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Shoppers Food closings slammed by union, workers & political leaders

Pay hike coming for GMU food service workers

Labor 411's Ethical Holiday Gift Guide

Today's Labor History

Today's Labor Quote

Hiring Hall: Latest DC-area union staff jobs!

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

Transdev bus driver picket line (ATU 689): Daily, 4:00am - 5:00pm
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PG/Montgomery COPE: Thu, December 19, 10am - 12pm
UFCW 400; 8400 Corporate Dr., Suite 200, Landover, MD 20785

Union City Radio: Your Rights at Work: Thu, December 19, 1pm - 2pm
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Monthly NoVA Labor Meeting/Holiday Party: Thu, December 19, 7pm - 9pm
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Shoppers Food closings slammed by union, workers & political leaders
Tuesday's cold, rainy, foggy day didn't stop dozens of UFCW Local 400 members, State Senator Ellis, Delegate Fisher and At-Large Councilman Calvin Hopkins from gathering in front of the Shoppers Food Warehouse on Martin Luther King Highway in Landover, MD to protest the closing of Shoppers Food stores around the region. With parent company UNFI refusing to offer affected workers any answers or direction," Local 400 president Mark Federici called UNFI out as "an example of unbridled corporate greed. We're here today because somebody made a choice to turn their backs on hardworking families in the middle of the holidays. This is no way for UNFI to treat dedicated Shoppers employees." Local 400 is partnering with the Metro Council's Community Services Agency and other Prince George's County agencies to organize a Resource Fair for Saturday, January 11, 10a-2p to take place at Local 400's headquarters. More information to come.

Pay hike coming for GMU food service workers
Over 200 Sodexo food service workers, cashiers, bakers, cooks, catering workers, utility workers, drivers and receivers at George Mason University have ratified their first-ever union contract with 32BJ SEIU. Under the agreement that expires on June 30, 2024, workers will see their wages increase by an average of 12% and employer contributions toward health insurance premiums will increase to 80%. Current hourly wages, which range from $10 to $23, will increase to a range of $13 to $25. For the first time, part-time employees will receive three paid holidays and the workers who currently receive no paid breaks, all will be given 15 minute paid breaks.

Labor 411's Ethical Holiday Gift Guide
Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Labor 411 is offering its first annual [link removed] Ethical Holiday Gift Guide to help consumers shop their way to a stronger middle class.
The guide features a wide range of options for men, women, children and even pets. Whether they're stuffing their stockings with family games, sweets, perfume and even cars, ethically-minded consumers can funnel their dollars toward companies that provide living wages and a healthy work environment for their employees.
"The holiday season is the perfect time to shop our values," said Labor 411 Founder and President Cherri Senders. "We are asking holiday shoppers to fill 10% of their shopping carts with goods made by union companies. With that commitment, we will advance good-paying jobs and help provide a solid foundation for the American economy."

Today's Labor Quote: Captain Swing

"Sir, This is to acquaint you that if your threshing machines are not destroyed by you directly we shall commence our labours."

Captain Swing was the fictitious name often signed to the threatening letters sent to farmers, magistrates, parsons, and others before and during the "Swing Riots" in England (see History, below). The mythical Captain Swing was described as a hard-working tenant farmer driven to destitution and despair by social and political change in the early nineteenth century.

Today's Labor History

This week's [link removed] Labor History Today podcast: Hidden in the Fields
Ivón Padilla-Rodríguez on Invisible Agricultural Child Labor in the American Southwest and the Limits of Citizenship, from the Tales from the Reuther Library podcast. Plus Lane Windham on the Willmar 8, who organized the first strike against a bank in U.S. history.
Last week's show: (12/8): [link removed] Collective actions

Trial of nearly 350 agricultural laborers in the "Swing Riots" gets underway in England. Facing land enclosures and mechanization, farm workers rioted in the autumn of 1830, demanding higher wages, destroying machinery, and threatening landowners. Of the nearly 2,000 people tried and convicted, 19 were executed and over 500 deported to New South Wales and Tasmania.
[link removed] - Today in Labor History

photo of Padilla-Rodríguez courtesy [link removed] Columbia University

Hiring Hall

Administrative
[link removed] Special Assistant - Executive Office, SEIU (Service Employees International Union - International Positions) (Posted: 12/17/2019) District of Columbia
[link removed] Human Resources Manager, SEIU (Service Employees International Union - International Positions) (Posted: 12/16/2019) District of Columbia
[link removed] Accounting Clerk I, UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers International Union) (Posted: 12/11/2019) District of Columbia

Communications
[link removed] Communications Specialist - Media Relations, AFGE (American Federation of Government Employees) (Posted: 12/11/2019) District of Columbia

Information Technology
[link removed] Data Specialist, AFA (Association of Flight Attendants-CWA) (Posted: 12/13/2019) District of Columbia

Legal
[link removed] Staff Attorney / Staff Negotiator, AFA (Association of Flight Attendants-CWA) (Posted: 12/12/2019) District of Columbia

Misc
[link removed] Coordinator of Mobilization / Contract Campaigns, AFA (Association of Flight Attendants-CWA) (Posted: 12/13/2019) District of Columbia
[link removed] Outreach Coordinator- Science Network, UCS (Union of Concerned Scientists) (Posted: 12/13/2019) District of Columbia, Massachusetts

Organizing
[link removed] Lead Organizer, MARJB (Mid-Atlantic Regional Joint Board of Workers United/SEIU) (Posted: 12/11/2019) District of Columbia, Maryland

Political
[link removed] Policy Advisor, DC City Council Labor Committee (12/17)

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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