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Supermarket workers and janitors take their demands to the street

1199SEIU MD/DC supports ACLU-DC's call for hearing on water crisis at St. Elizabeths

Allies honor labor at awards

Today's Labor Quote

Today's Labor History

LABOR CALENDAR; [link removed] click here for latest listings

Union City Radio: 7:15a M-F; WPFW-FM 89.3

UAW strike picket: Fri, October 11, 6am - 2pm; Sat, October 12, 10am - 2pm; Sun, October 13, 10am - 2pm
GM White-Marsh transmission plant, 10301 Philadelphia Road, White Marsh, MD.

Virginia Labor Walks: Sat, October 12, 9am - 12pm
5110 Cougar Trail Rd, Dublin, VA 24084; Guest: Delegate Chris Hurst
7016 Infantry Ridge Rd, Manassas, VA 20109; Guests: TV star Cristela Alonzo (photo) & Del. Lee Carter, plus Low Country Boil for lunch!
IBEW 1340, 552 Industrial Park Dr, Newport News, VA 23608; Guests: Del. Mullins and endorsed candidate Shelly Simonds
Ironworkers Local 79 Hall, 5307 E. Virginia Beach Blvd., Norfolk, VA; Guests: Endorsed candidates Michele Joyce & Missy Cotter-Smasal
CWA Local 2201 Hall, 5809 Lakeside Ave., Richmond, VA; Guest: Endorsed candidate Ghazala Hashmi

NOTE: The Metro Council and Community Services Agency are closed for the federal holiday on Monday; the next Union City will appear on Wednesday, October 16; keep up with our latest posts on our [link removed] website, [link removed] Facebook and [link removed] Twitter.

Supermarket workers and janitors take their demands to the street
Whether the chant was "We work! We sweat! We want more on our check!" or "Si se puede!" the message was the same as supermarket workers in Maryland and Virginia and janitors in DC rallied and marched across the region Thursday afternoon. "Giant's parent company made $2 billion last year alone," said UFCW 400, whose members marched in Camp Springs, MD and Sterling, VA. "It's time to share that success with the workers who make it happen!" "Going on strike is not a decision we take lightly," said SEIU 32BJ member and D.C. janitor Maylin Portillo, as hundreds of janitors marched through downtown DC rush-hour traffic, "but we will do whatever's necessary to support our families. I'm struggling to pay the rent and support my grandparents who rely on me." The janitors' contract expires Oct. 15; the Giant and Safeway contracts expire October 26. - report/photos by Chris Garlock

1199SEIU MD/DC supports ACLU-DC's call for hearing on water crisis at St. Elizabeths
"This water emergency is indicative of the lack of oversight and management of the healthcare system," said Lisa Brown, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU MD/DC after news broke that St. Elizabeths hospital - D.C.'s only public psychiatric hospital - has been without running water since late September. Noting that the emergency especially affects residents and caregivers in Wards 7 and 8, Brown charged that "in addition to neglecting St. Elizabeths, the city did not provide oversight to United Medical Center's contracted management team, leading to service closures, funding cuts, and further erosion of quality healthcare East of the River." The union represents social workers at St. Elizabeths and has joined the ACLU-DC's call for the DC City Council to hold an oversight hearing on the crisis and to thoroughly investigate the causes and remedies - both short-term and long-term.

Allies honor labor at awards
Two major labor allies are honoring unions at upcoming awards. DC Jobs with Justice is recognizing the work of the Mundo Verde Teachers and Staff union at the 2019 I'll Be There Awards on Thursday, October 17th, while Jews United for Justice is honoring SEIU 32BJ at the 2019 Heschel Vision Awards on Sunday, November 17. Tickets for the JWJ awards are available [link removed] here and to sponsor JUFJ's awards -- or to purchase tickets - [link removed] click here.

Today's Labor Quote: "Bread and Roses" strike

"Better to starve fighting than to starve working."

Slogan from the Lawrence, Massachusetts "Bread and Roses" strike of 1912. photo courtesy [link removed] New England Historical Society

Today's Labor History

Labor History Today (10/6): Sex Workers Outreach Project makes history in Minneapolis
[link removed] Click here to check out this week's Labor History Today podcast. Dr. Jayne Swift on the historic city ordinance just passed this August that has the potential to change the face of the adult entertainment industry in Minneapolis. Plus, Steve Striffler on "Solidarity: Latin America and the US Left in the Era of Human Rights." Interviews by Patrick Dixon.
Last week's show: (9/29/19): [link removed] Mapping American social movements

October 11
The Miners' National Association is formed in Youngstown, Ohio, with the goal of uniting all miners, regardless of skill or ethnic background - 1873

Nearly 1,500 plantation workers strike Olaa Sugar, on Hawaii's Big Island - 1948

October 12
Company guards kill at least eight miners who are attempting to stop scabs, Virden, Ill. Six guards also were killed, and 30 persons wounded - 1898

14 miners killed, 22 wounded by scabherders at Pana, Ill. - 1902

2,000 workers demanding union recognition close down dress manufacturing, Los Angeles - 1933

More than 1 million Canadian workers demonstrate against wage controls - 1976

October 13
American Federation of Labor votes to boycott all German-made products as a protest against Nazi antagonism to organized labor within Germany - 1934

More than 1,100 office workers strike Columbia University in New York City. The mostly female and minority workers win union recognition and pay increases - 1985

National Basketball Association cancels regular season games for the first time in its 51-year history, during a player lockout. Player salaries and pay caps were primary issue. The lockout lasted 204 days - 1998

Hundreds of San Jose Mercury News newspaper carriers end 4-day walkout with victory - 2000

Labor history courtesy David Prosten

Material published in UNION CITY may be freely reproduced by any recipient; please credit Union City as the source for all news items and www.unionist.com as the source for Today's Labor History.

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. JACKIE JETER, PRESIDENT.

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