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Shoppers Food grocery workers plan protest to save benefits

Maryland primary labor postcard

Union files charges against AU

Labor News Briefs

CEOs, not working people, are causing inflation; Staff in several House offices begin the process of unionizing; Baltimore Museum of Art workers vote to join union; Confidence in U.S. Institutions Down, But Still Strong for Labor

Today's Labor History

Today's Labor Quote

Hiring Hall: DC-area union staff jobs!!

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

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

Wednesdays with Warner for the PRO Act: Wed, July 20, 8:15am - 9:15am
Windmill Hill Park, 500 South Lee St., Alexandria VA ([link removed] map)

[link removed] Endorsement Interview with VA CD 1 Candidate Herb Jones: Wed, July 20, 12pm - 1pm
All members of affiliated unions are welcome to join the interview committee.

The Vision of a Green New Deal: Wed, July 20, 3pm - 4pm

DC Jobs with Justice: Join us and [link removed] Green New Deal for DC next Wednesday July 20th at 3pm for a Virtual Webinar on DC's climate proposals. [link removed] RSVP here.

DC Rally to Support Senate Cafeteria Workers (Unite Here 23): Wed, July 20, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Park across the street from the Dirksen Senate Office Building, 50 Constitution Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA ([link removed] map)

UFCW 400 "Save Our Benefits" Rally: Wed, July 20, 4:45pm - 6:00pm

SHOPPERS Largo, 806 Largo Center Dr, Largo, MD 20774, USA ([link removed] map)

Union City Radio: Your Rights at Work: Thu, July 21, 1pm - 2pm
WPFW 89.3 FM or [link removed] listen online.

Baltimore Labor Council meeting: Thu, July 21, 7pm - 9pm
Email for call-in details: mailto:[email protected] [email protected]

[link removed] NoVA Labor monthly meeting: Thu, July 21, 7pm - 9pm

 

On last week's [link removed] Your Rights At Work radio show (WPFW 89.3FM Thursdays at 1p): Back To The Way Things Were; Velina Brown, director of the San Francisco Mime Troupe's new live musical,[link removed] Back To The Way Things Were, playing free in San Francisco parks through Labor Day. [link removed] CLICK HERE to listen or search for Your Rights At Work wherever you listen to podcasts!


Shoppers Food grocery workers plan protest to save benefits

Union workers at Shoppers grocery stores are planning a rally today (4:45p; see Calendar, above) to save their health care and retirement benefits. At least 1,200 essential workers at the company are at risk of losing their coverage as soon as next month because UNFI, Shoppers' parent company, has refused to fully fund the benefits. The workers are members of UFCW locals 400 and 27, which represent approximately 1,200 Shoppers associates at all stores in the greater DMV and Baltimore regions. The union and Shoppers have been in negotiations over a new contract since the early days of the pandemic. "For more than two years, UNFI has stalled and delayed negotiating a new union contract at Shoppers," said Mark Federici, president of UFCW Local 400, which represents Shoppers associates at 12 stores in the Washington metropolitan region. "As a result, these workers haven't seen a raise in over a year. On top of that, now the company is refusing to fully fund their benefits, and these essential workers who risked their lives to keep Shoppers stores open during a pandemic are at risk of losing their health care and retirement benefits. We won't stand for it. It's time for UNFI to get serious and negotiate a fair contract now!" The previous collective bargaining agreement between the union and Shoppers expired on July 11, 2020 and Shoppers employees have been working under a contract extension since then. [link removed] Read more here.


Maryland primary labor postcard

Yesterday was primary day in Maryland, and union members fanned out to polling sites across the region and state, supporting labor-endorsed candidates. Here are a few voices of area labor volunteers, and you can see more photos on our [link removed] Twitter feed:

"People are, you know, not only open, but excited to just talk to people in their community and talk to their neighbors, especially about local politics," said UNITE HERE 25's Patricia Haney outside the polling site in the Solid Rock Full Gospel Church in Capitol Heights. "I really think local politics makes a big difference, both for labor (and) for community." "A lot of people already know who they're voting for," said UFCW Local 400's Heather Thomas, at the William Beanes Elementary School site in Suitland. "They're not really taking a lot of pamphlets from us, but you know, you kind of get your yells in (for endorsed candidates) from afar." Meanwhile, at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Upper Marlboro, ATU 689's Michael Morsell was showing off his classic Ford F-150 to Metro Washington Labor Council president Dyana Forester. "I just decided, okay, if I'm gonna support Wala (Blegay, Prince George's Council District 6 candidate and NNU staffer), I'm gonna go ahead and wash the truck and bring it out. It's red and white (Blegay's campaign colors); I call it `The Wala Wagon,' with water for volunteers." As poll-closing neared last night, ATU 689 volunteer Carmen Price Edwards said "I've been here for six weeks door-knocking, and it's been really inspiring. (So) many people don't know who the candidates are and they get their information from us and it's like, 'Oh my God, thank you so much, I didn't know who to vote for' and then they're like, 'You know what? I know who to vote for.'"

- report/photos by Chris Garlock/Union City

Union files charges against AU

SEIU Local 500 on Monday filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge against American University. The union has been bargaining for over a year for more than 500 AU staffers, but AU walked out of talks in early June, unilaterally announced a new pay band structure for new employees that leapfrogs existing employees, and said that union members are ineligible for annual raises. "Our strength, momentum, and ability to push back against the administration are growing quickly," said Local 500. "Not only did we file a ULP on July 18th, but we had more than 150 staff members present at our bargaining session. We are ready to fight. We are the change that can't wait."


Labor News Briefs

[link removed] CEOs, not working people, are causing inflation
AFL-CIO 2022 PayWatch report

Wall Street elites blame workers and low unemployment for causing inflation. They say it's because our wages are rising. But in 2021, S&P 500 companies' CEOs' pay rose 18.2% on average. Workers' wages rose only 4.7%. [link removed] CEOs, not workers, cause inflation. It's "greedflation."

[link removed] Staff in several House offices begin the process of unionizing

Roll Call; By Chris Cioffi: July 18, 2022

Staffers who work for eight House Democrats are wasting no time in their plans to unionize, filing petitions Monday to kick off the process. It was the first day they could do so, as new rules went into effect allowing many legislative branch staffers to bargain collectively.

[link removed] Baltimore Museum of Art workers vote to join union

CBS Baltimore; By Brandon Weigel: July 14, 2022

Curators, conservators, security guards and other staffers at the Baltimore Museum of Art voted overwhelmingly Thursday night to join a union. The workers will join the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 67, a local union representing public services employees such as nurses, corrections officers and sanitation workers.

Confidence in U.S. Institutions Down, But Still Strong for Labor
Liz Shuler; AFL-CIO Daily Brief

Even as Americans' faith and confidence in other major institutions is at an all-time low, [link removed] this new Gallup poll shows trust in organized labor remains strong. And with just 118 days until the midterm elections, we need to make the most of that trust. We may be the only institution out there that can get through to people and break through the echo chambers caused by Facebook and cable news that are leaving us more polarized than ever. I know I can count on you to make the most of these next few months and to listen to, talk to and mobilize your fellow members ahead of November.


Labor Quote: Patricia Haney

"I think it really comes down to talking to your neighbors at the end of the day. That's how you make differences and change people's minds and stuff."

Metro Washington Labor Council president Dyana Forester drops off snacks to UNITE HERE 25 researcher Patricia Haney, who volunteered at the Maryland polls in Prince George's County yesterday. photo by Chris Garlock/Union City.

 

Today's Labor History

This week's Labor History Today podcast: [link removed] Tragedy and Resistance at Port Chicago Naval Magazine (Encore); Last week's show: [link removed] "The Port of Missing Men"

July 20

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

July 21

Local militiamen are called out against striking railroad workers in Pittsburgh. The head of the Pennsylvania Railroad advises giving the strikers "a rifle diet for a few days and see how they like that kind of bread." Instead, the militiamen joined the workers. Meanwhile, federal troops are sent to Baltimore, where they kill 10 strikers and wound 25 - 1877

Radio station WCFL, owned and operated by the Chicago Federation of Labor, takes to the airwaves with two hours of music. The first and only labor-owned radio station in the country, WCFL was sold in 1979 - 1926

IWW leads a strike at Hodgeman's Blueberry Farm in Grand Junction, Mich. - 1964

- David Prosten.

 

Hiring Hall: DC-area union jobs, plus [link removed] click here for more listingshttp://www.dclabor.org/hiring-hall.html !

Administrative
[link removed] Bookkeeper, AFSCME Council 20, based in Washington, DC (Posted: 7/18/2022) District of Columbia

Communications

[link removed] Senior Digital Media Strategist, APWU, based in Washington, DC (Posted: 7/13/2022) District of Columbia

Misc
[link removed] Aviation Safety Coordinator - Airline Division, IBT, based in Washington, DC (Posted: 7/13/2022) District of Columbia

[link removed] Field Representative, ACE-AFSCME 2250, based in Upper Marlboro, MD (Posted: 7/14/2022) Maryland

Organizing
[link removed] Senior Campaign Lead, NABET-CWA, based in Washington, DC (Posted: 7/13/2022) District of Columbia

[link removed] Organizer, Green Workers Alliance, covering Virginia (Posted: 7/18/2022) Virginia
[link removed] Housing Organizer, DC Labor with Justice (7/19)
[link removed] Database Coordinator and Organizer, DC Labor with Justice (7/19)

[link removed] Labor Organizer, DC Labor with Justice (7/19)

Political
[link removed] Director - Voting Rights and Democracy Program, CPD, based in New York City, NY or Washington, DC (strongly preferred; other locations considered) (Posted: 7/13/2022)

[link removed] Senior Campaign Lead, NABET-CWA, based in Washington, DC (Posted: 7/13/2022) District of Columbia
[link removed] Coordinator for Member Political Engagement, SEIU 500, based in Gaithersburg, MD (Posted: 7/18/2022) Maryland

Research

[link removed] Strategic Researchers and Organizers, AFL-CIO, available in various locations (Posted: 7/29/2020) California, District of Columbia, Illinois, Nevada, New York

 

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. DYANA FORESTER, PRESIDENT.

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