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Union Kitchen workers seek to unionize

GMU janitors protest

Hospitality workers expose "shadow bosses"

Today's Labor Quote

Today's Labor History

 

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Union Kitchen workers seek to unionize

Looking to put the union in [link removed] Union Kitchen, a majority of workers at three of the local company's locations in the District are [link removed] seeking to unionize with UFCW Local 400. Employees with the union organizing committee cite several concerns leading up to the union effort, including understaffing, retention, pay discrepancies and COVID leave policies. Workers presented signed union authorization cards to management last week, and requested voluntary recognition of the union. The three locations forming a union include 1625 Eckington Pl NE, 538 Third St NE, and 1251 9th St NW.


GMU janitors protest

Over 70 George Mason University students, faculty and non-union contracted janitors rallied last Thursday outside of the President's house to protest charges against the school's cleaning contractor for making janitors endure physical pain to take on extra work cleaning the President's house during a severe staffing shortage. Among many of the problems with previous GMU contractors and subcontractors, according to SEIU 32BJ, are charges of bounced checks and late paychecks that companies settled with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rather than go to trial over charges by janitors who filed three sets of labor charges. Last year, over 220 faculty, staff, students and alumni among others signed a George Mason University-American Association of University Professors [link removed] resolution to support GMU contracted janitors.


Hospitality workers expose "shadow bosses"

Hospitality workers' union UNITE HERE last Thursday called on major hotel owners called REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) to stop pushing for job cuts and asked leaders in DC to close the tax loophole that enables REITs to avoid paying taxes on billions paid to investors. Hotel workers across the U.S. organized the Jan. 27 [link removed] National Day of Action to shine a light on the "shadow boss" hotel owners they say are driving cuts to jobs and services in the hospitality industry.


Today's labor quote: Union Kitchen worker Rob Ballock

"I've seen too many excellent coworkers leave, because they feel they have no choice but to move on to different jobs in different industries to finally get the pay and respect that everybody deserves in the workplace."

TODAY'S LABOR HISTORY

This week's Labor History Today podcast: [link removed] "America Works" launches new season. Last week's episode: [link removed] The Bread Uprising.

January 31

12,000 pecan shellers in San Antonio, Tex. - mostly Latino women - walk off their jobs at 400 factories in what was to become a three-month strike against wage cuts. Strike leader Emma Tenayuca (in photo above) was eventually hounded out of the state - 1938

After scoring successes with representation elections conducted under the protective oversight of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board, the United Farm Workers of America officially ends its historic table grape, lettuce and wine boycotts - 1978

Union and student pressure forces Harvard university to adopt new labor policies raising wages for lowest-paid workers - 2002

February 1

John J. Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO from 1995 to 2009, dies at age 86. The son of Irish immigrants -- his father was a bus driver, his mother a domestic worker -- Sweeney worked for the Intl. Ladies Garment Workers then the Service Employees, where he served as president, before his time at the AFL-CIO. 2001

Led by 23-year-old Kate Mullaney, the Collar Laundry Union forms in Troy, N.Y, raises earnings for female laundry workers from two dollars to 14 dollars a week - 1864

25,000 Paterson, NJ silk workers strike for eight-hour work day and improved working conditions. 1,800 were arrested over the course of the six-month walkout, led by the Wobblies. They returned to work on their employers' terms - 1913

- 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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