Friday, October 28, 2016

Today in Labor History


Union organizer and anarchist Luisa Capetillo is born in Ariecibo, Puerto Rico.  She organized tobacco and other agricultural workers in Puerto Rico and later in New York and Florida. In 1916 she led a successful sugar cane strike of more than 40,000 workers on the island.  She demanded that her union endorse voting rights for women.  In 1919, three years before her death, she was arrested for wearing pants in public, the first woman in Puerto Rico to do so.  The charges were dropped – 1879
The St. Louis Gateway Arch is completed after two and one-half years. Originally sold as a jobs program for thousands of African Americans in St. Louis suffering from the Depression, the 630-foot high arch of stainless steel marks the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial on the waterfront of St. Louis, Mo. Although it was predicted 13 lives would be lost in construction, not a single worker died – 1965

Friday Afternoon in the Blogosphere

Freshly printed newspapers streaming from the printing press




Even Bankers Are Balking, Gannett - Bloomberg

Gannett to reduce workforce 2 percent - York Dispatch

Tronc shares crash 28% on Gannett deal fears - CNN Money

Gannett fails to nail down deal to buy Tronc - New York Post

Gannett's billion-dollar deal to buy Tronc put on hold - Politico

Tronc may face cuts, with or without Gannett - Chicago Business

6 reasons why Gannett’s plan to buy Tronc still makes sense - Poynter

Tronc and Gannett shares plunge amid merger doubts - Los Angeles Times

Tronc'ed again: Union-Tribune faces yet more jobless fears - San Diego Reader

More Wretched News for Newspapers as Advertising Woes Drive Anxiety - New York Times

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Hughes Net Satellite Internet



After going ten days without internet access I switched to Hughes net today, excellent download and upload speeds.
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Check availability where you live

Urban myths of the Los Angeles Times

Urban myths of the Los Angeles Times: In my 40 years at the L.A. Times, I heard stories. Some were true.

Today in Labor History


The New York City subway, the first rapid-transit system in America, opens. More than 100 workers died during the construction of the first 13 miles of tunnels and track – 1904
(Survival of the Fittest: Thanks to unions, construction jobs don’t cost lives the way they used to.  If you’d like to know more about construction unions, especially if you’re considering a career in the trades, read this book.  In clear, easy-to-read language it explains how to be successful in the trades and, directly linked to that success, how to make union construction thrive and prosper.)
Three strikes on works-relief projects in Maryland were underway today, with charges that Depression-era Works Projects Administration jobs were paying only about 28 cents an hour—far less than was possible on direct relief.  Civic officials in Cumberland, where authorities had established a 50-cent-per-hour minimum wage, supported the strikers - 1935

The National Labor Council is formed in Cincinnati to unite Black workers in the struggle for full economic, political and social equality. The group was to function for five years before disbanding, having forced many AFL and CIO unions to adopt non-discrimination policies - 1951

October 26

After eight years and at least 1,000 worker deaths—mostly Irish immigrants—the 350-mile Erie Canal opens, linking the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. Father John Raho wrote to his bishop that "so many die that there is hardly any time to give Extreme Unction (last rites) to everybody. We run night and day to assist the sick." - 1825



October 25

What many believe to be the first formal training on first aid in American history took place at the Windsor Hotel in Jermyn, Penn., when Dr. Matthew J. Shields instructed 25 coal miners on ways to help their fellow miners. Upon completion of the course each of the miners was prepared and able to render first aid. The training led to marked decreases in serious mining injuries and fatalities - 1899
Some 25,000 silk dye workers strike in Paterson, N.J. - 1934

In what becomes known as the Great Hawaiian Dock Strike, a 6-month struggle to win wage parity with mainland dock workers, ends in victory - 1949

The Tribune Co. begins a brutal 5-month-long lockout at the New York Daily News, part of an effort to bust the newspaper’s unions - 1990

John Sweeney, president of the Service Employees Int’l Union, elected president of AFL-CIO – 1995
After a two-year fight, workers at the Bonus Car Wash in Santa Monica, Calif., win a union contract calling for pay increases, better breaks and other gains.  “They didn’t treat us like people,” nine-year employee Oliverio Gomez told the Los Angeles Times - 2011

October 24

The 40-hour work week goes into effect under the Fair Labor Standards Act, signed by President Roosevelt two years earlier - 1940

U.S. minimum wage increases to 40¢ an hour - 1945

LA Times donates Pulitzer winnings to Cal State journalists*

LA Times donates Pulitzer winnings to Cal State journalists*: There will be a ceremony on Thursday at Cal State San Bernardino.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Today in Labor History


October 17 - Union Communications Services, Inc.

A huge vat ruptures at a London brewery, setting off a domino effect of similar ruptures, and what was to become known as The London Beer Flood.  Nearly 1.5 million liters of beer gushed into the streets drowning or otherwise causing the deaths of eight people, mostly poor people living in nearby basements - 1814

Labor activist Warren Billings is released from California's Folsom Prison. Along with Thomas J. Mooney, Billings had been pardoned for a 1916 conviction stemming from a bomb explosion during a San Francisco Preparedness Day parade. He had always maintained his innocence - 1939

"Salt of the Earth" strike begins by the mostly Mexican-American members of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers Union Local 890 in Bayard, N.M. Strikers' wives walked picket lines for seven months when their husbands were enjoined during the 14-month strike against the New Jersey Zinc Co. A great movie, see it! - 1950
(Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds, and Riffraff: An Expanded Guide to Films About Labor: This wonderful book is an encyclopedic guide to 350 labor films from around the world, ranging from those you’ve heard of—Salt of the Earth, The Grapes of Wrath, Roger & Me—to those you’ve never heard of but will fall in love with once you see them.)

Twelve New York City firefighters die fighting a blaze in midtown Manhattan - 1966

Int’l Printing Pressmen's & Assistants' Union of North America merges with Int’l Stereotypers', Electrotypers' & Platemakers' Union to become Printing & Graphic Communications Union - 1973

Industrial Union of Marine & Shipbuilding Workers of America merges with Int’l Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers - 1988

National Geographic: Newspapers industry - History Channel Full Documentary



Monday Morning in the Blogosphere

Pressmen at the Los Angeles Times in the early 1900's



Celebrating local newspapers - The Highland County Press

Does Tronc chief Ferro have the formula for media profit? - Crain's

Somalia Shuts Down Newspaper, Arrests Editor - Voice of America

Chicago Tribune boxes disappearing from streets - Chicago Business

Newspaper delivery continues 365 days a year - Jacksonville Daily News

Newspapers Consider the Pros and Cons of Rebranding - Editor and Publisher

Publishers share experiences, tips for working with online video - Editors Weblog

Disappearance of local, national newspapers disservice to students - The Vermilion

LaGrange Daily News acquired by Boone Newspapers, Inc. - LaGrange Daily News

Across America, corporate ownership and closures are leading to vast ‘news deserts’ - Poynter


Saturday, October 15, 2016

Today in Labor History

October 15  --  Union Communications Services, Inc.


President Woodrow Wilson signs the Clayton Antitrust Act—often referred to as "Labor’s Magna Carta"—establishing that unions are not "conspiracies" under the law. It for the first time freed unions to strike, picket and boycott employers. In the years that followed, however, numerous state measures and negative court interpretations weakened the law - 1914

Friday, October 14, 2016

Norm West Rest in Peace *

Former Electrician at the Los Angeles Times Olympic Production Facility, Norm West, has passed from complications from pneumonia. 

Norm retired from the Los Angeles Times in 2001 and moved to Lake Havasu, Arizona.


He was a very friendly and nice man.


No information available at this time regarding his funeral.


May he rest in peace   


* UPDATE: The family of Norm West plans to have a private memorial at a later time. If you would like to send messages of condolences please drop an email my way.
ed.padgett@gmail.com

New free newspaper is breaking boundaries in Buffalo

Rise Collaborative is delivering brand new newspaper with a specific mission in mind - to break boundaries and spread a message of positivity throughout Buffalo.


Today in Labor History


Int’l Working People's Association founded in Pittsburgh, Pa. - 1883

The Seafarers Int’l Union (SIU) is founded as an AFL alternative to what was then the CIO’s National Maritime Union.  SIU is an umbrella organization of 12 autonomous unions of mariners, fishermen and boatmen working on U.S.-flagged vessels - 1938


Formal construction began today on what is expected to be a five-year, $3.9 billion replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River.  It's estimated the project would be employing 8,000 building trades workers over the span of the job - 2013

Friday Morning in the Blogosphere


4th and Spring Streets, Los Angeles




Pope Francis' prayer intention for October is for Journalists - Vatican Radio

For long-time subscriber, daily newspaper is an old friend - Chicago Tribune

News Corp reveals multimillion dollar drop in newspaper revenues - Mumbrella

Media group threatens libel suit after former employees demand back pay - Myanmar Times

Landmark newspaper buildings are fading away in downtowns across the country - Dallas News

LA Times staffers in NYC to collect their Pulitzer

LA Times staffers in NYC to collect their Pulitzer: I believe that's Sarah Parvini at left, then Priya Krishnakumar, Alexandra Manzano, Marcus Yam and Paloma Esquivel. Photo posted to Twitter by Los Angeles Times editor-in-chief and publisher Davan Maharaj....

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Today in Labor History

October 13  --  Union Communications Services, Inc.

American Federation of Labor votes to boycott all German-made products as a protest against Nazi antagonism to organized labor within Germany - 1934
 
More than 1,100 office workers strike Columbia University in New York City. The mostly female and minority workers win union recognition and pay increases - 1985
 
National Basketball Association cancels regular season games for the first time in its 51-year history, during a player lockout.  Player salaries and pay caps are the primary issue.  The lockout lasts 204 days - 1998
 
Hundreds of San Jose Mercury News newspaper carriers end 4-day walkout with victory - 2000

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Wednesday Morning in the Blogosphere

The newspapers in the Philippines are thriving 





WikiLeaks exposes media's secret support of Clinton - Fox News

Gannett Co. to Post Q3 2016 Earnings of $0.22 Per Share - BBNS

Newspaper delivery driver carjacked near Willow Lawn - NBC 12

Introducing The New York Times International Edition - New York Times

Berkeleyside wants to turn its readers into its newest owners - Nieman Lab

Tronc leased jet from company controlled by its chairman - Financial Times

Meet the man who keeps retired Associated Press staffers connected - Poynter

Hungary's newspaper of record Nepszabadsag faces oblivion - Deutsche Welle

Singapore Press Said to Merge Two Newspapers, Reduce Workforce - Bloomberg

Forecasting the Newspaper Money Makers for the Next Year - Editor and Publisher

A night in the life of a newspaper boy

When most of the inhabitants of the city are asleep, when the streets are finally breathing their sighs of relief... and the only time when darkness is comforting...that's when they crawl out passing through the lanes and by-lanes only to bring the world to your doorstep...

They are one of the reasons why Dubai is called a city that never sleeps. Here's a night in the life of a newspaper boy, Nijabudeen Nijam who hails from Chennai, India.


Today in Labor History

October 12  --  Union Communications Services, Inc.

Company guards kill at least eight miners who are attempting to stop scabs, Virden, Ill. Six guards are also killed, and 30 persons wounded - 1898
 
Fourteen miners killed, 22 wounded at Pana, Ill. - 1902
 
Some 2,000 workers demanding union recognition close down dress manufacturing, Los Angeles - 1933
 
More than one million Canadian workers demonstrate against wage controls - 1976

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere





Trump recording tests L.A. Times standards - Los Angeles Times

BROUGHT TO YOU BY… NEWSPAPERS - Associations Now

If local newspapers close, there goes the internet - Tidewater News

Despite challenges, newspapers aren't dead - Point Pleasant Register

Gannett's buying spree extends to magazines - Media Life Magazine

Even proprietors are finding it hard to sell newspapers - The Guardian

Gannett, McClatchy, Tronc Invest in Moonlighting - Broadway World

Harte Hanks Plans to Close Printing Plant, Laying Off 112 - Printing Impressions

Gannett deal for Tribune newspapers may be near, but is financing - Talking New Media

Today in Labor History

October 11  --  Union Communications Services, Inc.

The Miners’ National Association is formed in Youngstown, Ohio, with the goal of uniting all miners, regardless of skill or ethnic background - 1873
 
Nearly 1,500 plantation workers strike Olaa Sugar, on Hawaii’s Big Island - 1948

October 10

Six days into a cotton field strike by 18,000 Mexican and Mexican-American workers in Pixley, Calif., four strikers are killed and six wounded; eight growers were indicted and charged with murder - 1933

LA Times explains use of emfuck/em, mentions Trump deadlines

LA Times explains use of emfuck/em, mentions Trump deadlines: First time the f-word got in print since 1998, the paper says. The explainer is less revealing about the Trump tapes landing on Saturday's page 10.

Friday, October 07, 2016

Southwest Offset Printing - Tour Our Facility





At Southwest Offset Printing, no print job is too big — or too small. With more than 200,000 square feet of printing facilities strategically located in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Southwest Offset Printing is one of California's largest privately owned printers. Click "play" to tour our state-of-the-art facility.

Today in Labor History

October 07  --  Union Communications Services, Inc.

Joe Hill, labor leader and songwriter, born in Gavle, Sweden - 1879
 
The Structural Building Trades Alliance (SBTA) is founded, becomes the AFL’s Building Trades Dept. five years later. SBTA’s mission: to provide a form to work out jurisdictional conflicts - 1903
(Skilled Hands, Strong Spirits follows the history of the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO from the emergence of building trades councils in the age of the skyscraper. It takes the reader through treacherous fights over jurisdiction as new building materials and methods of work evolved; and describes numerous Department campaigns to improve safety standards, work with contractors to promote unionized construction, and forge a sense of industrial unity among its autonomous and highly diverse affiliates.)
 
Hollywood’s "Battle of the Mirrors." Picketing members of the Conference of Studio Unions disrupted an outdoor shoot by holding up large reflectors that filled camera lenses with blinding sunlight. Members of the competing IATSE union retaliated by using the reflectors to shoot sunlight back across the street. The battle went on all day, writes Tom Sito in Drawing the Line - 1946

October 06
First National Conference of Trade Union Women – 1918
The first “talkie” movie, The Jazz Singer, premiers in New York City.  Within three years, according to the American Federation of Musicians, theater jobs for some 22,000 musicians who accompanied silent movies were lost, while only a few hundred jobs for musicians performing on soundtracks were created by the new technology - 1927

Some 1,700 female flight attendants win 18-year, $37 million suit against United Airlines. They had been fired for getting married - 1986

Thirty-two thousand machinists begin what is to be a successful 69-day strike against the Boeing Co. The eventual settlement brought improvements that averaged an estimated $19,200 in wages and benefits over four years and safeguards against job cutbacks - 1995

October 05
A strike by set decorators turns into a bloody riot at the gates of Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, Calif., when scabs try to cross the picket line. The incident is still identified as "Hollywood Black Friday" and "The Battle of Burbank" - 1945 
 
The UAW ends a 3-week strike against Ford Motor Co. when the company agrees to a contract that includes more vacation days and better retirement and unemployment benefits - 1976
 
Polish Solidarity union founder Lech Walesa wins the Nobel Peace Prize - 1983
 
Some 2,100 supermarket janitors in California, mostly from Mexico, win a $22.4 million settlement over unpaid overtime. Many said they worked 70 or more hours a week, often seven nights a week from 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. Cleaner Jesus Lopez told the New York Times he only had three days off in five years - 2004
(Mobilizing Against Inequality: Unions, Immigrant Workers, and the Crisis of Capitalism: Are immigrant workers themselves responsible for low wages and shoddy working conditions?  Should unions expend valuable time and energy organizing undocumented workers?  Unions in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States have taken various approaches to confront the challenges of this significant segment of the workforce.  As U.S. immigration policy is debated, readers will gain insight into how all workers benefit when wages and working conditions for immigrant workers are improved.)

Tuesday, October 04, 2016

Today in Labor History

October 04  --  Union Communications Services, Inc.

Work begins on the carving of Mt. Rushmore, a task 400 craftsmen would eventually complete in 1941.  Despite the dangerous nature of the project, not one worker died - 1927
 
President Truman orders the U.S. Navy to seize oil refineries, breaking a 20-state post-war strike - 1945
 
The United Mine Workers of America votes to re-affiliate with the AFL-CIO after years of on-and-off conflict with the federation. In 2009 the union’s leader, Richard Trumka, becomes AFL-CIO President - 1961
 
Distillery, Wine & Allied Workers Int’l Union merges with United Food & Commercial Workers Int’l Union - 1995 

National Newspaper Week 2016



This year we mark the 76th anniversary of National Newspaper Week (NNW), October 2-8.  The annual observance celebrates and emphasizes the impact of newspapers to communities large and small all over.

Visit the website for additional information

Tuesday Afternoon in the Blogosphere





Gannett, Tronc Said Still in Talks After Bridging Value Gap - Bloomberg

BofA says you can build a nest egg by giving up lattes and newspapers - L.A. Times


Monday, October 03, 2016

Today in Labor History

October 03  --   Union Communications Services, Inc.

The state militia is called in after 164 high school students in Kincaid, Ill., go on strike when the school board buys coal from the scab Peabody Coal Co. - 1932
 
The Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America is founded in Camden, N.J. It eventually merged with the Int’l Association of Machinists, in 1988 - 1933
 
Pacific Greyhound Lines bus drivers in seven western states begin what is to become a 3-week strike, eventually settling for a 10.5-percent raise - 1945
 
The United Packinghouse Workers of America (UPWA) is formed as a self-governing union, an outgrowth of the CIO's Packinghouse Workers Organizing Committee. UPWA merged with the Meatcutters union in 1968, which in turn merged with the Retail Clerks in 1979, forming the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) - 1943
 
The United Auto Workers calls for a company-wide strike against Ford Motor Co., the first since Ford’s initial contract with the union 20 years earlier - 1961
 
Folk singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie ("This Land is Your Land", "Union Maid" and hundreds of others) dies of Huntington's disease in New York at the age of 55 - 1967
 
Baseball umpires strike for recognition of their newly-formed Major League Umpires Association, win after one day - 1970

Tronc sale to Gannett could be imminent

Tronc sale to Gannett could be imminent: Ken Doctor reports that a deal may be announced as soon as Monday, over the oposition of LA billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong.