We're very pleased to be co-sponsoring the online labor film database together with the DC Labor Film Fest. This extraordinary resource includes no fewer than 1,465 union films and videos. I think it's a fantastic resource for trade unionists everywhere and we should all be grateful to Chris Garlock and the Washington DC Metro Labor Council for putting this together. If you have videos to suggest for inclusion in this list, please send them on to cgarlock@dclabor.org.

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Okay, probably not exactly that bad, but I found a new piece in the Metro-city daily e-mail that really caught my attention.

AMERICAN RED CROSS RALLY TODAY: Workers and labor allies are rallying outside the American Red Cross headquarters in downtown DC today to support workers who are “engaged in struggles across the country at facilities of the American Red Cross,” reports AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. “The American Red Cross has taken an increasingly hostile attitude at the bargaining table and in resisting union organizing drives. This would be deplorable under any circumstances but is particularly so given the historically close relationship the AFL-CIO has had with the American Red Cross and the significant assistance that union members give in blood drives and disaster assistance,” adds Sweeney.

The rally is part of a national day of action organized by the Coalition of American Red Cross Unions.

So, if you're free today at noon, May 29th, head over to:

2025 E Street NW

If you'd like to know how else you can help, drop a line to 202-285- 6692.

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Today is a sad and scary day. An Iranian teacher and unionist has been taken from his cell for execution. I've already signed up through Joe's Union Review, sending a message to the Iranian President, I hope you will, too.

This post isn't about the execution, it's about Labor History in the DC area.

Take for instance, I never noticed there's a statue to A Philip Randolph

Union Station
Columbus Cir at Mass Ave and First St
Washington, DC, United States

Honors the labor leader and civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph, leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

I've been inside Union Station, hell I've even noticed the statue, but I never really noticed it.
I also didn't know that Joe Hill's Ashes are in the National Archives:

National Archives
7th & D Sts
Washington, DC, United States

Joe Hill provided the American labor movement with one of its most compelling slogans: "Don't Mourn. Organize!" Although he never visited Washington, labor songwriter and agitator Joe Hill turned up posthumously. After his execution by the state of Utah on a trumped-up murder conviction, Hill's body was sent to Chicago to be cremated (Hill had famously declared that he did not want to "be caught dead in Utah"). Packets of his ashes were then mailed to members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, or Wobblies) to be scattered in every state. One such packet, intercepted by postal officials under the Espionage Act, ended up at the National Archives. Thanks to the Potomac Labor History Association, the ashes were turned over to the IWW in 1988. However, the envelope remains in the National Archives. It bears a photo of labor's martyr and the caption "Joe Hill, murdered by the capitalist class, November 19, 1915. Industrial Workers of the World. We must never forget." (Jon Garlock, based on reports in the New York Times 11/17/88 and The New Yorker 12/.19/88)

Chris Garlock of the DC Labor Council did one hell of a job putting this Labor Map together, and I for one am so glad he did.

Now, get off my site and over to Joe's so that you can take action on Iran.

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I've been following the DC council race lately primarily due to the ubber anti-worker Patrick Mara ousting the moderate Carol Schwartz. But now it's time for the top 2 candidates in the race to actually win DC council seats and the options are young, talented and pro-union Mark Long or anti-union check-bouncing Michael Brown. From the DC Union City news

LABOR IN THE NEWS: DC Unions Throw Support Behind DC City Council Candidate Michael Brown: Labor unions joined DC City Council At-Large candidate Michael Brown outside his headquarters last week to throw their support behind his campaign, reported Nikita Stewart on the Washington Post website Thursday. Representatives from the SEIU MD/DC State Council, SEIU Local 722, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters, AFSCME locals and the Washington DC Building and Trades Council turned out for the event, Stewart reported. The Metro Council has endorsed DC Councilmember Kwame Brown for the first At-Large seat but has taken no position on the second seat. Other Metro Council endorsements include: DC City Council: Jack Evans (Ward 2), Muriel Bowser (Ward 4), Yvette Alexander (Ward 7) and Marion Barry (Ward 8); DC Congressional Delegate: Eleanor Holmes Norton; Shadow Senator: Paul Strauss.

AFSCME, Washington DC Building and Trades Council, Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters, and SEIU local 722, what the fuck are you thinking? Read this guys lit which contains no union bug. It's like reading something straight out of the DC Chamber of Commerce.

Brown is no friend to working men and women of the district much less those represented by local trade unions. A vote for Brown and endorsement of him is a slap in the face of every hard working man and women in this city and it's shameful that you're taking this low road in endorsing someone who wants to increase the number of DC residents who get construction jobs for major projects but mentions nothing about partnering with local union apprenticeship programs to actually train these men and women for jobs in the trades.

Right now, Uniongal is leaning toward endorsing Mark Long. So far, he's the only one out there (besides Schwartz) with a union bug on his lit and posters. Now, we just need to take a much more focused review of what he hopes to accomplish in Council and make a final endorsement this weekend. Anyone have any feelings one way or another on this issue?

UPDATE

The new signs up for Mr. Brown have a union bug. I will update this when I've received or seen his new materials.

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I'm running for office and I need your DC vote Tuesday, September 9th!!

I'm running on the Obama4UnityBeatsMcCain slate

Polls are open from 7am until 8pm. Electing our slate means that you will elect the body that will govern the DC Democratic Party for the next 4 years.

The DC Democratic State Committee is the official governing body of the DC Democratic Party chartered by the Democratic National Committee. The primary objective of the DC Democratic Party, as all state parties, is to elect Democrats locally and nationally and to advocate for issues within the Democratic Party platform.

The Obama Unity slate is fielding 48 candidates for the DC Democratic State Committee city-wide. Each voter may vote for 24 positions on the DC Democratic State Committee - 20 at-large positions and the 4 representing your own Ward).

There are other Obama slates, but the one that includes the word "Unity" in its name is the true-blue one, endorsed by DC for Obama and DC for Democracy. The widely respected members of this slate will bring years of experience, leadership and commitment to rejuvenating the Democratic Party of this great city.

I urge you to vote for the following candidates from our slate who are running citywide:

National Committeeman - Arrington Dixon, his Alternate - Douglass Sloan;

National Committeewoman - Miriam Sapiro, her Alternate - Regan Ford;

And the following 6 men and 6 women At-Large candidates: Kemry Hughes, Jeffrey Richardson, Alan Bray, Jeffrey Norman, John Nowicki, Kenneth Ellerbe, Kim Morton, Gaby Fraser, Linda Nguyen, Tamela Gordon, Kirsten Burgard and Robin Kelley.

If you live in Ward 3, please vote for our four Ward 3 candidates: Frank Wu, Kahlill Palmer, Jocelyn Nieva and Shana Mosher.

If you live in Ward 4, please vote for our four Ward 4 candidates: Dwayne Revis, Tony Towns, Faith Wheeler and Ella Gilbert.

Our slate is steeped in the tradition of Democratic grassroots politics and committed to bringing leadership to the DC Democratic Party that is energetic, transparent and engaged in the lives of Democrats of the District of Columbia. We envision a DC Democratic Party that has a clear mission, and works to educate, empower, and mobilize District residents to become more engaged within their communities and to participate in the democratic process locally and nationally.

Our slate is the most diverse slate of candidates for the DC Democratic State Committee since the advent of home rule. If elected, we will automatically increase the representation of Young Democrats, LGBT, Organized Labor, Asian Pacific Islanders, and Latinos on the DC Democratic State Committee.

So, please, GET OUT AND VOTE.

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I see this video and I think of all the workers who were brought into the areas ravaged by Katrina and how so many were not paid, forced to live in conditions worse than where they were shipped in from and the kind of work they did, with no protection...look at the devastation, see the faces and know that when McSame even bothered to show up, stay awake and vote, he voted party line, the entire time...



But as I watched the video and was frustrated, struck and angered, I also thought of how out of touch McCain is...



You see, the work that Indian workers were forced into "jobs" with promises of green cards or citizenship. Clearly, they were tricked then forced to work in conditions unfit for anyone to work, barely paid (when paid) and, well you should read up on it...

Over one hundred Indian workers rallied outside the White House Monday afternoon to demand an end to human trafficking and the exploitation of workers under guest worker programs. Workers met with Indian Ambassador Ronen Sen on Thursday to pressure him to hold their employer - Signal International - accountable for human trafficking and forcing the workers to work in slavery-like conditions (Indian Workers March on Embassy 3/28/08 UC).

Yesterday was Labor Day, and although I tried for two days to post this, I couldn't. I'd say someone was trying to stop me so this must be really important, but it was really just my connection as I'm on vacation with my kid.

Hope everyone had a fantastic Labor Day and all those affected by Gustav and soon to be affected by Hanna, please know that you are in our thoughts.

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Live in DC and want to keep Free Speech?

Well, you have your chance today.

The Noise bill is up for a vote on Tuesday. The Noise bill is primarily aimed at the H street corridor where a guy “preaching” on a soap box with an amplifier basically tells everyone that they’re sinners and they’re all going to hell. While visiting a friend, I overheard it. He’s very annoying, however, he’s in one small part of the city. And this noise ordinance would affect all of us, including the many times that amplifiers are used for protests from union protests to demonstrations on behalf of genocide victims like those in Darfur or when protestors come here to tell the World Bank that their policies suck…I think you get the picture here.

DCLabor is supporting a proposed amendment to the measure and is requesting that DC residents put pressure on a couple of key council members. Unfortunately, as much as I like both of them, they aren’t good on issues relating to workers rights as evidenced in their Sick leave votes earlier this year. This is an opportunity for both of them to end up on the right side of the issue.

So, if you’re a DC resident (hell, if you aren’t still do it), take a minute and let these council members know how you feel about stripping all of us of our right to free speech.

Councilmembers Kwame Brown and Yvette Alexander voted for the legislation even though they had voiced their support for a compromise amendment – supported by labor and civil liberties groups – prior to the vote. The compromise amendment – sponsored by Jack Evans – would protect free speech and guarantee quiet neighborhoods.

Send Councilmembers Brown and Alexander the letter below to tell them to stick to their initial commitment to support free speech and reintroduce and vote for the compromise amendment at the second vote on the bill this Tuesday.

You can send them your own note by following the link or copying it into your browser.

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/save_free_speech/8bkdx6i4a77db5jd?

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New from DCLabor, more free screenings:

TWO CHANCES TO CATCH LABOR FILMS THIS WEEK: The DC Labor Filmfest will take up the US healthcare crisis and Asian Pacific immigrant workers this week with free screenings of "Grassroots Rising" and "SiCKO." Director Robert C. Winn will introduce Friday’s noontime screening of "Grassroots Rising," which explores the lives of Asian immigrant workers and their fight for workplace justice. The screening – sponsored by the DC Labor Filmfest, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, and the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum – coincides with Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The labor film screenings continue Sunday at 7 with a free showing of "SiCKO" at the National Labor College. Click here for more info and other upcoming screenings

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From the DC Metro Labor Council:

ORGANIZING INSTITUTE DEADLINE NEXT WEEK: Time is running out to register for the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute's June 6-8 organizer training in Baltimore. "Registrations should be into us by May 30," TJ Marsallo tells UNION CITY. The training will give activist union members basic organizing skills, including one-on-one communication skills, how to move workers to take action, leadership identification and the basic elements of a union organizing campaign. AFL-CIO affiliated and non-affiliated unions are welcome to attend. For details, contact Marsallo at 202-639-6290 or amarsall@aflcio.org.

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You'll notice a new icon on the left of the screen. It's for The DC Metro Council's Labor Film Fest this Fall. If you click the image, it will take you to the page and you can see for yourself, the amazing movies that will be shown at AFI in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Here's the announcement from this morning's Metro Labor Council:

LABOR FILMFEST SET FOR OCTOBER: The 8th annual DC Labor FilmFest will be held from October 9-12, organizers report. The FilmFest, one of the only labor-themed film festivals in the world, screens films from around the world celebrating the struggle for social justice. Click here for details; ad space is available in the popular Festival Guide, which is distributed to all FilmFest-goers and supports the FilmFest, which is now coordinating a year-round program of free screenings. The free screenings have already drawn hundreds for nine screenings of seven films this year, including At The River I Stand, A. Philip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom, Mother Jones: America's Most Dangerous Woman, Fired!, Women Organize!, Sicko, and Grassroots Rising! with a full schedule set for May and June at the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Labor College. “With our new year-round calendar and expanded line-up of activities, your support is more important than ever to ensuring the Labor FilmFest's existence and growth,” says FilmFest Co-Chair Jos Williams.

And Thanks go out to Andy Richards for helping me with the widget coding for the image. You totally rock Andy!!

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And one more reminder,

SPACE IS LIMITED!!!

DC DEMS GATHER SATURDAY: More than 500 District activists are expected to turn out Saturday for the DC Democratic State Committee Convention, the first held in many years. The day long event features nearly two dozen workshops on topics including DC Voting Rights, Getting Politically Active Online, 411 on Blogging (with a focus on union blogging), Party Building, Politics & Religion, Trade & Politics and Political Fundraising. There will also be programs by nearly a dozen Constituency Caucuses, including labor, where Metro Washington Council President Jos Williams will facilitate a discussion from 11:30A to 12:30P on the “Role of Labor in Expanding Political Participation,” assessing the importance and role of organized labor in the political process and “exploring ways in which organized labor can expand political participation and accountability at ward, city and national levels.” Panelists include Cynthia Kane (SEIU), Earl O'Neal (AFSCME Council 20) and Nathan Saunders (Washington Teachers Union). Click here for more details and to register.

See you all tomorrow!!

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I open my mail this morning to find out that DCLabor finally pulled out of the working groups that had been set up to iron out labor and city issues. Mayor Fenty and his people have been, well (how do I put this?), less than forthcoming

LABOR UPDATES: Labor Pulls Out of DC Labor-Management Program: Labor told the DC City Council Friday it was pulling out of DC Labor-Management Partnership Programs. Stymied by the administration's unilateral decision-making, lack of information-sharing and continued refusal to meet with labor representatives for over a year, frustrated labor leaders testified Friday that they were pulling out of the previously successful partnerships. "You cannot have a partnership without a partner," Metro Council President and Labor-Management Programs Co-chair Jos Williams told DC City Council members at the hearing. Labor leaders - hoping to re-invigorate the program - had voiced their concerns about the program at a Council hearing in February but reported Friday that no progress had been made (Labor-Management Partnerships Stalled 2/14/08 UC). "The work of the DC Partnership has been acclaimed at all levels of government and labor," and has received national recognition said AFSCME Council 20's Al Bilik (right of Williams in photo). "It is a shame, a crime to see top officials renege on their commitment." AFGE Council 211 President Eric Bunn (pictured far right) also questioned the City's commitment to continue funding the program - which over its ten years has resulted in 54 department partnerships in 27 different agencies - pointing out that agencies were being given the opportunity to opt out of funding the program in the 2009 budget. "Clearly the city had demonstrated they don't want to partner," Bunn said.

In fact, the Fenty administration has been angry and dismissive toward DC Labor for a rather long time, City Paper covered the story last year.

In the audience was a group of local labor leaders, including several big shots from unions representing D.C. government employees. After Fenty finished his speech, Dwight R. Bowman, who heads up the local district of the American Federation of Government Employees, walked up to Fenty to shake his hand and exchange pleasantries.

“Unfortunately, the conversation never got to that,” Bowman says.

It’s probably wrong to call it a conversation. Says one eyewitness, “In the blink of an eye, Adrian went ballistic.…He got red; he got aggressive; he got right in Dwight’s face.” The witness called the outburst “scary.”

What set Hizzoner off? Well, the union guys apparently hit one of his soft spots: Bowman apparently implied a little too strongly that Fenty was snubbing Big Labor.

Bowman had wanted to express his union’s support for a proposal the mayor had floated to bring the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority back under city control. But before he got into that, Bowman thought he needed to acknowledge that mayoral relations had been rocky.

Wrong move: Fenty demanded an example of said rockiness. “You don’t think everything is all right?” he asked Bowman, before pressing him for examples.

Bowman mentioned a number of things to Fenty: During the campaign, Bowman says Fenty was invited to a candidate forum that the AFGE had sponsored. The union folks got no advance notice that the candidate was coming. When he did come, he was late. And then he left early, choosing to schmooze outside the debate rather than take questions from the podium. Bowman also mentioned that Fenty had no-showed on an invitation to address the AFGE’s annual legislative conference.

But the touchiest issue several witnesses say was when Bowman brought up the subject of a meeting and how difficult it had been to schedule one.

“Gimme an example of where I haven’t been able to meet with you,” Fenty reportedly demanded.

“I don’t understand why he stepped up close to me and why he was so agitated,” Bowman says. “I’m a pretty straightforward guy. When he asked me a question, I gave him an answer.”

Rumors of Fenty’s short temper with his own employees are well-circulated; it’s just another part of the mythology of a hard-driving, constituents-first boss who demands the utmost from his staffers. In public, however, the Fenty style has always been to exude cool competence.

Another cornerstone of the Fenty image: His willingness to show up at any gathering or meet any group that he can make time for. The idea that Fenty would stand up a group of any size doesn’t jibe with that.

Fenty declined to get into the details of the encounter, but he did not deny that the exchange had been heated. “[Bowman] and I agree we’re going to have a meeting,” he says. That meeting, however, has not been scheduled.

There’s no shortage of reasons for there to be tension between Fenty and the labor community. During the mayoral election campaign, most unions representing government employees—including AFGE—supported former D.C. Council Chairman Linda Cropp. After taking office, Fenty appointed to the school board Ted Trabue, head of the D.C. Economic Empowerment Coalition and the Empower D.C. political action committee—groups with ties to anti-union construction concerns. Since then, there have been occasional flare-ups—for instance, when Fenty’s general counsel, Peter Nickles, referred to the city’s Department of Disability Services as a “dumping ground” for castoffs from other government agencies in a May Legal Times article.

Plus, to date, Fenty hasn’t shown a lot of regard for the sanctity of public employment. Late last week, Fenty and schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee finalized their plan to “right-size” the long-demonized D.C. Public School central-office bureaucracy. The pink slips will be going to nonunion employees, but labor types don’t see the plan boding well for the upcoming contract negotiations with the Washington Teachers’ Union.

Fenty isn't the kind of mayor I expected. He isn't anything like the guy who stood in my living room to meet my neighbors and discuss issues important to Ward 8. I certainly wouldn't have supported any candidate that's shown himself to be so anti-worker as this mayor has. I suppose I can chalk this one up to experience and hope that when he's up for re-election, we can find a suitable replacement. Right now, I have no hope that he'll ever understand or do what's necessary to work with labor. And that, is a very sad place to be.

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