Last Updated: Thursday July 02, 2009 03:23 PM

STREET HEAT (Third Informational EFCA Leafleting), Sat. July 11th, 9am
..Click Here.. 

"Shuttin' Detroit Down'' by John Rich. A powerful music video.
(From John Rich, added here 5.20.09) ..Click for more info..

Each Year, a number of CLC affiliates participate in the Christmas for Military Families program.  Read two heartfelt letters of thanks Here.

Today In Labor History
(brought to you by our friends at BigLabor.com)
 

CORRECTION: Former Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt, who deployed state police and the National Guard in 1983 to break the Phelps-Dodge Strike and bust the copper miner’s union was a Democrat, not a Republican (Labor History 6/30). “Another reminder that we need to keep the pressure on the Democrats as well to do the right thing by working folks,” writes CWA/TNG 32035 member Erik Brown, who caught the error. - "Union City Newsletter."

Today in labor history for the week of June 29, 2009
View past weeks in the Archives

June 29
What is to be a 7-day Streetcar strike begins in Chicago after several workers are unfairly fired. Wrote the police chief at the time, describing the strikers’ response to scabs: "One of my men said he was at the corner of Halsted and Madison Streets, and although he could see fifty stones in the air, he couldn't tell where they were coming from." The strike was settled to the workers’ satisfaction - 1885

IWW strikes Weyerhauser and other Idaho lumber camps - 1936

Jesus Pallares, founder of the 8,000-member coal miners union, Liga Obrera de Habla Esanola, is deported as an "undesirable alien." The union operated in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado - 1936

June 30
Emma Goldman, women's rights activist and radical, born in Lithuania. She immigrated to the U.S. at age 17 - 1869

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) founded in Chicago - 1905

Alabama outlaws the leasing of convicts to mine coal, a practice that had been in place since 1848. In 1898, 73 percent of the state's total revenue came from this source. 25 percent of all black leased convicts died - 1928

The Walsh-Healey Act took effect today. It requires companies that supply goods to the government to pay wages according to a schedule set by the Secretary of Labor - 1936

Up to 40,000 New York construction workers demonstrated in midtown Manhattan, protesting the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s awarding of a $33 million contract to a nonunion company. Eighteen police and three demonstrators were injured. "There were some scattered incidents and some minor violence," Police Commissioner Howard Safir told the New York Post. "Generally, it was a pretty well-behaved crowd." - 1998

July 01
Steel workers in Cleveland begin what was to be an 88-week strike against wage cuts - 1885

Homestead, Pennsylvania steel strike.  Seven strikers and three Pinkertons killed as Andrew Carnegie hires armed thugs to protect strikebreakers - 1892

One million railway shopmen strike - 1922

Nat'l Assn. of Post Office & General Service Maintenance Employees, United Fed. of Postal Clerks, Nat'l Fed. of Post Office Motor Vehicle Employees & Nat'l Assn. of Special Delivery Messengers merge to become American Postal Workers Union - 1971

International Jewelry Workers Union merges with Service Employees International Union - 1980

Graphic Arts International Union merges with International Printing & Graphic Communications Union to become Graphic Communications International Union - 1983

Copper miners begin a years-long long, bitter strike against Phelps-Dodge in Clifton, Ariz. Republican Gov. Bruce Babbitt repeatedly deployed state police and National Guardsmen to assist the company over the course of the strike, which broke the union - 1983

Amalgamated Clothing & Textile Workers Union merges with International Ladies' Garment Workers Union to form Union of Needletrades, Industrial & Textile Employees - 1995

International Chemical Workers Union merges with United Food & Commercial Workers Int'l Union - 1996

The Newspaper Guild merges with Communications Workers of America - 1997

United American Nurses affiliate with the AFL-CIO - 2001

July 02
President Johnson signs Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, forbidding employers and unions from discriminating on the basis of race, color, gender, nationality, or religion - 1964

July 03
Children, employed in the silk mills in Paterson, N.J., went on strike for 11-hour day and 6-day week. A compromise settlement resulted in a 69-hour work work week - 1835

Feminist and labor activist Charlotte Perkins Gilman born in Hartford, Conn. Her landmark study, "Women and Economics", was radical: it called for the financial independence of women and urged a network of child care centers - 1860

July 04
Albert Parsons joins the Knights of Labor. He later became an anarchist and was one of the Haymarket martyrs - 1876

Five newspaper boys from the Baltimore Sun died when the steamer they were on, the Three Rivers, caught fire near Baltimore, Md. - 1924

With the Great Depression underway, some 1,320 delegates attended the founding convention of the Unemployed Councils of the U.S.A., organized by the U.S. Communist Party.  They demanded passage of unemployment insurance and maternity benefit laws and opposed discrimination by race or sex. - 1930

Two primary conventions of the United Nations' International Labor Organization come into force: Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize - 1950

July 05
During a strike against the Pullman Palace Car Company, which had drastically reduced wages, buildings constructed for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago's Jackson park were set ablaze, reducing seven to ashes - 1894

Battle of Rincon Hill, San Francisco, in longshore strike. 5,000 strikers fought 1,000 police, scabs and national guardsmen.  Two strikers were killed, 109 people injured.  The incident led to a General Strike - 1934

National Labor Relations Act, providing workers rights to organize and bargain collectively, passes Congress - 1935

Sources:
Toil and Trouble, by Thomas R. Brooks; American Labor Struggles, by Samuel Yellen; IWW calendar, Solidarity Forever; Historical Encyclopedia of American Labor, edited by Robert E. Weir and James P. Hanlan; Southwest Labor History Archives/George Meany Center; Geov Parrish’s Radical History; workday Minnesota; Andy Richards, AFL-CIO Washington DC Metro Council (graphics research). 

In The News

Previous News and Labor 2008 / Turn Around America items can now be viewed in the Archives.

UAW-Related news can now be viewed Here.

Richard Brown (National Federation of Federal Employees), Rest in Peace
..Click Here.. 

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney's Statement on Sen. Al Franken's Seating
..Click Here.. 

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney's Statement on the Coup in Honduras
..Click Here..

Huge Turnout for DC Health Care Reform Rally
(From Metro Washington AFL-CIO, added here 6.26.09) ..Click for more info..

Two Former Labor Secretaries: Why We Support Employee Free Choice
(From AFL-CIO, added here 6.16.09)..Click for more info..

GM,Health Care, Trade--It's All Related:
(From Working Life, added here 6.15.09) ..Click for more info..

76 TRADE UNIONISTS MURDERED AROUND THE WORLD IN 2008 (From Labourstart):

2008 was another difficult and often dangerous year for trade unionists around the world, according to this year's ITUC Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights Violations, which details abuses of fundamental workers' rights in 143 countries. 76 trade unionists were killed due to their actions to defend workers' rights, and many more were attacked physically or subjected to harassment, intimidation or arrest by the authorities.  The report makes for depressing - but necessary - reading, and is available online here:

Letter Carriers Collect Record 73.4 Million Pounds of Food: Way to Go, NALC!
(From AFL-CIO, added here 6.08.09) ..Click for more info..

Uploading & Downloading Labor's Message:
(From Union Review, added here 6.07.09) ..Click for more info..

Business Leaders Form New Coalition to Support Workers’ Rights
(From FairEconomyNow.org, added here 6.05.09)..Click for more info..

The U.S. Chamber's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad lobbying day:
(From Service Employees International Union, added here 6.04.09)..Click for more info..

I'm a CEO and I Support the Employee Free Choice Act
(From Working Families E-Activist Network, added here 6.04.09)..Click for more info..

Surprise: Joe Scarborough and Friends Have No Idea What They Are Talking About
(From Change to Win, added here 6.03.09) ..Click for more info..

US Foodservice Workers End Yearlong Organizing Battle in Victory!
(From Union Review, added here 5.29.09) ..Click for more info..

AMERICA’S WORKERS TO TELL THE RED CROSS:
DONOR SAFETY COMES FIRST
(From AFL-CIO, added here 5.27.09)..Click for more info..

Turn Around America 2009 / Labor 2010

Labor 2008 showed what can happen when working people stand together. With continued dedication, "Together We Can" Turn Around America. Union members met others where we work, where we shop, where we live... and made a difference for working families.  See some photos HERE or as a slide show HERE.

Keep an eye on this section and "Take Action" for news updates, materials and ways to help. For copies of "Turn Around America" flyers personalized for your union, contact us.

It's early yet but we would like to know your opinion about next years political campaigns. All ready the media is buzzing and candidates are jumping in and out of races. Candidates will be cruising union halls and union events trying to pick up labor support. The State AFL-CIO is encouraging candidates to get to know union leaders and Union Leaders to know them but it is much too early for any firm commitments of support. Meanwhile it is interesting to know what union members are thinking about the people and issues for Labor 2010.
Click Here to take the Georgia AFL-CIO's short poll for Labor 2010 

Welcoming Senator Al Franken
(From AFL-CIO, added here 7.02.09) ..Click Here..

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney's Statement on Sen. Al Franken's Seating
..Click Here.. 

Barack Obama on the Employee Free Choice Act (video)
..Click Here..

Joe Biden on the Employee Free Choice Act (video)
..Click Here..

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney's Statement on the Introduction
of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
(From AFL-CIO, added here 6.26.09) ..Click for more info..

Labor Applauds Key White House Nominees
(From AFL-CIO's Label Letter, added here 5.19.09) ..Click for more info..

More Than 1,000 Leading Academics Announce Support for the Employee Free Choice Act
(From AFL-CIO, added here 5.19.09) ..Click for more info..

VP Biden: "If a union is what you want, then a union is what you should get."
(From AFL-CIO, added here 5.17.09) ..Click for more info..

Working America

Working America, community affiliate of the AFL-CIO, is a powerful force for working people. We combine the strength of 10 million union men and women and millions of workers without the benefit of a workplace union who share common challenges and goals to fight in communities, states and nationally for what really matters--good jobs, affordable health care, world-class education, secure retirements, real homeland security and more.

We work against wrong-headed priorities favoring the rich and corporate special interests over America's well-being.

Working America uses professional research, communication, education, canvassing, lobbying and community organizing to demand that politicians address the priorities that matter most to working people--not just wealthy special interests. Make a difference for your community, for America and for your working family.

Click here to learn about the benefits of Working America membership.

Help build a better future for working families by joining today. Click here to join.

Check Out Working America's MAIN STREET Blog Here

Don’t forget—Working America and the AFL-CIO have put together the Unemployment LifeLine, a one-stop resource center for jobless workers. It’s a guide that links workers to the resources in their area, from unemployment offices to veterans’ services to child care. It also offers the opportunity to talk to others and share lessons learned and support.

Poverty wages. 70 hour work weeks. No respect for basic human rights.
Is that what Chipotle means by 'Food with integrity'?
Demand better from Chipotle. Take action TODAY!

NO CONTRACT, NO COOKIES!
That's the slogan being carried by workers at New York City's Stella D'oro biscuit factory.  Those workers have been on the picket line for nearly a year and now they're calling for international support. Please help them by sending off your message today here:

http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=536

Health Care

The Georgia AFL-CIO endorsed Single Payer Healthcare at our 2007 Convention. We believe it is the most cost efficient and effective way to deliver healthcare to everyone.

"H.R. 676, introduced in Congress by Representative John Conyers (Dem.-Mich, has been gathering sensational support from unions across the country. It has already been endorsed by 512 union organizations in 49 states. That includes 39 AFL-CIO-affiliated State Federations and 125 Central Labor Councils. The Service Employees  International Union  and other Change to Win internationals have also endorsed it."

- Labor's Voice for Change

More than 23,500 people took the AFL-CIO 2009 Health Care for America Survey and more than 6,000 told us their personal stories of struggles with the nation’s broken health care system.

The survey is now closed and the results are being analyzed. A full report on how respondents are coping with their own health care costs and how they believe health care reform should be shaped will be released later this month.

Huge Turnout for DC Health Care Reform Rally
(From Metro Washington AFL-CIO, added here 6.26.09) ..Click for more info..

Tell Your Congressional Representatives - 'We the People' Want Single Payer!
Please take a few minutes to call your representative to ask him or her to co-sponsor HR 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act. (Follow the link for the full text, to learn who the co-sponsors are, and to follow the status of the bill.)  ask your senators to co-sponsor S 703, the companion bill in the Senate, sponsored by Bernie Sanders.
(From Progressive Democrats of America, added here 6.22.09) ..Click for more info..

Rep. John Conyers Single Payer Health Care Page (a great HR 676 resource)
(From Rep. John Conyers, added here 6.19.09)..Click for more info..

The Case for Single Payer Health Care (Video from Recent Hearing)
(From Senator Bernie Sanders, added here 6.14.09)..Click for more info..

Dr. Margaret Flowers: Single Payer at the End of the Table
(From Single Payer Action, added here 6.14.09)..Click for more info..

Nick Skala: Single Payer v. Public Option
(From Single Payer Action, added here 6.14.09)..Click for more info..

Conyers & Himmelstein on Health Care for All (Audio Link)
(From Building Bridges Radio, added here 6.14.09)..Click for more info..

Conyers Rips Rangel, Waxman for Backing Off Single Payer
(From Single Payer Action, added here 6.10.09)..Click for more info..

HEALTHCARE FACTS - Top 10 Reasons for a Single Payer System
..Click Here..

HR 676 (Conyers) - The United States National Health Insurance Act:
Bill Summary & List of Congressional Co-Sponsors
..Click Here..

Thousands hit Seattle streets seeking changes to health care
(From Seattle Times Newspaper, added here 5.31.09) ..Click for more info..

Employee Free Choice Act

Employee Free Choice Act - One Million Strong:
The EFCA, a critical piece of proposed legislation, puts power in the hands of the workers when it comes to whether to organize a union or not. Illegal, but still used union busting tactics such as worker intimidation, firing and refusal to negotiate would be made largely ineffective. Despite what opponents say, the EFCA would still allow "secret ballot" elections if the majority of the workers choose so.

Despite receiving a majority vote in the House and majority support Senate in 2007, the bill was stonewalled in the Senate, not allowing a vote. 2009 has brought a new President and Congress, and the EFCA will get another chance. Please learn more and sign the petition in the link below to show the new leaders that working Americans support the Employee Free Choice Act:
..Click for more info..

EFCA in '09
"If you can't lower heaven, raise hell!" - Mother Jones

VA: Billy Mason - "Now Its Time"
This brother tells of employer intimidation at two failed organizing drives - despite a 2/3 majority of employees signing cards. His story illustrates another perfect case for the EFCA.
(Video Link, added here 6.20.09)..Click for more info..

Shop Union Made

The Union Shop Online .Click Here..

Next CLC meeting will be held Wednesday - July 1st, 2009 at 5:30pm at the IBEW Hall on Dean Forest Road. ..Click here..

Saturday July 11th
STREET HEAT (Third Informational EFCA Leafleting), 9am
 ..Click Here.. 

Sat. July 18th 2009
39th Annual Labor Awards Banquet, Atlanta Click Here

 

• National AFL-CIO
• Georgia AFL-CIO
• Union Plus
• Chatham County Young Democrats
• CCDC
• Union Review
• Employee Free Choice Act Info