The International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Right to Strike: Wed, October 21, 12pm – 2pm
REGISTER HERE

Demand A People's Vaccine: Wed, October 21, 12:30pm – 2:00pm
Meet at the Botanic Garden; 100 Maryland Ave. S.W.
RSVP here

Virtual Phone bank for Cameron Webb (VA 5th Congressional District candidate): Wed, October 21, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Zoom

MD/DC AFL-CIO Labor 2020 phonebank (OH): Wed, October 21, 6pm – 9pm
Sign up here

"No on B" Labor Rally: Wed, October 21, 7:00pm – 8:30pm
RSVP: bit.ly/No-On-B

Alexandria Dems Labor Caucus: Wed, October 21, 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Contact [email protected] for the zoom link.

Metro Washington Council and Community Services Agency staff are teleworking; reach them at the contact numbers and email addresses here.

Missed last week's Your Rights At Work radio show? Catch the podcast here; “Systemic racism” at the VA? Plus: the latest episode of the San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Tales of Resistance!

CLN helps construction workers fight wage theft
Two immigrant construction workers in Washington DC have filed a class action lawsuit against CBG, one of Washington DC’s largest general contractors, for wage theft, and others are stepping up to join them. Workers employed by multiple CBG subcontractors have been denied overtime pay, paid less than the DC minimum wage, or both. “I was paid $12 per hour,” said Ivan (photo), a sheet metal worker who helped install air conditioning ductwork at Eckington Place, a high-end mixed-use development under construction in Northeast DC. The legal minimum wage in Washington DC was $14/hour when Ivan started the job in February 2020, and it’s $15/hour now. “Jimmy [the recruiter] told me that if I learned fast I would get a raise, but I never did.” Catholic Labor Network field organizer Ernesto Galeas has visited CBG construction sites across the city, finding that Ivan’s situation is hardly unusual.
Read more here

Latest on extending UI
The latest information on how to extend unemployment benefits have been posted on the Claimant Advocacy Program's page on the Metro Washington Council's website. Easy-to-use flyers are available in English, Spanish and Amharic.

Today's Labor Quote: Sue Carney

“At the core, labor unions are working men and women, unified as one force. Despite any personal differences that may exist between us, we have banded together to protect and improve the lives of workers. We rise up together for the greater good. We defend one another like family.”

Carney is a longtime member and leader in the American Postal Workers Union.

Today's Labor History
This week’s Labor History Today podcast: One Day More
Saul Schniderman remembers musician activist Elaine Purkey.
Justice Denied: David Gariff on “Ben Shahn and the Case of Sacco and Vanzetti.”
From the Tales from the Reuther Library podcast, “When It Happened Here: Michigan and the Transnational Development of American Fascism.”
And, on this week’s Labor History in 2: Paul Robeson, “The Voice of an Era.”
Last week’s show: The Package King

In an attempt to raise the price of milk, Wisconsin dairy farmers begin the third major milk strike of the year in the state. During the Great Depression, farmers who produced milk for bottling were able to remain solvent, but those who produced milk for cheese, butter, and other uses were driven into poverty - 1933

- David Prosten

Material published in UNION CITY may be freely reproduced by any recipient; please credit Union City as the source.

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.

Story suggestions, event announcements, campaign reports, Letters to the Editor and other material are welcome, subject to editing for clarity and space; just click on the mail icon below. You can also reach us on Facebook and Twitter by clicking on those icons.

You are receiving this email because our records indicate that [email protected] signed up to receive this newsletter. Click here to edit your subscription preferences