Labor rallies with national Poor People's Campaign
This is the July 1, 2024 edition of our twice-weekly newsletter. Sign up to get news about the DC region’s labor movement delivered straight to your inbox.
Thousands of poor and low-wage workers and their supporters from religious, labor, and social justice organizations rallied in DC on Saturday as part of the Mass Poor People's and Low Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington, DC and to the Polls.
Many Affiliates of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO participated in the event, including AFSCME, OPEIU Local 2, ATU Local 689, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the Washington Teachers' Union, 1199 SEIU, 32BJ SEIU, UNITE HERE Local 25, and more. We joined allies from across the country to uplift the voices of people impacted by poverty and to mobilize 15 million poor and low-income voters ahead of November.
“If you came here on public transit, you were most likely with an ATU member," Raymond Jackson, president of ATU Local 689, said to the thousands of people gathered at the event as one of the featured speakers. Jackson was joined on stage ATU Local 689 member Rachid Mhamdi. “We know that the counter to organized greed is organized people," Mhamdi said.
"I’ve never heard of an employer being this egregiously stupid.”
On May 31, workers at seven Compass Coffee cafes launched a public union drive with Workers United MARJB. In the weeks since, management has tried every tactic possible to bust the union — including adding dozens of people to the employee roster who have never worked at the company.
“If it were true, it’s totally bizarre, unreal, crazy,” David Rosenfeld, a labor lawyer at Weinberg, Roger and Rosenfeld, said to Restaurant Dive. “I’ve never heard of an employer being this egregiously stupid.” Read more »
New minimum wage in DC and Montgomery County goes into effect
As of today, July 1, there's a new, higher minimum wage in DC and Montgomery County.
In DC, the minimum wage is now $17.50/hour. In Montgomery County, the minimum wage is now $17.15/hour at large employers and $15.50/hour at mid-sized employers. Read more from UFCW Local 400 »
As workers toil in high heat, Maryland poised to pass new labor standards
Climate change is helping to fuel higher temperatures every summer, with 2023 being the hottest year on record since global record keeping began in 1850. As heat advisories and watches get issued across the state, workers continue on the job. The Maryland Department of Labor is set to pass a proposed heat standard to keep them safer. Read more »
Upcoming Actions + Events
Labor Night at the Nationals is coming up THIS FRIDAY and you don't want to miss it! This event has been a tradition for nearly two decades and we're looking forward to a great evening of friends, food, and a beautiful night at the ballpark. Get your tickets now to Friday's Labor Night at the Nationals:
Share your news
Got an action, event, open position, or other update you want labor leaders in DC and Maryland to know about? Submit news items to office@dclabor.org.