Metro Washington Council, Community Services Agency and Claimant Advocacy Program staff are teleworking; reach them at the contact numbers and email addresses here.
Missed yesterday's Your Rights At Work radio show? Catch the podcast here; “Systemic racism” at the VA? Plus: Metro Washington Council president Dyana Forester reports on the "No on B" labor rally, DC teachers hold a public hearing on re-opening DC schools safely, and DC dispensary workers organize with UFCW 400. Plus: Fighting union busters in a Carolina carpet mill
Tracking your absentee ballot; early voting
If you have already voted absentee, you can track your ballot in Maryland and the District of Columbia. This is important to ensure that your vote is counted! If you prefer to vote in person, early voting in DC runs from this Tuesday, October 27, through Monday, November 2, and in Maryland Monday, Oct. 26 – Monday, Nov. 2. You can find all the information you need to vote at dclabor.org. To see labor’s endorsed candidates visit here.
- David Stephen, MWC Political and Legislative Director
How to support People Of Color in your union
Kay Whigan stands 6 feet, 3 inches tall and has a deep and booming voice. A welding instructor at the John J. Flynn Bricklayers International Training Center in Maryland, Kay admits that one of his biggest fears about becoming an instructor was how his students would perceive him. As a Black man who grew up in Alabama, Whigan said he’s no stranger to racism. So, as an instructor, he worried that his appearance might be intimidating. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to take the job,” says Whigan, but “they told me I’d be good at it because of how I carry myself and how I treat people. When I’m working with someone—whether it’s a student in the shop or a worker on the job—I want them to feel nourished and uplifted. We need to make a point to lend one another a helping hand.” Click here to read more about what Black training leaders are doing to build a more diverse and inclusive union.
AFL-CIO Now blog
Today's Labor Quote: Father John Raho
"So many die that there is hardly any time to give Extreme Unction to everybody. We run night and day to assist the sick"
Referring to workers on the Erie Canal (see Today's Labor History below); photo from The Wild Geese blog
Today's Labor History
This week’s Labor History Today podcast: O Canada, organize!
How a little newspaper started labour journalism in Canada. The 1931 Fraser Mills Strike. And “Through Rain, Sleet, Snow and Terrorism.”
Contributors: Radio Labour; On the Line: Stories of BC Workers; Labor History in 2
Last week’s show: One Day More
After eight years and at least 1,000 worker deaths – mostly Irish immigrants – the 350-mile Erie Canal opens, linking the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. - 1825
- 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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