunct Faculty Union at GW. On Thursday, student activists and representatives from SEIU Local 500 staged a noontime rally at GW to demand that the... more...
- Apr 10, 2006 Massive Demo Today For Immigrant Rights Over 100,000 are expected to gather in Washington today in a massive demonstration for immigration rights (see On The Line). Millions more will rally and march across the country. Local union activists will join immigrant rights groups, grassroots community allies, elected officials,... more...
- Apr 10, 2006 Teamster Strike Update Nearly 100 Teamsters are now in the second week of their strike against Waste Management; watch for details soon on an action in downtown DC this Thursday; latest news will be posted on www.dclaborarchives.org Meanwhile, you can help by collecting contributions and organizing canned... more...
- Apr 10, 2006 Veto Override Expected On Collective Bargaining Bill Today The Maryland Senate and House are scheduled to take up a veto override today of a bill that would provide needed reforms to state collective bargaining law. Senate Bill 348 is expected to be taken up in both chambers on the final day of the General Assembly. The bill... more...
- Apr 3, 2006 Teamsters Stike Waste Management Workers at Waste Management walked out on strike at 6A this morning. The workers, represented by Teamsters Local 639, drive Waste Management’s garbage trucks and struck over the company’s demand for elimination of the pension plan and wage cuts. Some 88 DC-area workers are... more...
- Apr 3, 2006 Students, Labor, Unite at G-Town The chant "Workers' rights are human rights" echoed loudly across Georgetown's campus Friday as students, faculty, workers and members from the DC labor and religious communities gathered for a rally in Red Square. Speakers included Metro Washington Labor Council President Jos... more...
- Apr 3, 2006 "With a Mighty Hand And An Outstretched Arm" Singing "Solidarity Forever" and celebrating the traditional Jewish Passover, labor, religious and community allies joined hand in hand at the 5th annual Labor Seder Thursday night at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, VA. Dozens of workers were among the more than 200 who... more...
- Mar 27, 2006 Evening With Labor Pays Tribute To Political Friends The biggest laugh of the evening came when Senator Paul Sarbanes (D, MD), promised “I’ll be brief, since I’m a firm believer that these events should end on the same day they began.” Sarbanes, who was honored at Saturday night’s 29th annual Evening With Labor, went on to... more...
- Mar 27, 2006 NPR Techs Won't Be Silenced Broadcast technicians at National Public Radio continue to battle the contract imposed on them recently by NPR management, reports NABET Local 31. Thousands of supporters have been flooding NPR with emails in recent weeks and the effect on management is clear by the defensive... more...
- Mar 20, 2006 GTown Living Wage Coalition Takes The Cake The Living Wage Coalition threw a birthday party last Wednesday to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Georgetown University's Just Employment Policy, and is planning a major rally for next week. "We wanted to remind the administration we have not forgotten promises they made a... more...
- Mar 20, 2006 Living Wage Campaign Comes to Fairfax Energized by the recent passage of DC's Living Wage Law, a coalition of labor and community groups in Northern Virginia have officially launched a campaign to bring a Living Wage ordinance to Fairfax County. Around 100 people gathered at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Falls' Church... more...
- Mar 20, 2006 Guild Announces Service Awards Local winners of the Newspaper Guild's annual Service Awards include Rick Powell, Amy Lampkin, Deborah Weinstock, Ed Feigen, Cassandra Shieh and John Small. Powell, of UNITE HERE Local 25, was declared Organizer of the Year, while Lampkin, Weinstock and Feigen of the AFL-CIO share... more...
- Mar 13, 2006 VA Republicans Scuttle Leblanc Appointment Last week's decision by Virginia's Republican-controlled House of Delegates and Republican caucus to deny former AFL-CIO state federation President Daniel LeBlanc the appointment to Governor Kaine's cabinet for the Secretary of the Commonwealth was "mean spirited and petty, and... more...
- Mar 13, 2006 First Step For DC Inclusionary Zoning Taking the first step to create a Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning program in the District of Columbia, the DC Zoning Commission issued an historic ruling on March 10. "We commend the Zoning Commission for recommending a mandatory policy that will increase the variety and supply of... more...
- Mar 6, 2006 G'Town Okays Limited Card Check Although Georgetown University has told a university subcontractor that it can adopt the card check union recognition process, student activists are pushing for a blanket card check neutrality policy for all university workers. Georgetown students of the Living Wage Coalition (LWC)... more...
- Mar 6, 2006 Mailers Defend Pension After more than three years without a raise and two years without a contract, Mailers Local 29 reports that The Washington Post is now trying to take away their members’ union pension. “We've got a perfectly good national plan administered jointly by a board of employer and... more...
- Feb 21, 2006 Arrests of Iranian Bus Drivers Protested “Transit workers work for everyone,” said Metro worker Mike Myrick. “So transit workers in Iran must have the same rights to organize, protest and demonstrate that we do here in the United States.” Hundreds of transit workers, labor activists and supporters turned out in... more...
- Feb 21, 2006 Senate Hopefuls Pledge Labor Support Both U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin (D-MD 3) and former Congressman and former NAACP head Kweisi Mfume committed to working for the Employee Free Choice Act during February 15 interviews of U. S. Senate candidates conducted by the Maryland State & DC AFL-CIO in Annapolis. Both candidates... more...
- Feb 21, 2006 Rolark Remembered As Worker's Champion District civil rights activist Wilhelmina J. Rolark was “a champion of working people,” says Metro Washington Council Jos Williams. Rolark, who died last Tuesday of colon cancer at 89, was “the last of a breed of instinctively pro-worker politician we don't see much... more...
- Feb 13, 2006 NPR Workers Take The Mike Workers at National Public Radio (NPR) who usually work behind the microphones spoke out Friday at an NPR Board open mike session. “Change is everywhere at NPR these days,” said Flawn Williams, a long time NPR audio engineer and formerly technical director of All Things... more...
- Feb 13, 2006 Katrina Survivors March In DC Survivors of Hurricane Katrina were in Washington last week to urge Congress to speed up recovery efforts as tens of thousands continue to suffer from the devastation. The AFL-CIO has set up worker centers in Mississippi and Louisiana which continue to provide assistance to... more...
- Feb 13, 2006 APRI Honors McLaughlin & Williams Louis McLaughlin of Teamsters 639 and Metro Council President Jos Williams will be honored at the A. Philip Randolph Institute’s 14th Annual Birthday Celebration on April 15 “for their visionary leadership and dedicated service to the labor movement.” Fred D. Mason, President... more...
- Feb 13, 2006 Rabbis Support Living Wage Jews United For Justice (JUFJ) recently released a statement calling on Washington leaders to adopt a strong Living Wage law to protect area workers. The statement, signed by 35 area Rabbis, recognizes the new economic difficulties facing working people in the city. The District of... more...
- Feb 6, 2006 Wal-Mart Workers Detail Expoitation Wal-Mart’s penchant for violating worker rights and paying low wages across the United States doesn’t stop at the border. While "associates" working in U.S. Wal-Mart stores scrape by on minimum wage and less than 40 hours a week, "apprentices" in Wal-Mart factories in the... more...
- Feb 6, 2006 Carter Dominates Bowling Tourney The Printcraft team comprised of Wilbert Carter, George Blackwell, Ed Sullivan, Harry Andrews and Charles Peeler won the Highest Team Score in this year’s CSA Bowling Tournament, bowling an impressive 2972 and taking home $150 each. Team member Wilbert Carter’s 651 score won him... more...
- Feb 6, 2006 DC Residents Want Out of Iraq More than half the DC residents recently surveyed by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) want to withdraw U.S. troops and end the war in Iraq at the earliest possible date. Survey participants also chose funding Medicaid, no Medicaid child cuts and spending on welfare and... more...
- Feb 6, 2006 Bush to US Workers: Sink or Swim "America’s workers are drowning in a perfect storm of job loss, skyrocketing health care costs and disappearing retirement security," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney last week after the State of the Union address, “but President Bush failed to provide them so much as a... more...
- Feb 6, 2006 Officers Nominated For 2006-2009 Term President Jos Williams led the slate of Metro Council officers nominated at the Council's January 23 meeting for the 2006-2009 term. The complete list is included in the minutes of the Delegate Meeting, posted online now at www.dclaborarchives.org more...
- Jan 30, 2006 Top Trash Hauler Stiffs Workers At the same time Waste Management -- the country's largest waste handler -- is reaping record profits, company negotiators are attempting to undermine the wages and benefits of the company's lowest-paid workers, reports Teamsters Local 639 President Tommy Ratliff. In contract talks... more...
- Jan 30, 2006 Local 1994 Launches Website "Looking back over the history of Local 1994 it's clear that aggressive representation and smart bargaining have paid terrific financial benefits for the workers we represent," writes UFCW 1994, Municipal & County Government Employees Organization (MCGEO) President Gino Renne in... more...
- Jan 23, 2006 NABET-CWA 31 Urges Newsmakers To Boycott NPR Technical employees at National Public Radio, members of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA Local 31, are urging elected officials and other newsmakers not to give interviews to NPR if the field production is not being done by a NABET-CWA represented... more...
- Jan 23, 2006 The Student-Labor Connection Student activists from all over DC came together at George Washington University last Thursday night for a back-to-school Meet-and-Greet organized by the Student Labor Action Project of DC Jobs with Justice. More than 20 students activists were present, representing groups from... more...
- Jan 17, 2006 MD Workers Win Fair Share Working families scored a huge victory in Maryland last Thursday when the General Assembly overturned Gov. Robert Ehrlich's veto of a law that will make big profitable companies like Wal-Mart pay their fair share of health care costs for their employees. The House of Delegates also... more...
- Jan 17, 2006 Holmes Tapped For Crime Prevention Award AFSCME 2027 member Tony Holmes received a 2005 Governor’s Crime Prevention Award. Holmes, who works at the Corporation for National and Community Service, serves as President of the Maryland National Capital Park Police Volunteer Association (PPVA). The Maryland award is... more...
- Jan 9, 2006 Record Turnout At Legislative Reception This week's vote to override Maryland Governor Ehrlich's vetos of Fair Share Healthcare and the minimum wage increase were the major topic of discussion as a standing-room only crowd jammed Thursday’s Metro Washington Council Annual Legislative Reception. Dozens of area... more...
- Jan 9, 2006 Questions Raised On Proposed SE Hospital Agreement Metro Council President Jos Williams has raised a series of questions with DC City Administrator Robert Bobb in the wake of last week’s announcement of a signed agreement between the City and Howard University regarding a new hospital. “Clearly we are interested in the overall... more...
- Jan 9, 2006 Hassan's Jazz Wins Award AFGE national rep Rusty Hassan will be saluted at tonight’s 21st annual Mayor's Arts Awards. The host of WPFW’s "Jazz & More," has been bringing jazz to DC airwaves for more than thirty years, and has interviewed Max Roach, Sun Ra, Lionel Hampton, Dexter Gordon, Sonny... more...
- Dec 19, 2005 Dancers Smell a Rat At Nutcracker Ballet dancers picketed last Thursday and Friday night's performances of The Nutcracker after Washington Ballet management locked them out. Management subsequently unilaterally cancelled the entire Nutcracker run instead of negotiating a contract with the recently organized dancers, whose... more...
- Dec 19, 2005 Security Guard Organizing Drive Makes Progress "It's not a matter of if, but when" thousands of area security guards win a union, said SEIU Local 82 President Valarie Long last Wednesday. "Guards take their responsibility as first responders very seriously," said Long, "they deserve good pay, job security and proper training."... more...
- Dec 19, 2005 Evans Takes Reins At CWA 2108 Les Evans was elected President of CWA Local 2108 in the November 18 election, defeating Larry Vick, 589-375. Evans succeeds outgoing President Bob Campbell on January 1, 2006, along with Secretary-Treasurer Johnny Brown and Vice Presidents Jenny Sylvester and Marilyn Irwin, who ran... more...
- Dec 14, 2005 WJLA Workers Target Advertisers Frustrated after nearly a year of fruitless contract talks, broadcast workers at WJLA targeted four advertisers last Saturday. Among the company's demands is the significant limitation of the arbitration process. WJLA refused to extend the previous contract after it expired last January and the... more...
- Dec 14, 2005 CEO Pay Up, Worker Wages Down CEO pay is rising at an astronomical pace while workers' wages are dropping or stagnating, according to new reports. The average CEO made 431 times the salary of a production worker in 2004, up from 301-to-1 in 2003 and 24-to-1 in the mid-1960s, according to a report by the Economic Policy... more...
- Dec 12, 2005 Thousands Demand Worker Rights At White House Demo “Hey hey, ho ho, union-busting’s got to go!” chanted thousands of protestors as they marched past the White House last Thursday, bundled up against the brisk temperatures but smiling in solidarity beneath of bright winter sun. More than 3,000 turned out for the massive demonstration... more...
- Apr 13, 2005 Hands Off Social Security The Securities Industry Association (SIA) will be the target of a demonstration at 10A this morning in downtown DC (see On The Line) following up on the massive March 31 rally at Charles Schwab. "The members of the SIA are the main proponents of privatizing Social Security," says the AFL-CIO's... more...
- Apr 13, 2005 Patterson At Tri-County COPE Charles County Commissioner Edith Patterson headlines the next meeting of the Tri-County COPE on Tuesday, April 26th. The meeting will also feature updates on Wal-Mart in the Tri-County Area, Social Security, the MD General Assembly and the meeting with Terry Lierman. Tri-County meets at 7P at... more...
- Apr 13, 2005 "Giant Sucking Sound" Returns Despite the tens of thousands of jobs already lost to NAFTA, the Bush Administration is now pushing CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which would eliminate tariffs among the United States, five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic, extending the disastrous job... more...
- Apr 13, 2005 Music For Workers "From the coal mine to the steel mill, from the foundry to the fast food line (these are) songs that challenge the status quo and uplift the spirit." Acclaimed performer and award winning songwriter Joe Jencks will present songs from the 1860's to the modern day in a concert this Saturday (see... more...
- Apr 13, 2005 A. Philip Randolph Dinner Celebrate the April 15 birthday of A. Philip Randolph, civil rights leader and founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (born in Crescent City, FL 4/15/1889, as noted in Labor History) by ordering your tickets for the A. Philip Randolph Institute Annual Birthday Celebration... more...
- Apr 13, 2005 Troublemakers Wanted Space is filling up fast in the April 22 Organizing Roundtable "A Troublemaker's Handbook!" Meet the folks who helped write the book on how to fight back against unfair or abusive employers! SIGN UP NOW . Free but registration required and space is limited! Latest in a series organized... more...
- Apr 11, 2005 Stop Making Sense Unpopular in the polls, hemorrhaging political support by the day and lampooned in yesterday's Sunday comics, the Bush plan to privatize Social Security now hangs by a thin thread of support from the Wall Street investment firms that stand to profit most. "Those different cost drivers,... more...
- Apr 11, 2005 Fair Share Healthcare Advances In MD Last week's passage of the Fair Share Healthcare bill in the Maryland Senate "has created a firestorm for Wal-Mart" reports UFCW 400 Political Director Mark Federici. Already facing the largest civil rights class action lawsuit ever certified against a private employer in this country, the... more...
- Apr 11, 2005 Music For Workers "From the coal mine to the steel mill, from the foundry to the fast food line (these are) songs that challenge the status quo and uplift the spirit." Acclaimed performer and award winning songwriter Joe Jencks will present songs from the 1860's to the modern day in a concert this Saturday (see... more...
- Apr 11, 2005 JUFJ To Honor Williams Jews United for Justice will present the 2005 Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel Vision award to Jos Williams and the Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO "for being a steadfast ally for justice in our community." Awards will also be given to Heather Booth "for a lifetime of working for social justice"... more...
- Apr 11, 2005 John Paul II On Human Rights "Each human being has the right to make the gifts he has received from God fruitful. As a result, every act which belittles man's dignity and frustrates his potential for fulfilling himself is an act contrary to God's plan for man and for all creation." - Pope John Paul II, Speech to the... more...
- Apr 11, 2005 Photos At Work Photos of Washington at work are wanted for a new weekly contest sponsored by the Metro Washington Council. Photos@Work will feature a worksite photo each week on the Council's website, along with the photographer's name and union. Photos should show workers on the job and must be digital.... more...
- Apr 11, 2005 Website Of The Week: IATSE Local 22 Local 22 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees has been representing stage technicians in the metro Washington area since 1894. Their members work at the Dulles Expo & Conference Center, DAR Constitution Hall, Ford's Theatre, George Mason University, Center for the... more...
- Apr 6, 2005 Howard County Headstart Workers Make Progress On Contract Union negotiators reported progress on one of the main outstanding issues in bargaining for a contract at Howard County HeadStart after worker’s supporters staged a demonstration outside negotiations yesterday. “Binding arbitration appears to be nearly settled!” reports SEIU Local 500... more...
- Apr 6, 2005 Searchable Scholarships If you’ve got college-bound kids, check out UnionPlus’ new online searchable database. Click here to find more than one hundred union scholarships. For links to several scholarship searches/descriptions, union members can click here . more...
- Apr 6, 2005 Music, Art And Organizing "You have to organize hearts as well as heads," says John McCutcheon, president of Local 1000 if the American Federation of Musicians. Labor organizers, activists and artists will converge on the National Labor College in June for the annual Conference on Creative Organizing and the Great Labor... more...
- Apr 4, 2005 Demo Supports Howard Headstart Workers A demonstration tomorrow (see On The Line) will support the ongoing efforts by workers at the Community Action Council of Howard County Head Start to win a union. Two years after organizing – and a year after defeating a decertification campaign – the workers still have no contract and the... more...
- Apr 4, 2005 British Embassy Staff Votes For American Union After management at the British embassy in Washington, D.C., announced plans to cut wages and reduce benefits, workers voted to form a union with the International Federation of Professional and Technical Employees. However, embassy management refuses to recognize their employees' union,... more...
- Apr 4, 2005 How To Stay Out Of Trouble There are still a few slots left in the informational session on new LM-2 reporting rules presented by the accounting form of Bond Beebe on Thursday April 7. New LM-2 Report changes from Department of Labor affect how unions must file 2005 annual reports; area locals should make sure they’re... more...
- Apr 4, 2005 Roundtable Seeks Troublemakers Meet the folks who helped write the book on how to fight back against unfair or abusive employers! Local activists Joe Uehlein, Gene Bruskin, Andy Zipser, Mark Dudzic, David Borer and Jon Liss contributed to the brand-new “A Troublemaker’s Handbook 2,” which emphasizes workplace... more...
- Apr 4, 2005 Labor Seder Set The annual Labor Seder has been set for Wednesday, April 27 and again features a Labor Haggadah “Singing & Storytelling, Linking the History of Jews in America to Today’s Workers’ Struggles.” The seder is sponsored by Jews United for Justice and the Jewish Labor Committee in... more...
- Apr 4, 2005 Photos@Work Photos of Washington at work are wanted for a new weekly contest sponsored by the Metro Washington Council. "Photos At Work" will feature a worksite photo each week on the Council’s website, along with the photographer’s name and union. Photos should show workers on the job and must be... more...
- Apr 4, 2005 Union Homebuyers Save Union members saved $8.1 million in closing costs and fees last year alone when they got their mortgages through the Union Plus Mortgage Program. Aside from competitive interest rates and programs for borrowers with less than perfect credit, members using Union Plus Mortgages get help in... more...
- Apr 4, 2005 Website Of The Week: SEIU Local 500 SEIU Local 500 currently represents better than 8,000 public and private school workers, Head start workers, and workers in nonprofit organizations throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia. Find out more about the local, its members, leadership and activities at Local 500’s website .... more...
- Apr 4, 2005 Freeman Wins Quote Contest Contest winner Alan Freeman at the IBEW knew that it was American orator and abolitionist Wendell Phillips who said “Organize, and stand together. Claim something together, and at once; let the nation hear a united demand from the laboring voice, and then, when you have got that, go on... more...
- Apr 4, 2005 Quote Contest: Common Sense About Scabs ”It is common sense that permanently replaced strikers means trading experienced, skilled employees for inexperienced ones. Inexperienced replacement workers start at the bottom of the learning curve, a circumstance that can sometimes have grave consequences. We wouldn’t have... more...
- Mar 30, 2005 National Day Of Action On Social Security Working families and community allies in more than 70 cities across the country will challenge Charles Schwab, Wachovia and other Wall Street firms tomorrow to withdraw their support for privatizing Social Security. The March 31 National Day of Action is the largest grassroots mobilization yet... more...
- Mar 30, 2005 AG Dept Workers Organize Volunteer organizers passed out leaflets yesterday to workers at the US Department of Agriculture, where an organizing drive is now underway. After workers reported that Ag Dept supervisors were discouraging employees from getting involved in the union, AFSCME Council 26 protested to... more...
- Mar 30, 2005 Georgetown Living Wage Win Celebrated Georgetown students and supporters who last week won a Living Wage at the University will celebrate their historic achievement Friday with food, drink, music and more (see On The Line). “After three years of research, meetings, and organizing, Georgetown University has a comprehensive Just... more...
- Mar 30, 2005 How To Stay Out Of Trouble New LM-2 Report changes from Department of Labor affect how unions must file 2005 annual reports; area locals should make sure they’re aware of the new staff and steward record-keeping requirements mandated by the changes to avoid problems with the Federal government. An information session... more...
- Mar 30, 2005 Organize And Stand Together Still time to guess who said “Organize, and stand together. Claim something together, and at once; let the nation hear a united demand from the laboring voice, and then, when you have got that, go on after another; but get something.” Know who said it? Send us your best guess at... more...
- Mar 28, 2005 Rally Targets Charles Schwab AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and Metro Council President Jos Williams will lead a major demonstration by working families and groups concerned about retirement security at the K Street offices of Wall Street brokerage firm Charles Schwab this Thursday. The noontime event demanding that... more...
- Mar 28, 2005 MD Delegates OK Fair-Share Health Care After extensive lobbying in Annapolis by citizen’s groups and labor, including e-activist campaigns mid-week by the Metro Council and UFCW 400, the Maryland House of Delegates last week approved the Fair-Share Health Care Plan (HB #1284), which will make companies like Wal-Mart provide health... more...
- Mar 28, 2005 Organizing Drive Welcomes Volunteers Help 355 Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) workers win a voice at work by volunteering with UFCW 1994 MCGEO’s organizing drive! Experience not necessary but with an election set for April 14, time is of the essence, reports Local 1994’s Doug Menapace, who says volunteers will... more...
- Mar 28, 2005 Labor-2-Youth Union Fair Seeks Exhibitors Local and international unions and unionized companies can reach the next generation of workers at the upcoming Labor-2-Youth Union Fair, scheduled for Monday, May 16th. Young adults grades 9-12 and in youth programs, ages 14-21 are looking forward to talking with trades people, letter... more...
- Mar 28, 2005 DC APRI To Honor Norm Hill Norm Hill will be honored at the Greater Washington Chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute’s (APRI) 13th Annual Birthday Celebration dinner/dance on April 23. APRI President Clayola Brown will keynote the dinner, which raises funds for the local chapter’s community services, including... more...
- Mar 28, 2005 Website Of The Week: SEIU Local 82 SEIU Local 82, Justice for Janitors, DC is the Washington DC Metro Area’s Building Service Union representing over 7,000 janitors in DC, MD and VA. Local 82’s website is a great resource for members and non-members alike, providing up-to-date info on the local’s ongoing campaigns... more...
- Mar 24, 2005 "We Won!" Literally tasting the fruits of their labors, Georgetown students ended their 9-day hunger strike at noon today with bites of apples and strawberries as they declared victory in their 3-year campaign to win a living wage for campus workers. “We’re really happy,” exhausted but elated... more...
- Mar 23, 2005 Labor, Students Occupy Georgetown President's Office "I've lost 13 pounds since I stopped eating 8 days ago,” Georgetown student Zachary Pesavento told the cheering crowd, “and I will continue not to eat until the University accepts a living wage policy for all of its workers." One by one, more than 20 Georgetown students on hunger strike... more...
- Mar 21, 2005 Support Builds For G'Town Hunger Strike Support is building for the 8-day-old hunger strike by 26 Georgetown University students who began fasting last Monday as part of their three-year campaign to win a living wage for campus workers. In addition to the AFL-CIO, the Metro Washington Council and area religious leaders, support has... more...
- Mar 21, 2005 850 Turn Out For Labor's Evening More than 850 local labor activists and supporters turned out Saturday night for the 28th annual Evening with Labor, local labor’s largest social event of the year. UFCW Local 400 President Jimmy Lowthers won the JC Turner Award for Outstanding Trade Unionist of the Year, thanks to his... more...
- Mar 21, 2005 Council Delegates Meet Tonight Tonight’s Metro Washington Council Delegate Meeting features a report from Georgetown students conducting a hunger strike for a living wage for campus workers, as well as updates on affiliate contract and organizing campaigns and more. All are welcome to attend the meeting, which begins at... more...
- Mar 21, 2005 Lead With Your Head "You must act quickly, if you hesitate, you die," Ray Abernathy said Friday morning at the Council's Organizing Roundtable on "Handling Decerts & Raids." "This is hand-to-hand combat; if someone throws a bucket of mud, you sling back manure." Before a rapt audience of nearly 50 area... more...
- Mar 21, 2005 Website Of The Week: Georgetown Living Wage Coalition You can get the latest news about the ongoing hunger strike for a living wage at Georgetown University, check out the Coalition’s extensive research and documentation of the need for a living wage for campus workers, and make contributions to support the Coalition’s work online . The... more...
- Mar 18, 2005 News Update! DAY 4 IN G’TOWN HUNGER STRIKE: “Spiritually I feel stronger than ever, because I feel that we are winning," Georgetown University hunger striker Pedro Cruz told reporter David Swanson as the hunger strike by 26 Georgetown University students enters the 4th day today... RETIRING SARBANES... more...
- Mar 16, 2005 G'Town Students Begin Hunger Strike For Living Wage A 3-year campaign for a living wage for Georgetown University campus workers escalated yesterday when students began a hunger strike after the Senior Vice President of the University Spiros Dimolistas decided to disregard the Living Wage Proposal created by a subcommittee he chartered. Instead,... more...
- Mar 16, 2005 Final Call For Decerts & Raids Roundtable There are a few spaces left in this Friday’s Organizing Roundtable on "Handling DECERTS & RAIDS" with Ray Abernathy, scheduled for March 18. Find out how to how to recognize the early warning signs, the most effective ways to counter and how to build member solidarity. The event is FREE,... more...
- Mar 16, 2005 Last Chance For Evening With Labor Tix Just 3 days until the March 19 Evening With Labor dinner/dance, local labor’s biggest social event of the year. Get your tickets now and help honor a full slate of award winners that includes Outstanding Trade Unionist of the Year Jimmy Lowthers, UFCW Local 400 President, SEIU Local 500,... more...
- Mar 16, 2005 Storming The Govenator Chanting, "they say privatize, we say organize," more than 150 workers, community activists, and union members led an energetic rally outside a high-dollar fundraiser for Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday, March 8 at the St Regis Washington. Amid a swirling spring snowstorm, the activists... more...
- Mar 16, 2005 Barab Wins Quote Contest Jordan Barab is this week’s Quote Contest winner, correctly identifying Abraham Lincoln as the source of the quote: “I am glad to see that a system of labor prevails in New England under which laborers can strike when they want to, where they are not obliged to work under all circumstances,... more...
- Mar 16, 2005 The Least We Could Do “Even if we or our families were not directly involved, we had heard and read about pickets being beaten, jailed, sometimes killed. Honoring a picket line was the least we could do. It still is.” Think you know who said it? Send us your answer to us at... more...
- Mar 9, 2005 Evening With Labor Tix Going Fast Tickets are still available for the March 19 Evening With Labor dinner/dance, local labor’s biggest social event of the year. Outstanding Trade Unionist of the Year Jimmy Lowthers, UFCW Local 400 President heads up a full slate of award winners that includes SEIU Local 500, MCCSSE... more...
- Mar 9, 2005 Clock Ticking On Fighting Decerts & Raids Time's running out to sign up for the upcoming Organizing Roundtable on "Handling DECERTS & RAIDS" with Ray Abernathy, scheduled for March 18. Find out how to how to recognize the early warning signs, the most effective ways to counter and how to build member solidarity. The event is FREE,... more...
- Mar 9, 2005 Who Said It? Still time to guess who said "I am glad to see that a system of labor prevails in New England under which laborers can strike when they want to, where they are not obliged to work under all circumstances, and are not tied down and obliged to labor whether you pay them or not. I like the... more...
- Mar 7, 2005 Dogging The Terminator Activists are dogging California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campaign fundraising swing this week, targeting his proposed privatization of public employee pensions. Schwarzenegger’s plan would undercut the security of pensions for millions of California’s public workers by forcing them... more...
- Mar 7, 2005 G'Town Living Wage Campaign Heats Up Chanting “Our Georgetown is better than this!” more than fifty Georgetown University students and supporters braved blustery winds and frigid temperatures to demand a living wage for campus workers at a noontime rally last Wednesday, March 3. The 3-year campaign has gathered the support of... more...
- Mar 7, 2005 Lowthers Tops 2004 EWL Awards UFCW Local 400 President Jimmy Lowthers is the winner of the 2004 JC Turner Award for Outstanding Trade Unionist of the Year, heading up a full slate of award winners that includes SEIU Local 500, MCCSSE (Organizing), UNITE HERE Local 25 (Golden Picket), TBA (COPE) and Marilyn Wiley &... more...
- Mar 7, 2005 Hazmat Transpo Ban Spreading? Rail transport of hazardous materials, recently banned by the DC City Council, is now getting a close look by neighboring Takoma Park, where a public forum on the issue will be held this Wednesday, March 9. DC Councilmember Kathy Patterson, chief sponsor of the DC legislation, will be joined by... more...
- Mar 7, 2005 Labor Agenda Languishing With the Maryland General Assembly now past the halfway mark in its 90-day session, much of labor's legislative agenda is still awaiting action. A number of priority bills will have public hearings this week including the Fair Share Health Care Fund Act and the Economic Development & Tax... more...
- Mar 7, 2005 Talkin' Union To Kids How to talk to high school students about labor was the topic of last week’s Speakers' Bureau Training Program. Several dozen union volunteers got tips on “What To Expect When You Enter the Classroom,” as well as how to assess your audience, “keep it simple” and more. Mock speaker... more...
- Mar 7, 2005 Guide To New LM-2 Rules An information session on new LM-2 reporting rules will be presented by the accounting form of Bond Beebe on Thursday April 7. The new LM-2 Report changes from Department of Labor affect how unions must file 2005 annual reports; area locals should make sure they’re aware of the new staff and... more...
- Mar 7, 2005 Website Of The Week: CWA 2108 When things happen on the job, CWA Local 2108 members can use the online CWA Local 2108 Steward Locator to help get their problems resolved. Just one of many user-friendly touches on Local 2108’s website, the Steward Locator features clickable photos of all the CWA 2108 stewards at Avaya and... more...
- Mar 7, 2005 Nall Wins Quote Contest Clayton Nall is this week’s Quote Contest winner, correctly identifying John Dewey as the source of the quote: “No system has ever existed which did not in some form involve the exploitation of some human beings for the advantage of others.” Other nominees were Terrence Powderly and... more...
- Mar 7, 2005 Free To Strike “I am glad to see that a system of labor prevails in New England under which laborers can strike when they want to, where they are not obliged to work under all circumstances, and are not tied down and obliged to labor whether you pay them or not. I like the system which lets a man quit... more...
- Mar 4, 2005 News Flash!: G'Town Living Wage Campaign Heats Up; Talkin' Union To Kids; Mann & Margolin In Concert Saturday G’TOWN LIVING WAGE CAMPAIGN HEATS UP: Chanting “Our Georgetown is better than this!” more than fifty Georgetown University students and supporters braved blustery winds and frigid temperatures to demand a living wage for campus workers at a noontime rally Wednesday... TALKIN’ UNION... more...
- Mar 2, 2005 Eve With Labor Ad Deadline Looms Reach key leaders and activists at Washington labor’s biggest event of the year and recognize the work accomplished by the local movement over the last year; the deadline for ads in the 2005 Evening with Labor Program Book is 5P tomorrow (Thursday, 3/3). Tickets to the Dinner/Dance are also... more...
- Mar 2, 2005 Teaching Techniques “With an ever-present need for renewed activism and broader involvement among the rank-and-file, membership education is a top priority of today’s union,” says the National Labor College’s Elise Bryant. Bryant has a few openings left in her upcoming course “Teaching Techniques 1,”... more...
- Mar 2, 2005 Fighting Decerts & Raids Don’t miss the upcoming Organizing Roundtable on "Handling DECERTS & RAIDS" with Ray Abernathy, scheduled for March 18. Find out how to how to recognize the early warning signs, the most effective ways to counter and how to build member solidarity. The event is FREE, but pre-registration... more...
- Mar 2, 2005 Re-Writing History "If it was Hearst it was the San Francisco Examiner," writes sharp-eyed reader Jack Howard of AFSCME, catching an error in our 2/22 labor history item in which we said "William Randolph Hearst's San Francisco Chronicle began publishing articles on the menace of Japanese laborers, leading to a... more...
- Mar 2, 2005 Who Said It! Still time to guess who said "No system has ever existed which did not in some form involve the exploitation of some human beings for the advantage of others." If you haven’t already, send us your answer to us at streetheat@dclaborarchives.org and we’ll draw this week's winner at... more...
- Feb 28, 2005 Eve With Labor Ad Deadline Extended The deadline for ads in the 2005 Evening with Labor Program Book has been extended to 5P this Wednesday, March 2. Reach key leaders and activists at Washington labor’s biggest event of the year and recognize the work accomplished by the local movement over the last year. Tickets to the... more...
- Feb 28, 2005 May Day In Colombia The U.S./Labor Education in the Americas Project’s delegation to join Colombian workers as they demand an end to the ongoing violence against trade unionists is set for April 29-May 7th. US/LEAP is an independent non-profit organization working with U.S. trade unions to support worker rights... more...
- Feb 28, 2005 Website Of The Week: NWU-DC “Editor: a person employed on a newspaper, whose business it is to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to see to it that the chaff is printed.” This jaundiced view of their bosses heads up the website of local freelance writers represented by the DC chapter of the National Writers Union... more...
- Feb 28, 2005 Espinosa-Organista Wins Quote Contest Luis Espinosa-Organista is this week’s Quote Contest winner, correctly identifying former AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland as the source of the quote: ”We have come too far, struggled too long, sacrificed too much, and have too much left to do, to allow that [which] we have achieved for the... more...
- Feb 28, 2005 Systematic Exploitation “No system has ever existed which did not in some form involve the exploitation of some human beings for the advantage of others.” Think you know who said it? Send us your answer to us at streetheat@dclaborarchives.org and we'll draw this week's winner at random from those who send... more...
- Feb 24, 2005 Islamic Perspectives On Worker Justice Explored “We continue to be humbled and inspired by the support the Islamic community in this area has given to workers’ struggles,” said Metro Washington Council President Jos Williams last Sunday as more than 50 students, scholars, and activists gathered at George Washington University to... more...
- Feb 24, 2005 National Catholic Labor Network Gathering Nearly 50 Catholic clergy, laity and women religious from around the country attended the annual Catholic Labor Network Gathering at the Hyatt Regency Hotel last Saturday, including more than a dozen local activists and union leaders. Following a mass in the morning, Fr. John O’Brien, author... more...
- Feb 24, 2005 Handling Decerts & Raids Find out how to how to recognize the early warning signs, the most effective ways to counter and how to build member solidarity at the March 18 “Handling DECERTS & RAIDS” Organizing Roundtable with Ray Abernathy. The event is FREE, but pre-registration is required. Click here to sign... more...
- Feb 24, 2005 Labor's Night Don’t miss DC Labor's biggest social event of the year! Schmooze, dine and dance with more than a thousand labor leaders, activists and supporters at the 28th Annual Evening With Labor, Saturday, March 19. Ad space in the Program Book is still available! Dinner/Dance tickets are $100 per... more...
- Feb 24, 2005 Who Said It? Still time to guess who said "We have come too far, struggled too long, sacrificed too much, and have too much left to do, to allow that [which] we have achieved for the good of all to be swept away without a fight. And we have not forgotten how to fight.” If you haven’t already, send... more...
- Feb 22, 2005 Parking Workers Defy Cold & LAZ Supporters of parking workers defied frigid temperatures Friday morning to picket LAZ Parking at the Crown Plaza Hotel at 14th and K St NW; see a photo here . more...
- Feb 22, 2005 PG COPE Opposes PG WalMarts The labor community's strong opposition to two proposed Wal-Mart stores in Prince George's County was affirmed last week when the Prince George's County COPE recommended that the Metro Washington Council convey this position to County Executive Jack Johnson and the members of the County... more...
- Feb 22, 2005 New PG Coalition To Rally For Elected School Board Several Prince George’s County-based Metro Council affiliates, working in coalition with other Prince George's County organizations, are planning a rally next week in Annapolis to support the return of an elected school board. The Prince George’s County Association of School Principals and... more...
- Feb 22, 2005 Labor Agenda Updated From healthcare to corporate welfare, get the latest information – updated today! -- on labor's top legislative priorities in Annapolis including summaries, committee assignments, bill status and links to the full text of every key proposal. The 2005 General Assembly Session Labor Legislation... more...
- Feb 22, 2005 Handling Decerts & Raids In the current anti-union environment, decertification campaigns and raids by non-AFL-CIO unions are a fact of life. Learn how they can be beaten at the Metro Council’s next Organizing Roundtable, “HANDLING DECERTS & RAIDS” with RAY ABERNATHY, Friday, March 18, 9A-12 noon. Find out... more...
- Feb 22, 2005 Local & State Bodies Push Action Plan “We are the front line of defense for workers in the legislative arena, supporting new organizing campaigns, and in contract fights (but) State and central bodies cannot hold local unions to a standard or a plan if the sponsoring international union will not do so,” argues a new plan... more...
- Feb 22, 2005 Photo Gallery Now Online Council website homepage photos – including recent rallies, the January Organizing Roundtable and the Bowling Tournament -- are now available online in a new downloadable archive . Re-use of any of these photos is welcome: please credit the Council as the source, and (where noted) the... more...
- Feb 22, 2005 Lewis Wins Quote Contest Sian Lewis is this week’s Quote Contest winner, correctly identifying American socialist leader and writer Daniel DeLeon as the source of the 1903 quote: "The capitalist class is interested in keeping the workingmen divided among themselves. Hence it foments race and religious... more...
- Feb 22, 2005 Too Far, Too Long, Too Much “We have come too far, struggled too long, sacrificed too much, and have too much left to do, to allow that [which] we have achieved for the good of all to be swept away without a fight. And we have not forgotten how to fight.” Think you know who said it? Send us your answer to us at... more...
- Feb 16, 2005 Hiring Hall Highlights New Postings Newly-posted jobs are now listed at the beginning of our expanded union jobs listings. You can access previously-posted openings quickly by clicking on the category links. We hope these changes continue to make Hiring Hall a useful resource for our readers; please let us know how we can... more...
- Feb 16, 2005 Printcraft Workers Sweep Bowling For Gold With a score of 3,258, the Graphic Communications Union (GCIU) Printcraft team of Linwood Fitch, Daryl Spencer, Fatts McCrae, Henry Adams and Lee Hosgood took first place (and $100 each) in the 13th Annual “Bowling for Gold” Union Bowling Tournament held on January 30 ( check out a team... more...
- Feb 16, 2005 Help For The Hungry We don't always know when people may be experiencing hunger and it may be embarrassing to admit you can't provide food for your family. The Community Services Agency has canned food available for any of your members in need; call now at 202 857-0480 or email kmckirch@dclaborarchives.org more...
- Feb 16, 2005 Dealing With Debt Struggling with your finances and debt? The Union Plus Credit Counseling program provided through the non-profit organization Money Management Inc. (MMI) helps union members get back on their financial feet with a no-cost budget analysis and credit counseling session. Then, if you... more...
- Feb 16, 2005 Progressive Talk Radio In DC “Have you checked out AM 1260 Progressive Talk Radio?” asks AFSCME 2910 President Saul Schniderman. “Set your AM dial at 1260 for progressive dialogue and an unmasking of right wing lies and distortions.” On the web here . more...
- Feb 16, 2005 Who Said It? Still time to guess who said "The capitalist class is interested in keeping the workingmen divided among themselves. Hence it foments race and religious animosities that come down from the past.” If you haven’t already, send us your answer to us at streetheat@dclaborarchives.org... more...
- Feb 14, 2005 G'Town Students Demand Living Wage For Workers "Our practices should live up to our Jesuit ideals," declared a Georgetown University student at a rally last Wednesday for a living wage for campus workers, adding "Georgetown students must stand up for worker's rights!" After the spirited noon-time rally, several dozen chanting students... more...
- Feb 14, 2005 Transit Workers Demand Safety “Safety and transit go hand in hand, that’s what we demand!” chanted Metro workers at a noontime rally last Thursday in front of Metro headquarters in downtown Washington. Citing increased incidents of violence on buses and in the subway, Metro workers and their union, Amalgamated Transit... more...
- Feb 14, 2005 MD Labor Agenda Find out what the labor movement is fighting for in Annapolis this year. Get the latest information on labor's top legislative priorities, including summaries, committee assignments, bill status and links to the full text of every key proposal. Click here to check out the Maryland State and... more...
- Feb 14, 2005 Layoff Protection Law Clears First Hurdle Legislation to provide important layoff protections for building service workers in Montgomery County has passed its first hurdle in Annapolis. Visit the COPE page to learn more. more...
- Feb 14, 2005 Solidarity DC Raises $2K+ For DC JwJ Grooving to the live music of the U-liners and Sugoi, more than 175 area activists spent Thursday night at VIDA for the "Give Your Heart to Justice" Valentine's happy hour. With the bar donating a percent of the entire bar tab, more than $2,000 will go directly to help DC Jobs With Justice... more...
- Feb 14, 2005 Helping Professionals Organize The AFL-CIO’s Department for Professional Employees will host a conference on Organizing Professionals in the 21st Century at the Crystal City Hilton in Arlington, VA., March 14-16. Professional and technical workers are members of the fastest growing and one of the most heavily unionized... more...
- Feb 14, 2005 Price Is Right Diana Price is this week’s Quote of the Week Contest, chosen at randome from among the many readers who correctly identified Eugene V. Debs as the source of the quote that "The strike is a weapon of the oppressed, of men capable of appreciating justice and having the courage to resist wrong... more...
- Feb 14, 2005 Quote Of The Week Contest "The capitalist class is interested in keeping the workingmen divided among themselves. Hence it foments race and religious animosities that come down from the past.” Think you know who said it? Send us your answer to us at streetheat@dclaborarchives.org and we'll draw this... more...
- Feb 10, 2005 News Flash!: Transit Workers Demand Safety; MD Labor Agenda; Tonight's Labor Calendar TRANSIT WORKERS DEMAND SAFETY: Photo and story on today’s noontime transit worker demo in front of Metro headquarters... MD LABOR AGENDA: Get the latest info on labor's top legislative priorities in Annapolis including summaries, committee assignments, bill status and links to the full... more...
- Feb 9, 2005 Hiring Hall Expanded, Revamped You’ll find vastly expanded union jobs listings in today’s Hiring Hall edition of UNION CITY , the Metro Washington Council’s twice-weekly e-zine. We’re now checking dozens of International and local union job websites for the latest postings in the metro DC area, and today’s listing... more...
- Feb 9, 2005 DOD Workers Fight For Rights In the first of many such demonstrations here and across the country, hundreds of Department of Defense (DOD) workers marched on Capitol Hill today to protest the Bush Administration's attack on worker's rights throughout the federal workforce. “Let’s be clear,” said AFL-CIO President... more...
- Feb 9, 2005 Social Security Correction The Bush proposal to “save” Social Security will actually cost the average worker $152,000 in retirement benefits, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR); we neglected to cite our source in Monday’s report ( Destroying Social Security To "Save" It 2/7/05 ). The... more...
- Feb 9, 2005 Twice The Solidarity Don’t miss tomorrow night’s evening of fun and solidarity as Solidarity DC hosts a fundraiser for DC Jobs with Justice and Pride At Work explores “Labor and the Gay Rights Movement: Moving Forward Together In Local and National Politics.” The two events are both downtown (see On The... more...
- Feb 7, 2005 PG State's Atty Workers Vote In Union Workers in the Prince George’s State’s Attorney’s office voted to be represented by SEIU Local 400 on January 28, reports Local 400 President Sonny Reed. “Now the hard part begins,” as the local negotiates a first contract, Reed tells UNION CITY . Topping the issues at the bargaining... more...
- Feb 7, 2005 Strathmore Music Hall Workers Settle Contract The IATSE Local 22 Stagehands at the Strathmore Music Hall settled a contract last Wednesday night after almost a year of negotiations, clearing the way for Saturday night’s gala opening of the newly-constructed Montgomery County-sponsored arts center. Metro Council President Jos Williams and... more...
- Feb 7, 2005 No Justice, No Peace At LAZ Parking Chanting "No Justice, No Peace!," workers and their allies gathered last Thursday morning in front of the Crown Plaza Hotel to rally in support of LAZ parking workers who are trying to form a union with UNITE HERE to win affordable health care, a livable wage, and a say in their working... more...
- Feb 7, 2005 MIZ Goes Local The fight for mandatory inclusionary zoning in DC continues to move forward, and may be coming to your neighborhood soon! Supporters of MIZ have been putting pressure on the Mayor to support the amendment through a postcard drive that thousands have participated in. Now the campaign is... more...
- Feb 7, 2005 Destroying Social Security To "Save" It Now, for just $152,000, you too can be a part of the Bush Administration's Social Security "reform" plan. That's how much the Bush proposal will cost the average worker in retirement benefits (according to whom?). Meanwhile, Wall Street will reap a multi-billion dollar windfall of commissions... more...
- Feb 7, 2005 Read It First Online! Stay on top of local labor news by checking the Council’s website daily, where we now post breaking news updates (the IATSE 22 contract settlement and UNITE HERE 27 reports above were posted last week) here . Got hot news for us? Send it in now to streetheat@dclaborarchives.org more...
- Feb 7, 2005 Tax Benefits For People Who Work The Earned Income Tax Credit is a special benefit for people who work full or part time, but they have to file returns to get it. Workers with children in their homes earning less than $34,458 could receive up to $4300. Workers with one child and earning less than $30,338 could get... more...
- Feb 7, 2005 In Memoriam: Eugene O'Sullivan During the 1975 strike at the Washington Post, Gene O’Sullivan and other members of Web Pressmen Local 6 occupied the pressroom in support of another union. Security forces found O’Sullivan the first one blocking the entryway. “You’re not going to stop us from getting in,” said one to... more...
- Feb 7, 2005 Meany Goes To Mountain Martha Mountain is this week’s winner of the Quote of the Week Contest; Martha’s name was randomly selected from those who answered that it was AFL-CIO President George Meany who said ”Labor never quits. We never give up the fight – no matter how tough the odds, no matter how long... more...
- Feb 7, 2005 Quote Of The Week Contest "The strike is a weapon of the oppressed, of men capable of appreciating justice and having the courage to resist wrong and contend for principle." Think you know who said it? Send us your answer to us at streetheat@dclaborarchives.org and we’ll draw this week's winner at random from... more...
- Feb 3, 2005 News Flash!: Strathmore Music Hall Workers Settle Contract; No Justice, No Peace At Laz Parking STRATHMORE MUSIC HALL WORKERS SETTLE CONTRACT: The IATSE Local 22 Stagehands at the Strathmore Music Hall settled a contract last night after almost a year of negotiations... NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE AT LAZ PARKING: Chanting "No Justice, No Peace!," workers and their allies gathered... more...
- Feb 2, 2005 DC Bans Hazmat Transport DC City Council yesterday overwhelmingly passed emergency legislation to ban the transport of highly toxic cargoes through the city. The vote capped a highly effective grassroots lobbying campaign in which labor unions joined with environmental and community groups to lead a last-minute push.... more...
- Feb 2, 2005 UnionJobs Is Back! The link to unionjobs.com is back on our all new and updated website . Get all the latest job postings here and around the country by clicking on “Hiring Hall” under Important Links. Job postings in Hiring Hall are always FREE and seen by over 8,000 readers: send your postings to us at... more...
- Feb 2, 2005 DC Rental Crisis? Are you or someone you know having a hard time finding rental housing in DC? You’re not alone and we’d like to talk to you for a possible story! Please drop us a line at streetheat@dclaborarchives.org more...
- Feb 2, 2005 Under Attack, Workers Still Say Union Yes The latest government statistics on union membership and job trends paint a decidedly mixed picture for American workers and the labor movement. Last year, more than 20,000 workers were fired or discriminated against in the U.S. for union activities, according to the NLRB’s recently-released... more...
- Feb 2, 2005 Is There A Place For Unions In The 21st Century Economy? That’s the question asked in a New York Times Magazine cover story last Sunday, and it comes in the midst of a major internal discussion and debate about the future of the American labor movement. Check out the Times article online (free registration) here . And see what thousands of union... more...
- Feb 2, 2005 Union Plus Offers Online Tax Prep Service April 15th just got a little less taxing. With the Union Plus Online Tax Preparation Service, union members and their families can use an online tax tool to prepare and file their taxes - at half the cost of similar services from H&R Block, TurboTax or Quicken. Using the Union Plus Online... more...
- Jan 31, 2005 Bush Brings Back Patronage "George Bush wants to turn back the clock and return to 19th-century political patronage," says AFSCME Council 26’s Carl Goldman in response to last week’s news that the Office of Management and Budget plans to propose revamping personnel rules across federal agencies. "The bottom line is... more...
- Jan 31, 2005 Bowlers Aid Families In Need Hundreds of bowlers, friends & family braved snow and ice yesterday to raise money for the Community Services Agency’s Emergency Assistance Fund at the 13th Annual Bowling for Gold Tournament. As snow fell outside, turnout and scores were high inside the Crofton Bowling Center, where 450... more...
- Jan 31, 2005 MD Affordable Health Care Campaign Kicks Off The Maryland Citizens Health Initiative kicked off its campaign for state legislation FOR affordable health care last Wednesday. At their Annapolis press conference, the Citizens Health Initiative was joined by allies in the labor, religious and activist communities as well as corporate... more...
- Jan 31, 2005 Selling Women Short Combining the personal stories of Wal-Mart employees with superb investigative journalism, Liza Featherstone’s new book, “Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Workers’ Rights at Wal-Mart” is the focus of a panel discussion February 3 (see On The Line). Featherstone’s... more...
- Jan 31, 2005 Expanded Calendar At DCLabor.org The revamped Council website now features expanded and continually-updated local labor calendar listings. In addition to the latest Streetheat actions, Metro Council and Community Service Agency events, the calendar now includes events held by Council affiliates, constituency groups and... more...
- Jan 31, 2005 Setting The Record Straight Workforce Management magazine’s attempt to stack the deck in an online poll about why unions are in decline backfired last week. Early in the week, “Reduced need for unions because of greater employee-management cooperation” was in the lead with 35 percent of respondents, while the... more...
- Jan 31, 2005 Tsunami Takes Jobs And Lives Some 1 million people in Indonesia and Sri Lanka may have lost their jobs as a result of the December 26 tsunami disaster, according to a report by the United Nations' International Labor Organization (ILO). Most of the jobless worked in fishing, agriculture, tourism or small, informal... more...
- Jan 31, 2005 Pave IDs Debs It was famed organizer Eugene V. Debs who said "You have got to unite in the same labor union and in the same political party and strike and vote together, and the hour you do that, the world is yours.” Click here to find out all about this “giant of the American labor movement and the... more...
- Jan 31, 2005 Quote Of The Week Contest “Labor never quits,” said this week’s mystery quotee. “We never give up the fight – no matter how tough the odds, no matter how long it takes.” Think you know who said it? Send us your answer to us at streetheat@dclaborarchives.org and we’ll draw this week's winner at... more...
- Jan 31, 2005 Bush Brings Back Patronage "George Bush wants to turn back the clock and return to 19th-century political patronage," says AFSCME Council 26’s Carl Goldman in response to last week’s news that the Office of Management and Bud more...
- Jan 31, 2005 Bush Brings Back Patronage "George Bush wants to turn back the clock and return to 19th-century political patronage," says AFSCME Council 26’s Carl Goldman in response to last week’s news that the Office of Management and Bud more...
- Jan 26, 2005 Council Website Relaunched Daily updates and an expanded calendar top the attractions at the Metro Council’s re-launched website . Track local labor activities 24/7 and count on us to have the very latest rally and demo info, along with updates on Metro Council programs and events. Got news, photos or events to post?... more...
- Jan 26, 2005 A Few Slots Left To Bowl For Gold A few morning slots are left for this Sunday’s 13th Annual "Bowling for Gold" Union Bowling Tournament, benefiting the Community Service Agency's Emergency Assistance Fund. Get your team together and email or fax info to Kathleen McKirchy, kmckirch@dclaborarchives.org more...
- Jan 26, 2005 The Global Chain “We’re all working in the same global production chain,” Daonoi Srikajon told a rapt group of local organizers and activists at yesterday’s “Workers of The World Unite!” Organizing Roundtable. Srikajon and five other women organizers shared their riveting stories of organizing in... more...
- Jan 24, 2005 DC Voting Rights Summit Metro Council President Jos Williams will join a panel of top DC community leaders tomorrow at the Public Welfare Foundation's "DC Voting Rights Summit" to discuss the impact that the lack of true congressional representation has on public policy and DC residents. The summit will be held at the... more...
- Jan 24, 2005 Last Chance For Workers Of The World Last chance to register for tomorrow’s Organizing Roundtable! The January 25 “Workers of the World, Unite!” roundtable features organizers from India, South Africa, Thailand and Washington exchanging innovative strategies for organizing workers. The Roundtable runs 9A-12 noon and is FREE... more...
- Jan 24, 2005 Final Frames Of Bowling For Gold Last Call for the 13th Annual "Bowling for Gold" Union Bowling Tournament, scheduled for this coming Sunday, January 30 and benefiting the Agency's Emergency Assistance Fund. “All 48 lanes at 1P are full but we can take a few more teams at 10A” reports Kathleen McKirchy. “Great... more...
- Jan 24, 2005 Union Fair Set Mark your calendar for the 5th Annual Union Fair at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Tuesday, March 29. Set up a booth/table and show DC in and out-of-school youth what kind of workers you represent and how good their union jobs are! For more info and registration forms, contact Jackie Barnes,... more...
- Jan 24, 2005 Service, Not Servitude A January 31 reception marks the opening of the exhibit "Service, Not Servitude - The Pullman Porters" as well as welcomes the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) offices into the AFL-CIO HQ building. The event will also serve as an opportunity to thank APRI President Emeritus Norm Hill for his... more...
- Jan 24, 2005 Mark Your Calendar - Thursday, 2/3: Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Workers’ Rights at Wal-Mart; The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), and Public Citizen sponsor an event with author Liza Featherstone; RSVP by February 1 to Patrick McElwee... more...
- Jan 24, 2005 Close But No Cigar Plenty of good guesses but no winners this week for the Quote of The Week contest. UAW founder Walter Reuther got several votes, as did John Lewis, along with Henry Ford, which was close but no cigar: actually, it was American industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1892 who said... more...
- Jan 24, 2005 Quote Of The Week Contest Here’s an appropriate quote for the aftermath of last week’s Inaugural blow-out: "You have got to unite in the same labor union and in the same political party and strike and vote together, and the hour you do that, the world is yours.” If you think you know who said this, send us your... more...
- Jan 18, 2005 DC Hotel Workers Vote On Contract Today Hotel workers are voting today on the contract agreement negotiated Friday night; results of the vote will be announced at 7:30P. As reported in our Friday night special edition, the agreement includes new protections from workload increases, harassment at the workplace and other problems... more...
- Jan 18, 2005 80 Turn Out For Legislative Reception The Metro Council's second annual Legislative Reception drew more than 80 people last Monday, January 10, including federal, state and local elected officials led by Maryland Senator Paul Sarbanes and Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan. Seven Metro Council Executive Board members as well... more...
- Jan 18, 2005 Living Wage Veto Override Fails The Maryland General Assembly failed last week to override Governor Ehrlich's veto of legislation to establish a state living wage law, though it did overturn his veto of the proposed Equal Pay Commission. Because the living wage vote failed in the Senate, it did not come before the House of... more...
- Jan 18, 2005 Avoiding Catastrophe The recent freight train accident in rural South Carolina that killed eight people and forced the evacuation of more than 5,000 others when a train carrying highly toxic materials collided with another train was a grim reminder of how vulnerable the Washington metropolitan area is to a similar... more...
- Jan 18, 2005 Workers Of The World, Unite! Just one week left to register for the year’s first Organizing Roundtable! The January 25 “Workers of the World, Unite!” roundtable features organizers from India, South Africa, Thailand and Washington exchanging innovative strategies for organizing workers. The Roundtable runs 9A-12 noon... more...
- Jan 18, 2005 Bowling Forever Ralph Chaplin’s little bowling ditty didn’t really catch on until he re-titled it “Solidarity Forever” and changed a few words for Lucy Parsons’ hunger march. Sign up now for the 13th Annual "Bowling for Gold" Union Bowling Tournament on Sunday, January 30, the first fundraiser of the... more...
- Jan 18, 2005 Gompers, Says Biggs-Adams Samuel Gompers, founder and President of the American Federation of Labor from 1886 to 1924, said ”Show me the country that has no strikes and I’ll show you the country in which there is no liberty.” Carrie Biggs-Adams is this week’s Quote of The Week winner, drawn at random from the... more...
- Jan 18, 2005 Quote Of The Week Contest "Every manufacturer ought to remember that his fortune was not achieved by himself alone, but by the cooperation of his workmen,” said this week’s mystery quotee. “He should acknowledge their rights to share the benefits of that which could not exist without their faithful performance of... more...
- Jan 14, 2005 Hotel Negotiations Resume; Workers Prep For Strike While the Hotel Association of Washington D.C. agreed to return to the bargaining table at noon today, workers and supporters continue to prepare for a possible strike. “As the January 15 deadline looms, this round of negotiations renews hope that workers will be able to secure a contract... more...
- Jan 14, 2005 "No Contract, No Inauguration!" There was no business as usual at several downtown hotels yesterday, as lively picket lines sprouted in the unseasonably warm weather. At the Washington Hilton, over 100 hotel workers decked out in red shirts and white picket signs circled the Florida Avenue entrance, keeping up steady chants... more...
- Jan 14, 2005 MLK Event Calendar “Right, Temporarily Defeated, Is Stronger Than Evil Triumphant”: Martin Luther King, Jr’s words are a guiding force for local activists girding themselves for another year of struggle as they seize the occasion of Martin Luther King Day to celebrate solidarity: Thursday, 1/13: "Jack... more...
- Jan 14, 2005 Counter-Inaugural Event Calendar A selection of DC-area activities organized in response to the $40-million-dollar Presidential Inauguration extravaganza. Send suggestions for additional listings to us at streetheat@dclaborarchives.org Wednesday, 1/19: Hip-Hop Event Cada Vez, 1438 U Street NW Fundraiser for Empower... more...
- Jan 14, 2005 DC Hotel Workers And Management Reach Tentative Agreement "We got what we needed AND what we wanted," says worker. Hotel workers won a tentative contract tonight after more than five months of negotiations. Hundreds of members participated in today's negotiations with the Hotel Association, and were present when the tentative agreement was... more...
- Jan 13, 2005 Hotel Negotiations Stalled, Strike Prep Continues Negotiations between hotel management and union members broke off Wednesday night when management refused to offer a financial proposal. Management's latest financial offer was made October 27, 2004. “The union responded to that offer with some movement on the financial terms, and has... more...
- Jan 13, 2005 "Right, Temporarily Defeated, Is Stronger Than Evil Triumphant" Martin Luther King, Jr's words are a guiding force for local activists girding themselves for another year of struggle as they seize the occasion of Martin Luther King Day to celebrate solidarity: Thursday, 1/13: "Jack O'Dell: Just a Human Rights Foot Soldier" 7P; National Museum of Natural... more...
- Jan 10, 2005 Legislative Reception Tonight Area union members will have a chance to meet metro-area legislators at tonight’s Metro Council 2005 Legislative Reception, a unique chance for union activists to talk with their lawmakers before legislative business shifts into high gear. Confirmed legislators include: Del. Jim HUBBARD... more...
- Jan 10, 2005 Hotel Workers May Strike After nearly four months without a contract – and with area hotels gearing up for next week’s Inauguration festivities – hotel workers are stepping up pressure on hotel management to win a fair citywide hotel settlement. More than 3,500 local workers may strike 14 hotels before the... more...
- Jan 10, 2005 Kennedy Center Parking Workers Win Contract Several dozen parking workers at the Kennedy Center won “a very good first contract” last week, reports Roxie Herbekian. The 35 workers joined UNITE HERE Local 27 last year. more...
- Jan 10, 2005 Roundtable Filling Up Fast With corporations growing and the world shrinking, international worker solidarity is needed now more than ever. Find out how by registering now for the January 25 Organizing Roundtable, “Workers of the World, Unite!” where organizers from India, South Africa, Thailand and Washington will... more...
- Jan 10, 2005 Don't Mourn, Bowl! It’s a little-known fact that legendary IWW union organizer Joe Hill was also a dedicated bowler (“Wobblies” was what the pins did just before they all went down) who never missed his Thursday night bowling league. You won’t want to miss the 13th Annual "Bowling for Gold" Union Bowling... more...
- Jan 10, 2005 "Right, Temporarily Defeated, Is Stronger Than Evil Triumphant" Girding themselves for another year of struggle, activists are seizing the occasion of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to celebrate solidarity; mark your calendar now for the events below and let us know if there are others we should add (email us at streetheat@dclaborarchives.org ). -... more...
- Jan 10, 2005 It Was Debs, Says Romig This week’s Quote Contest winner (drawn at random from those answering correctly) is Keith Romig, who knew that it was Eugene Victor Debs who said "There can be no defeat for the labor movement” during the 1894 Pullman strike, which brought Debs national attention, convinced him that the... more...
- Jan 10, 2005 Quote Of The Week Contest "Show me the country that has no strikes and I’ll show you the country in which there is no liberty.” Apparently our hints are making it too easy for you, so no clues this time! Tell us who said this (with bonus points for creative answers); send your answer to us at... more...
- Jan 5, 2005 Unions Join Tsunami Relief Unions and union members are joining in the massive relief efforts to help the millions of survivors of the December 26 tsunami that devastated coastal communities in Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, Indonesia and other Indian Ocean nations. “Thousands of union members and their families are... more...
- Jan 5, 2005 Reception Shaping Up Confirmed so far for the Metro Council's 2005 Legislative Reception are Del. Jim HUBBARD (Prince George's), Councilmember George LEVENTHAL (Montgomery), Del. Tawanna GAINES (Prince George's), Del. Anne HEALEY (Prince George's), Councilmember Doug PETERS (Prince George's), Councilmember David... more...
- Jan 5, 2005 Labor In The News: Iron 5 & AFSCME Council 26 Ride along with Iron Workers Local 5 organizers as they reach out to immigrant construction workers in today’s Washington Post story “Where the Accion Is: Union Organizers Wooing Latino Workers” Read the article by N.C. Aizenman online (free registration required), click here . And... more...
- Jan 3, 2005 Meeting, Greeting & Overriding Meet state and county legislators at the Metro Council's 2005 legislative reception next Monday, January 10 (see On The Line for details). Don’t miss this great opportunity to directly discuss the issues that matter most to you and your members. Be sure to RSVP to... more...
- Jan 3, 2005 Workers Of The World, Unite! Start the New Year right by exploring innovative strategies for organizing workers at the Metro Council’s Organizing Roundtable on January 25. In India, the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) of India organizes street vendors, rag pickers and salt producers in a movement that has... more...
- Jan 3, 2005 Bowling In The New Year Don’t miss the 13th Annual "Bowling for Gold" Union Bowling Tournament on Sunday, January 30, 2005. Put into effect that New Year's Resolution to get more exercise at the first fundraiser of the year for the Community Services Agency's Emergency Assistance Fund. Teams of 5 bowl at 10A OR 1P;... more...
- Jan 3, 2005 100 Books For Union Activists A new 56-page catalog of books for union members, activists and leaders is now available from Union Communication Services (UCS). The 2005 edition of the UCS Labor Books Catalog includes nearly 100 titles on topics ranging from bargaining and grievance handling to health and safety, labor law... more...
- Jan 3, 2005 Painting For Change The new exhibit at the George Meany Memorial Archives features eleven paintings by Carol Carter, an established St. Louis artist working primarily in large-scale watercolors and acrylics. The exhibition is based on the rural town of Belle Glade, Florida, and includes large-scale... more...
- Jan 3, 2005 Welling Wins Quote Contest It was commentator, columnist and hell-raiser Jim Hightower who said "I’m an agitator. The agitator is the center post in a washing machine that gets the dirt out!” and this week’s Quote Contest winner (drawn at random from those answering correctly) is George Welling. Honorable Mentions... more...
- Jan 3, 2005 Quote Of The Week Contest "There can be no defeat for the labor movement.” The year was 1894, the occasion was a major national strike and the speaker was: Big Bill Haywood, Mother Jones, Sam Gompers or Gene Debs? Send your answer to us at streetheat@dclaborarchives.org This week's winner will be drawn at... more...
- Jan 1, 2001 Previous FilmFest Screenings (2001 - 2012) 2001 At The River I Stand Bread & Roses Human Resources La Ciudad Life & Debt Live Nude Girls Unite! Secrets of Silicon Valley 2002 American Standoff Bartleby Behind the Labels: Garment Workers on U.S. Saipan Blue Vinyl... more...
- Apr 5, 2000 MD Binding Arbitration Bill Prince George’s County delegation chairman Rushern Baker tells UNION CITY! that a House vote on HB 712 is expected “in the next day or so” and says that “chances look very good” for passage by the full Legislature before adjournment next Monday. Baker calls the bill -- which... more...
- Mar 1, 2000 Students Demand a Living Wage in Sit-In at Johns-Hopkins! Four years of struggle at Johns Hopkins reached crisis point yesterday when 35 students at Johns Hopkins occupied the administration building, demanding a living wage for all employees. As the largest private employer in Baltimore, this is a critical struggle for economic justice; the students... more...
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