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Tech drives labor vote turnout in MD primary

Pogue Lyons elected WTU president

Saturday rally & door-knock to turn out Metro-area labor vote in MD primary

Labor's Candidates: Blegay, Fisher, Elrich

UnionTweet: Working the labor GOTV phones, even during convention

Union Night at Camden Yards

FairHotel.org helps you choose union hotels

Solidarity Center Report: Tunisians strike to save their livelihoods

Labor Quote

Today's Labor History

 


Labor Calendar: [link removed] click here for complete and latest listings

MWC MD Primary GOTV: Sat, July 16, 9am - 2pm

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, 2701 Whitney Pl, District Heights, MD 20747
[link removed] RSVP HERE

MD Labor GOTV: UFCW 1994/SEIU 500/32BJ Joint Canvass: Sat, July 16, 10am - 2pm
UFCW MCGEO Local 1994, 600 S Frederick Ave #200, Gaithersburg, MD 20877

Tech drives labor vote turnout in MD primary
Forget clipboards and printed-out maps. "You just pop the list number in on your phone and it brings up a map showing you where all the houses are; it makes it a lot faster." Last Saturday, UFCW 400 volunteer Edward Mayo took a few minutes during the Metro Washington Labor Council's get out the vote efforts to demonstrate the modern technology labor's using to turn out union voters for next Tuesday's Maryland primary. Sitting in his car while fellow Local 400 volunteer Linette Floyd knocked on a nearby Hyattsville resident's door, Mayo tapped on his cel phone. "You just click here if they're not home, if they refuse or argue. There's a script right here too, and then you just click on if they're supporting, undecided or opposed to the labor-endorsed candidate and then you sync it, it gets sent back to headquarters and that's it. No need to go back to turn in paperwork or anything." Mayo said that he prefers door to door canvassing to phone banking. "A lot of people don't like to talk on the phone, they'll just hang up on you, but in person they're a lot more interactable." With that, Floyd returned to the car, Mayo tapped on his phone and they headed off to the next door.
- report/photo by Chris Garlock/Union City
The Metro Washington Council's final Maryland primary canvass is tomorrow at 9a at ATU Local 689 (2701 Whitney Pl, District Heights, MD 20747); [link removed] RSVP HERE.

Pogue Lyons elected WTU president

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons has been elected to serve a full term as president of the Washington Teachers' Union (WTU), and Regina Bell has been elected General Vice-President. Lyons and Bell had been elevated to those positions in April 2021 following the death of Elizabeth A. Davis. "The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical role that our schools play in our communities," said Pogue Lyons. "Together, we look forward to continuing the work the WTU does to support our city's educators and our students," said Bell. Under their leadership over the past year, the WTU continued to negotiate for a new contract and has led efforts to secure reforms to the DCPS budget, including provisions mandating that all DCPS schools have a full-time librarian. Lyons and Bell spearheaded the WTU's efforts to ensure DCPS invested in health and safety provisions to ensure students and staff remained safe during the pandemic.
photo: Pogue Lyons (right) at June rally; photo by Chris Garlock/Union City

Saturday rally & door-knock to turn out Metro-area labor vote in MD primary
Elected reps to join Metro Labor Council and area local unions

With just days left before next Tuesday's Maryland primary election, the labor movement continues to work throughout the state to get out the labor vote for Tom Perez and county-endorsed candidates. The Metro Washington Labor Council is coordinating local activities, with a big rally and door-knock [link removed] canvass set for this Saturday at 9a at the ATU 689 union hall (2701 Whitney Place, District Heights, MD 20747).

The Maryland labor movement has been working intensively to identify and turn out union voters across the state, not only for high-profile races like Tom Perez for governor but dozens of critical down ballot races, including those involving union members running for office. "Unions such as UFCW 1994, UFCW 400 and ATU 689 have been door knocking and phone banking for the last several weeks, including almost six days straight," says Metro Washington Labor Council Political Director Dejah Williams. "Saturday's rally is really a climax of all their hard work. This is not just a rally but a celebration of the hard work it has taken to get to this point."

The following elected officials have been confirmed for Saturday's GOTV Rally: Donna Edwards, Anthony Brown, Brooke Lierman, Melony Griffith, Aisha Braveboy, Krystal Oriadha. Local unions participating in Saturday's rally include SEIU 1199, UNITE HERE Local 25, ATU Local 689, Painters DC 51 and UFCW 400.

Labor's Candidates: Blegay, Fisher, Elrich
Maryland's primary election is Tuesday, July 19. [link removed] CLICK HERE for the complete list of labor-endorsed candidates. See Calendar (above) for upcoming labor GOTV activities.

Prince George's County Council (District 6): WALA BLEGAY
"Wala Blegay is the proud daughter of an ATU Local 689 member. She's spent her career fighting in the labor movement. We know that she'll take that same fight to the Prince George's County Council where she'll continue to make sure that working people aren't left behind." (ATU 689)

Prince George's County Council (District 2): WANIKA FISHER
"Wanika is a proven leader and a perfect choice for Prince George's County Council. As a member of the House of Delegates, she could always be counted on to help advance legislation to benefit working families. From paid family medical leave to protections for tenants, to championing legislation to protect Maryland workers facing layoffs, she has always been there for us and always asks what more she can do to help. Wanika has the experience, enthusiasm and energy we need in Prince George's." (Mark Federici, UFCW 400)

Montgomery County Executive: MARC ELRICH
"Time and time again, Marc Elrich has proved he's on the side of working families." (UFCW 400)
"His leadership, especially during the pandemic, was unflinching in his desire to protect Montgomery County's working families and we know that he will continue to put people first." (UFCW 1994)
photos: Blegay (left); Elrich (top right); Fisher (bottom right).

UnionTweet: Working the labor GOTV phones, even during convention
"Do you thinkhttps://twitter.com/AFSCMEMaryland @AFSCMEMaryland stops working when they go to thehttps://twitter.com/AFSCME @AFSCME convention?" tweeted the Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO @MDDCStateFed. "Hell no! Even in Philly, they set up the phones and start calling for labor's endorsed candidates,[link removed] @TomPerez,[link removed] @BrookeELierman, andhttps://twitter.com/BrownforMD @BrownforMDhttps://twitter.com/hashtag/voteunion?src=hashtag_click #voteunion"

Union Night at Camden Yards
Tickets are going fast for Union Night at Camden Yards, set for Friday, August 19th at 7:05 pm against the Red Sox with fireworks following the game. "This time honored tradition has always been a great time for comradery and fun for the whole family," says Blaine Boone, Community Services of Central Maryland Director. Contact your local union or the Metro Baltimore Council for more information, or call Boone at 410-247-4898.

FairHotel.org helps you choose union hotels
UNITE HERE today launched a redesigned [link removed] FairHotel.org, a site that helps travelers pick hotels that support working people. FairHotel will make it easier for the many people who are fired up about all the new organizing happening to book a union hotel. If used before booking, the new site helps guests understand the status of labor disputes at properties, avoid disruptions to their trips or meetings, and use their consumer power to support good hospitality jobs that pay enough to raise a family. [link removed] Show your union pride and check out FairHotel today.

Solidarity Center Report: Tunisians strike to save their livelihoods
Hundreds of thousands of public employees in Tunisia waged a one-day general strike recently after talks with the government failed to address the rising cost of living and sinking wages, even as it increases taxes and cuts social programs. The workers, members of the Tunisia General Labor Union (UGTT), say the government is seeking a $4 million bailout from the International Monetary Fund on the backs of workers. The bailout would come in exchange for cuts in food and energy subsidies, wage freezes and privatization of state-owned enterprises. [link removed] Find out more at Solidarity Center.

Labor Quote: Joseph Small

"I didn't know anything about mutiny. I just knew that I didn't want to work under the same conditions that I did work under and advance the chance of the same thing happening again."

Joseph Small was one of the black sailors convicted in the Port Chicago Mutiny (see Today's Labor History, below)

Labor on the Air: On yesterday's [link removed] Your Rights At Work radio show (WPFW 89.3FM Thursdays at 1p): [link removed] Primary GOTV; fairhotel.org; UFCW 1994's Amy Millar reports on how labor is getting out the vote for the July 19 Maryland primary; UNITE HERE Local 25 Executive Secretary-Treasurer Paul Schwalb on how to find a union hotel on [link removed] fairhotel.org. [link removed] CLICK HERE to listen or search for Your Rights At Work wherever you listen to podcasts![link removed]

TODAY'S LABOR HISTORY

This week's Labor History Today podcast: [link removed] The Port of Missing Menhttps://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-ikmf9-126c7b5 ; Last week's show: [link removed] "A Supreme disaster for workers".

July 15

50,000 lumberjacks strike for eight-hour day - 1917

July 16

San Francisco Longshoreman's strike spreads, becomes four-day general strike - 1934

July 17

Two ammunition ships explode at Port Chicago, Calif., killing 322, including 202 African-Americans assigned by the Navy to handle explosives. It was the worst home-front disaster of World War II. The resulting refusal of 258 African-Americans to return to the dangerous work underpinned the trial and conviction of 50 of the men in what is called the Port Chicago Mutiny - 1944
photo courtesy [link removed] Naval History Heritage and Command

- David Prosten

 


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