Today’s Labor Calendar
Click here for the complete calendar and details. Got something to add or update? Email us at [email protected].
Union City Radio: 7:15am, WPFW-FM 89.3 FM
2-minute audio version of the Metro Washington Labor Council's Union City newsletter.
Loudoun County Transit Strike Picket: Mon, January 23, 3:30am – 4:00pm 43031 Loudoun Center Place in Leesburg, VA (map)
Fired Starbucks Worker Returns to Work (Richmond): Mon, January 23, 9:30am – 3:00pm 1017 N Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond, VA 23230, USA (map) |
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Striking ATU 689 Loudoun County transit workers hold the line
Today marks thirteen days that ATU Local 689 members working for Loudoun County Transit private contractor Keolis will have been on strike. The 130 workers who operate, maintain, and dispatch buses went on strike at 3 a.m. on January 11. “From the very beginning, our members have been strong and united against Keolis, a French multinational corporation and one of the largest public transit operators in the U.S.,” said ATU. Low wages are at the center of the strike, forcing many of ATU 689’s members to move out of the county with Loudoun County being one of the country's most expensive places to live. Keolis underbid the contract to operate bus service, severely impacting the Local 689 members who keep the system moving. “On the second day of the strike, the company put their 'last, best, and final' offer on the table, resulting in our members walking out of negotiations after an insulting proposal that fails to address our issues,” said ATU. “Our members are standing strong and biding their time on the picket line until they get what they're due.” Click here to hear ATU 689 President Raymond Jackson's update on the Loudoun County transit strike on last week's Your Rights At Work WPFW radio show.
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Threespot workers organize
A supermajority of workers at Threespot, a progressive digital advertising agency, signed authorization cards in favor of forming a union with CWA. The workers, who organized with CODE-CWA, will join CWA Local 2336 in Washington, D.C. Their win reflects the growing trend of tech workers interested in the power of collective bargaining. - CWA Newsletter |
Labor Quote: Harold Meyerson
“What's going on with the ATU and Loudoun County is part and parcel of a general upsurge of which, you know, we really could use a lot more.”
American Prospect Editor At Large Harold Meyerson, on last week’s Your Rights At Work radio show. |
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Today’s Labor History
This week’s Labor History Today podcast: Bill Lucy on MLK; Shubert Sebree on Debs. Last week’s show: Strong Winds and Widow Makers.
10,000 clothing workers strike in Rochester, NY for the 8 hour day, a 10% wage increase, union recognition, and extra pay for overtime and holidays. Daily parades were held throughout the clothing district and there was at least one instance of mounted police charging the crowd of strikers and arresting 25 picketers. Six people were wounded over the course of the strike and one worker, 18 year old Ida Breiman, was shot to death by a sweatshop contractor. The strike was called off in April after manufacturers agreed not to discriminate against workers for joining a union – 1913
David Prosten
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Published by the Metropolitan Washington Labor 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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