4 minute read
Religion & Spirituality
Gospel musical combating gang and gun violence
Dietra Kelsey of Kelsey Productions presented excerpts of “Whose Side Are You On?” the hip-hop gospel musical combating gang and gun violence during Harlem Week at the first annual National Senior Citizens Day in Harlem, sponsored by State Sen. Cordell Cleare. The performers were Diamond Pearl Jones and Nicolson Pierre.
(Bill Moore photos)
Smalls, led a walkout in protest of deplorable, COVID-related workplace conditions. Amazon general counsel’s meeting notes said of Smalls: “He’s not smart, or articulate, and to the extent to which the press wants to focus on him versus us, we will be in a much stronger PR position.” WOW! They not only dismissed Smalls as insignificant, but arrogantly condescended that an unpolished, tattooed young Black man could be used to unionize. Amazon fired him, but their strategy backfired, and the repercussions have been felt throughout the nation. In fact, recent surveys show that union membership is on the rise. Many well-established unions, such as the Teamsters, have seized upon the opportunity and are making the most of the momentum, using their organizing skills and resources to help enroll workers into a union.
Even though Ralph Chaplin wrote the song “Solidarity Forever” in 1915 for the Industrial Workers of World War I, its refrain is as relevant and important today as it was more than 100 years ago: “When the union’s inspiration thru the worker’s blood shall run, there can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun, yet what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one, but the union makes us strong. Solidarity forever, solidarity forever, solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong.” The formal acknowledgment of the importance of workers came in 1894 when Congress created Labor Day by making the first Monday in September a national holiday. But it only did so in response to the death of 34 striking Pullman workers from the American Railway Union at the hands of U.S. Army soldiers and Marshals. Labor Day is very unique. It’s not so easy to find a holiday that crosses all religious, racial, ethnic and gender lines. Your political party, favorite color and years of education matter little. For sure, it’s not easy to find a holiday which most Americans celebrate in similar ways, parade or not—usually involving a hot dog or two. Yes, Labor Day is a rarity: A holiday we can all agree upon. And, here’s where labor unions shine their brightest. Just like our role in helping to build the middle class in America, we are both the ramrod and equalizer…and the bridge to the “American Dream.” We fight for the rights of workers while helping to create a level playing field where the “American Dream” is not the sole property of the corporate 1%.
That’s why recognizing the efforts of workers—especially those in the public sector— is important. Certainly, it’s well-deserved recognition, but also a message to our elected leaders, political wannabes, big business and to the public at-large: You can bash us. You can try to bust us. But you need us. And, when you see the words “Union Made,” they also mean “Union Strong”—a movement not just a moment.
Gregory Floyd is president, Teamsters Local 237 and vice president at-large on the general board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Congress
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Disparate pay for some, and low pay overall, makes for unhappy workers, legislative staff say. “Fairly compensating congressional staff, especially junior-level staffers, will help Congress attract and retain a diverse and capable workforce,” notes the cross-partisan political reform group Issue One. “Giving staff both the financial incentive and ability to stay in their roles and advance upward means that members of Congress won’t need to keep retraining employees and that valuable institutional knowledge will be retained. In these ways, better financial compensation for staff will both help curb the brain drain from Capitol Hill to K Street and guard against the undue influence of special-interest lobbyists.”
A recent survey by the Congressional Progressive Staff Association found that Capitol Hill staffers continue to find themselves underpaid for the work they do:
“• 47% of respondents reported that they find themselves struggling to pay bills or make ends meet. This statistic was higher among non-management staff, reporting 50% struggling to pay bills compared to only 36% of management staff.
“• Over a quarter, 27%, of non-management staff, 109 participants, reported not having at least one month’s rent in savings in case of emergency.
“• 39% of all respondents reported that they currently or previously have taken out debt to make ends meet.
“• 31% of non-management staff reported they have had a second job to supplement their income. 30% of nonmanagement staff reported that the demand of working hours in their current role don’t allow them to have a second job.”
The CWU has so far only been able to organize staff in the offices of congressional Democrats, all members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Staff in the offices of Representatives Cori Bush (Missouri), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), Ilhan Omar (Minnesota), Jesús “Chuy” García (Illinois), Ro Khanna (California), Andy Levin (D-Michigan), Ted Lieu (California), and Melanie Stansbury (New Mexico) all agreed to hold union elections.
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