Union City Radio: 7:15am daily
WPFW-FM 89.3 FM; click here to hear today's report

Airport Union Caucus: Tue, July 20, 2pm – 3pm

Meeting of unions representing airline and airport workers at Dulles and National Airports.

George Mason University Worker Rights Coalition: Tue, July 20, 3:30pm – 5:00pm

Coalition of faculty, alumni, students, campus employees, and contract workers.

Loudoun County Labor Caucus: Tue, July 20, 5pm – 6pm

Meeting of union members and community allies in Loudoun.

A Conversation with Chanda Parmar-Bonta: Tue, July 20, 7:00pm – 8:15pm
Register to attend

PRO Act Rally | Senator Warner: Wed, July 21, 8:30am – 9:30am

Warner | Tyson's Corner District Office, Towers Crescent Drive, Vienna, VA 22182
RSVP HERE

Catholic Social Teaching and the PRO Act: Wed, July 21, 2pm – 3pm
CLICK TO REGISTER

Passing the PRO Act and Building the Next Union Generation: Wed, July 21, 7pm – 8pm
FREE; RSVP HERE

Click here to check out the latest Labor Radio-Podcast Weekly: Highlights from labor radio and podcast shows around the country, part of the national Labor Radio/Podcast Network.

Essential workers disappointed by exclusion of funding for Hero Pay

Unions representing thousands of essential workers in D.C. shared their disappointment in DC City Council Chairman Mendelson’s decision to propose a budget that removes the Heroes Pay Act, which would provide a one-time payment to tens of thousands of private sector essential workers who risked their health and lives during the pandemic.

“While we are glad that the budget reflects the needs of workers in many ways, essential workers' needs are still unmet,” said Metro Washington Labor Council president Dyana Forester. “The Council should not abandon the essential workers who risked so much during this pandemic.” 1199 SEIU’s Yahnae Barner added that “Our healthcare workers have been clear - they need hero pay because they have spent their own money, time, and energy keeping all of us safe for over a year. Our budget needs to prioritize the frontline workers who have prioritized our city throughout this global pandemic."

PRO Act Week of Action
The PRO Act Week of Action is here, and with events planned across the country – including this Wednesday (see Calendar) -- now is the time to hit the pavement. This landmark labor law reform will completely change the rules of the game, making it easier for working people to bargain together and win good contracts. Click here to find an event near you.

Labor in the News: Arlington OKs bargaining for county employees
Arlington approves collective bargaining for county employees, marking shifting tides on labor in Virginia (Washington Post)

Solidarity Center Report: Podcast: Myanmar Workers Stand Up for Democracy!
In a special Solidarity Center summer podcast episode, Phyo Sandar Soe, a union leader in Myanmar, describes the military coup that has left nearly 1,000 people killed and at least 5,000 arrested, most tortured in prison. The military has especially targeted workers, who have been on the front lines of peaceful protest, forcing many workers and union leaders to flee. Speaking from a safe house, Sandar, a former garment worker, says multinational corporations can help workers fighting for their rights by staying out of the country. “We need to have comprehensive sanctions against the military junta. Every day, our worker rights are being violated by the employers and the military junta so we cannot work in good conditions under the military system.” Listen at The Solidarity Center Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
You also can donate to a fund set up by the U.S.-based Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance. Your donation will go to those Myanmar workers who have lost jobs and are struggling to survive because they stood up for a peaceful return to democracy.

Today's Labor Quote: Phyo Sandar Soe

"We trade unionists, we are doing our democracy fight peacefully, but at the same time, the military junta, they are cracking down (on) innocent people and trade unionists very brutally."

Phyo Sandar Soe (left, with Solidarity Center Executive Director Shawna Bader-Blau) is assistant general secretary of the Confederation of Trade Unions-Myanmar.

TODAY'S LABOR HISTORY

This week’s Labor History Today podcast: Houston, We Have a Labor Dispute. Last week’s show: Dramatizing The Murals. The Memphis Fire Fighter Strike of 1978.

New York City newsboys, many so poor that they were sleeping in the streets, begin a two-week strike. Several rallies drew more than 5,000 newsboys, complete with charismatic speeches by strike leader Kid Blink, who was blind in one eye. The boys had to pay publishers up front for the newspapers; they were successful in forcing the publishers to buy back unsold papers - 1899

Two killed, 67 wounded in Minneapolis truckers' strike—"Bloody Friday" - 1934

Postal unions, Postal Service sign first labor contract in the history of the federal government - 1971

- David Prosten

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