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Mar 5, 2011 Talks Continue between NFL, Players The NFL and the player's union have agreed to a 1-week extension of contract talks, averting an immediate lockout. Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO
Nov 18, 2010 Musicians Urge Gray To Promote Live Music Local musicians yesterday reached out to DC Mayor-Elect Vince Gray to ask for support in restoring live music to this year’s “Nutcracker” at the Washington Ballet. “We appreciate your concern for employment and good union jobs throughout our city’s economy and sincerely hope that... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Nov 15, 2010 Union Plus Scholarship Applications Now Available “Applications are available for the 2011 Union Plus Scholarship Program , which provides $150,000 in scholarships to union members, their spouses and dependants,” reports Union Plus. “Since 1992, the Union Plus Scholarship program has provided more than $2.8 million to help... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Nov 12, 2010 Washington Ballet Leads Scrooge-Of-The-Year Nominations The Washington Ballet, which has axed live music at performances of Romeo and Juliet and The Nutcracker, is leading the contest to be named Scrooge of the Year . "The behavior of Ebeneezer Scrooge in Dickens' story very much parallels the behavior of The Washington Ballet management and... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Nov 12, 2010 District Hotel Workers Demand "Shot At American Dream" Charging that District hotels are attempting to force a “recessionary” contract on employees, more than 400 workers and community allies rallied in Farragut Square chanting “The people united will never be defeated” during rush-hour Wednesday night. “I’m demonstrating tonight to... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Nov 10, 2010 2010 Catalog Offers Books For Union Activists, Leaders A new, 56-page catalog of books for union members, activists and leaders is being offered by Union Communication Services . The 2010 edition of the UCS Labor Books Catalog includes scores of classic and new titles on topics ranging from negotiating and grievance handling to organizing,... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Nov 9, 2010 "Romeo" Stumbles Without Live Orchestra “Losing live music is a heavy sacrifice,” wrote dance critic Sarah Kaufman in Saturday’s Washington Post review of the Washington Ballet's production of "Romeo and Juliet." The Ballet’s decision to use taped music this season -- including upcoming performances of "The Nutcracker" -- is... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Apr 14, 2010 Lose Money, Live Worse With Wal-Mart Charging that retail giant Wal-Mart is costing the community millions of dollars in unpaid taxes, members, staff and supporters of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 will distribute pamphlets to downtown Metro commuters tomorrow morning highlighting how the mega-retailer dodges... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Apr 12, 2010 This Week's Labor Calendar - MONDAY: Citizen Activism And Hope: Hear from Paul Loeb - author of the best-selling books on citizen involvement “Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in Challenging Times” and “The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen’s Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear” – who... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Apr 9, 2010 Labor Helps Boost Census Response In an effort to boost response to the ongoing 2010 Census, the DC chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) invites area labor activists to join community organizations Saturday to canvass low-response neighborhoods. Following their regular monthly meeting at IBEW 26 (4371 Parliament... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Apr 8, 2010 D.C. Teachers Win Tentative Agreement The one thing everyone agreed on was that it had been a long, bumpy and often contentious road to the tentative contract agreement for Washington teachers. But on Wednesday, it was congratulatory handshakes and broad smiles all around as DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, Washington Teachers’ Union... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Apr 7, 2010 MontCo Budget Cuts Impact Detailed It's just an hour. Among the savings in the proposed Montgomery County budget is reducing school health aide's hours from seven to six a day. "But that leaves no one there when a kid bumps his head on the way out of school," 20-year veteran aide Susan Rhoderick told Union City at last night's... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Apr 5, 2010 County Workers Rally Against MontCo Budget Cuts Uniting behind the slogan “Don't Californicate Montgomery County,” a coalition of labor, business and community organizations will rally tonight against budget cuts. UFCW Local 1994, which represents thousands of county workers, says that while Montgomery County once led the state in job... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Mar 16, 2010 Evening With Labor Award Winner Photos Now Online Photos of award-winners at Saturday’s 33rd Annual Evening With Labor are now available for viewing online. Click here ; watch Union City for more photos later this week. - Bill Grooms from IUOE 77 is presented with the Tri-County COPE Award at Saturday's Evening With Labor; photo by Bill... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Mar 16, 2010 NPR Attempts To "Divide And Conquer" Broadcast Employees Gusting winds and drizzling rain failed to dampen the spirits of dozens of broadcast technicians and audio engineers at National Public Radio who walked the picket line at noon yesterday chanting “Hey hey, ho ho, union busting has got to go” in front of NPR’s Massachusetts Avenue... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Mar 15, 2010 Broadcast Techs To Protest At NPR Broadcast technical professionals at National Public Radio (NPR) will protest NPR’s demands for concessions and givebacks at a noontime demo today outside NPR. “The 65 members of NABET-CWA each took wage/benefits cuts of $17,000 in crisis bargaining to help NPR during the uncertain... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Mar 15, 2010 DC Labor Movement Lauded At Evening With Labor "DC shows the rest of America what being a Union City is all about," AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Liz Shuler (r, with Metro Council President Jos Williams) told the nearly 1,000 labor leaders, activists and politicians gathered Saturday night for the 33rd annual Evening With Labor. "Unity,... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Mar 11, 2010 Transit Workers Urge Action To Oppose Cutbacks In Metro Service With WMATA proposing drastic reductions in Metrorail and Metrobus service, a broad coalition has formed to urge area jurisdictions to provide more funding to keep Metro running. ATU Local 689 has joined with transit, environmental and community groups to wage a "Fair Share for Metro" campaign... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Mar 10, 2010 CLUW's First Annual Working Women's Award Celebration Set In honor of Women's History Month, the Coalition of Labor Union Women will present CLUW's First Annual Working Women's Award Celebration on Thursday, March 18th, from 5-7:30p. “Join us in honoring eleven extraordinary women leaders, whose achievements have inspired us all to strive... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Mar 10, 2010 "Blocking Healthcare Reform Is A Crime!" As health insurance lobbyists holed up in the Ritz-Carlton behind dozens of police in riot gear, thousands of healthcare activists surrounded the downtown DC hotel yesterday in a peaceful but pointed demonstration of anger and support for healthcare reform, sponsored by Health Care for America... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Mar 2, 2010 Biden to AFL-CIO: Organizing Bill Can Pass Vice President Joe Biden told the AFL-CIO that the Obama administration will still be able to push through a controversial union organizing bill that has been stalled for the past year and looked all but dead once Democrats lost their 60-seat super-majority in the Senate. At... Wall Street Journal more
Mar 2, 2010 Labor Cranks Up The Heat In March With over a dozen actions and events planned (and counting!), March is shaping up to be a busy month jam-packed with activism. Highlights include DC Jobs With Justice's "This Is America: Films On Immigration" Fundraiser and the Charm City Labor Chorus Debut Concert , both on... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Mar 1, 2010 Bunning to Jobless Workers: �Tough Sh*t� Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) has a message for the 1.2 million jobless workers who will lose their unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and COBRA health coverage in March when the two programs expire Feb. 28. �Tough sh*t� Bunning has single-handily blocked a vote on a 30-day extension by... AFL-CIO more
Mar 1, 2010 Obama Names Seven Union Leaders To Labor-Management Council President Barack Obama named seven union leaders to the National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations, an advisory committee that investigates and makes recommendations to the feds about issues affecting the government’s 2.2 million workers. Named February 25 were AFGE President... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Feb 22, 2010 NLRB Chair Liebman: 'Political Paralysis' Sours Hopes For Labor Law Reform “Political paralysis” in Washington, exemplified by the Senate filibuster that killed an Obama administration nomination to the National Labor Relations Board “makes it hard to be hopeful” about the prospects for overall labor law reform, NLRB Chair Wilma Liebman (r) says.... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
May 5, 2009 Labor Helps Provide margin Of Victory For Navarro Extensive labor outreach helped Nancy Navarro achieve a narrow victory over Ben Kramer's well-financed campaign in the recent Special Election to fill the 4th District seat on the Montgomery County Council. "This is a clear win for the residents of the 4th District of Montgomery County,”... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
May 1, 2009 Free Foreclosure Counseling Maryland residents facing foreclosure can get free counseling at Saturday’s "Securing Your Future Expo,” reports the Community Services Agency (CSA). “Other info available at the Expo includes how to manage your finances, debt management, household budgeting and emergency... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Apr 29, 2009 New MontCo Worker Safety Initiative Unveiled “We’re putting every employer on notice that workers should never have to trade their health for their paychecks,” said Metro Washington Council representative Jim Grossfeld at yesterday’s unveiling of a new Worker Health and Safety Initiative in Montgomery County. The Initiative –... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Apr 24, 2009 UNIONS MOBILIZE WORKERS TO LOBBY ON EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT AS SEIU’S STERN MENTIONS CHANGES The nation’s unions and their allies at Jobs With Justice mustered a throng of workers and community leaders to lobby lawmakers for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, even as a top union leader, the Service Employees’ Andrew Stern, discussed potential changes in the bill in a newspaper... PAI more...
Apr 23, 2009 Environmental Community Supports Employee Free Choice The Sierra Club supports the Employee Free Choice Act because it’s “right for workers, right for America and because it is simply the right thing to do,” said Club President Allison Chin earlier this year. “But we also know that companies that treat their workers right are much more... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Apr 23, 2009 Navarro Holds Slim Lead In Montco Democratic Primary Nancy Navarro (r), the labor-endorsed candidate in yesterday’s Montgomery County Council Democratic Primary Election, holds a slight lead - 78 votes - over Maryland Delegate Ben Kramer, with about 400 absentee ballots yet to be tallied. “We’re confident that Nancy Navarro will be... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Apr 21, 2009 Labor "Disappointed" In Annapolis Session "Labor's Year" in the Maryland General Assembly turned out to be "Labor's Year of Disappointment," reports Metro Council Political Coordinator Rick Powell. Bills guaranteeing shift breaks and overtime after eight hours failed – shift breaks for the third time - as did Prevailing Wage, which... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Apr 17, 2009 Navarro On The Home Stretch With the Montgomery County District 4 special election only a few days away, union volunteers will turn out again this weekend for a final push to help elect labor-endorsed candidate Nancy Navarro (r). “It has come down to a close race,” reports a source close to the Navarro campaign,... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Apr 10, 2009 UNIONS STEP UP MASS MOBILIZATION FOR EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE, ENLIST AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADERS AS ALLIES The nation’s unions stepped up their mass mobilization to pressure Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, working over the 2-week legislative recess to lobby lawmakers for the pro-worker bill. And they unveiled a new round of commercials to run nationwide for it, while enlisting... PAI more...
Apr 10, 2009 SWEENEY TELLS TOP LEADERS HE’LL RETIRE IN SEPTEMBER AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney formally told top leaders of the federation that he will retire at the AFL-CIO Convention in September. PAI more...
Apr 10, 2009 Union Calls DC Asbestos Problem "A Ticking Time-Bomb" “Cancer-causing asbestos is lying on the floors and covering machinery in buildings all over the city,” Bill Durkin, a representative of Steamfitters Local 602, told Union City Thursday. “Unfortunately our members, city workers and members of the public are being placed in harm’s way... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Apr 8, 2009 Third Annual Labor Night at Nationals Park CSA, Metro Washington Council more...
Apr 6, 2009 Bush OSHA Plan A Flop, Says DOL The now-departed anti-worker GOP Bush government’s plan to have the Occupational Safety and Health Administration target only the worst job safety and health violators was a flop, a new Labor Department report says. And workers may have been injured or died as a result of that failure,... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Apr 1, 2009 Labor Hits Doors In Montgomery County Union volunteers will hit the doors this weekend for labor-endorsed candidate Nancy Navarro, who’s running in a Special Election for the seat vacated by the sudden death of Montgomery County District 4 County Councilman Donald Praisner. “Nancy will stand up for working families in both... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Mar 25, 2009 KEY SENATOR DEFECTS FROM EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT A key senator and past sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, Arlen Specter, R-Pa., defected from it on March 24, saying he would not vote to end a planned Senate GOP filibuster aimed at killing the bill, labor�s top legislative priority. PAI more...
Mar 24, 2009 Evening With Labor Photos Posted Photos from Saturday’s 32nd annual Evening With Labor are posted online where you can watch a slideshow of the evening and download photos or order prints. The photos are by Bill Burke/Page One. - photo: WTU Local 6 members get a standing ovation for their ongoing struggle against... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Mar 23, 2009 Employee Free Choice Does NOT Eliminate Secret Ballots A striking concession today from the hard-right, corporate-friendly editorial board of the Wall Street Journal : In the midst of an angry editorial against the Employee Free Choice Act , the authors undermine years of messaging by anti-worker corporate groups by acknowledging:... AFL-CIO more
Mar 11, 2009 Hill Battle Set For Employee free Choice “Thanks to my union, I work with the most highly trained people in the industry and I know I will come home safe every night,” lineman apprentice Deborah Kelly (l) testified Tuesday in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in support of the Employee Free Choice Act,... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Mar 10, 2009 WORKERS SPEAK AS EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT IS FORMALLY INTRODUCED Workers, economists and scholars told the Senate Labor Committee on March 10 that increasing unionization, by making forming unions easier, would help all workers -- union and non-union -- in a time of economic distress, as the Employee Free Choice Act was formally introduced. PAI more...
Mar 10, 2009 Bringing The Battle For Free Choice To Boss HQ Chanting “Employ free choice, without it no voice,” hundreds of workers joined labor allies and community groups from across the country yesterday at a spirited rally outside the US Chamber of Commerce headquarters in downtown Washington. “This rally is about the freedom to choose,”... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Mar 4, 2009 AFL-CIO EXPANDING EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT CAMPAIGN The AFL-CIO is expanding its campaign for the Employee Free Choice Act to counter anti-union business propaganda against the legislation, and it expects to win the fight this year, top union leaders said. PAI more...
Mar 4, 2009 March Roars In With JwJ Citywide Free Choice Blitz DC Jobs with Justice is blitzing the city this week for the Employee Free Choice Act, as volunteers collect Free Choice Act postcards at Metro stations and in front of supermarkets across the District. "This is a great opportunity for union and community members to work together to win better... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Mar 3, 2009 SOLIS PLEDGES TOUGHER ENFORCEMENT, TRAINING FOR �JOBS THAT WILL STAY HERE� Pledging tougher enforcement of the nation�s labor laws and more emphasis on training workers for �jobs that will stay here,� new Labor Secretary Hilda Solis set those principles as her immediate top priorities in the Obama administration. PAI more...
Mar 3, 2009 New NLRB Chair Wants Worker Rights To Top Nation's Agenda Her board is short-handed and the law it administers is 74 years old, but Wilma Liebman (right), designated as the new chair of the National Labor Relations Board, looks forward to a future where workers’ rights - and how to ensure them - are once again at the top of the national agenda.... Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO more...
Feb 27, 2009 OBAMA LABOR DEPT. BUDGET OUTLINE: MORE FOR JOBLESS BENEFITS, OSHA ENFORCEMENT Democratic President Barack Obama�s Labor Department budget outline increases money for jobless benefits and for worker safety and health enforcement, the Office of Management and Budget said. PAI more...
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