Union City Radio: 7:15am daily
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The Clean Economy Revolution Will Be Unionized: Wed, July 7, 3pm – 4pm
RSVP HERE

Arts Union Caucus: Wed, July 7, 3pm – 4pm

Monthly meeting for unions representing performing and broadcast arts workers.

Union City Radio: Your Rights at Work: Thu, July 8, 1pm – 2pm

Arlington Dems Labor Caucus: Thu, July 8, 6pm – 7pm

Meeting of Arlington union members and community supporters of labor.

Missed last week’s Your Rights At Work radio show? Catch the podcast here. This week's show: The American Postal Workers Union is celebrating its’ 50th birthday; Postal Workers president Mark Dimondstein reports on how his union is still fighting for postal worker rights. PLUS: the Hero Pay bill in DC City Council…Your Rights at Work and the New Minimum Wage webinar…the San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Michael Gene Sullivan previews the Mime Troupe’s brand-new radio drama, “Tales Of The Resistance, Volume 2: Persistence,” and the Labor411 on which franks are kosher for a union-made Independence Day.

Hogan must “Do the right thing”
“Despite spin and gaslighting from businesses and corporate interests, there is no labor shortage in Maryland,” said labor leaders Donna Edwards and Dyana Forester yesterday as they applauded the Maryland Court of Appeals’ decision to uphold a ten day temporary restraining order allowing unemployed residents to continue receiving federal supplemental unemployment benefits through at least July 13. “Gov. Hogan was never justified in his decision to end these benefits early,” added Edwards, president of the Maryland State and District of Columbia AFL-CIO and Forester, president of the Metro Washington Labor Council. “In light of the deep loss and death in our state, when this case is heard again in two weeks, it would stand to reason that our state leaders will do right by our communities to back workers--their constituents--and keep Maryland’s federal supplemental unemployment benefits through early September. Unemployment benefits are not keeping employees from going back to work--unsustainable poverty wages are.”

NoVA Labor celebrates independence
Labor from Northern Virginia was well represented last Saturday at the Dale City Independence Day Parade. Marching behind the NoVA Labor banner were members from AFGE, CWA, NALC, SIU and UFCW. In addition, Fire Fighters and SEIU brought contingents who walked and rode down Dale Boulevard on a beautiful Saturday morning.
report/photo by Daniel Duncan, SIU

Jerry Black Memorial Fund

Following the shocking and tragic news that Jerry Black, husband of AFL-CIO International Director Cathy Feingold, passed away needlessly from gun violence last week in the Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., the AFL-CIO is urging contributions to The Jerry Black Memorial Fund at the TraRon Center to lift up his life and legacy. “This fund reflects Jerry's lifelong commitment to non-violence, the arts and supporting his local community,” the AFL-CIO said yesterday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Cathy and her two sons, Myles and Alex, Cathy’s close colleagues, friends and staff.”

Today's Labor Quote: Mary Harris "Mother" Jones
Who began her "March of the Mill Children" on this date in 1903, walking from Philadelphia to President Theodore Roosevelt's home on Long Island to protest the plight of child laborers. Mother Jones, who said:
“They began work at 5:30 and quit at 7 at night. Children six years old going home to lie on a straw pallet until time to resume work the next morning!”

TODAY'S LABOR HISTORY

This week’s Labor History Today podcast: The Memphis Fire Fighter Strike of 1978. Last week’s show: Marvel Cooke, a Journalist for Working People. photo source: WMC Action News 5.

Striking New York longshoremen meet to discuss ways to keep new immigrants from scabbing. They were successful, at least for a time. On July 14, 500 newly arrived Jewish immigrants marched straight from their ship to the union hall. On July 15, 250 Italian immigrants stopped scabbing on the railroad and joined the union - 1882

Cloakmakers begin what is to be a two-month strike against New York City sweatshops - 1910

Some 500,000 people participate when a two-day general strike is called in Puerto Rico by more than 60 trade unions and many other organizations. They are protesting privatization of the island's telephone company - 1998
graphic courtesy Radical History Review.

- 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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