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Grocery workers hail coronavirus testing expansion

"Essential, Not Expendable"

Today's Labor Quote

Today's Labor History

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Alexandria Dems Labor Caucus: Wed, April 29, 7:30pm - 8:30pm
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Disparities, Workers, and Community Responses to COVID 19: A Public Forum: Thu, April 30, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
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Grocery workers hail coronavirus testing expansion
Calling it "a big step in the right direction toward 100% testing for every grocery worker on the frontlines of this crisis," UFCW Local 400 yesterday hailed DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's announcement that the District is expanding the criteria for COVID-19 testing to include critical infrastructure workers with a history of exposure to a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patient. This includes grocery store workers, essential government employees, and other workers who continue to report to work in the District. "Our hard-working union members in grocery stores interact with hundreds of customers per day and thousands in a week," said Local 400 Director of Political and Community Affairs Dyana Forester. "Every day, they come to work knowing they are putting themselves and their families at risk in order to keep District residents fed. It is critical that they have access to testing to ensure the safety of our grocery stores and food supply chains. We support any effort to increase the availability of free testing as we work toward our goal to provide access to free testing for 100% of grocery workers."

"Essential, Not Expendable"
1199SEIU joined ShutDownDC, Black Lives Matter DC and Long Live GoGo yesterday to connect climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. While both are global crises, "here in Washington, DC, the effects are very local," said ShutDownDC. "And while both of these crises impact everyone, they do not impact everyone equally." Early data shows that black and brown communities are getting sick and dying from COVID-19 at much higher rates than white communities. The activists fanned out across the city in two car caravans and a bike caravan "to confront the politicians and corporate executives that are putting our communities at risk," with stops at the DC City Council, the H Street Whole Foods and other locations. See more on ShutDownDC's [link removed] Twitter feed.

Today's Labor Quote: ER doctor's father

"She tried to do her job, and it killed her."

The ER doctor in Manhattan committed suicide last weekend, after describing horrific scenes from the Coronavirus crisis to her family.

Today's Labor History

This week's [link removed] Labor History Today podcast: Julia Reichert: `We Don't Just Interview People Once'; Montgomery Ward busted; May Day and Mother Jones
Oscar-winning director Julia Reichert, interviewed by 9 to 5 founder Karen Nussbaum; the AFL-CIO's Damon Silvers on how the Montgomery Ward CEO was busted for unionbusting; Saul Schniderman celebrates May Day and Mother Jones' birthday.
Last week's show: [link removed] Sacco & Vanzetti at 100; What happened to MLK's dream?

Coxey's Army of 500 unemployed Civil War veterans reaches Washington, DC - 1894

When their demand that only union men be employed was refused, members of the Western Federation of Miners dynamited and destroyed the $250,000 mill of the Bunker Hill Company at Wardner, Idaho - 1899

- David Prosten

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Published by the Metropolitan Washington Council, an AFL-CIO "Union City" Central Labor Council whose 200 affiliated union locals represent 150,000 area union members.

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