Saturday, January 31, 2015
Today in Labor History
January 31 -- Union Communications Services, Inc.
Some 12,000 pecan shellers in San Antonio, Texas—mostly Latino women—walk off their jobs at 400 factories in what was to become a three-month strike against wage cuts. Strike leader Emma Tenayuca was eventually hounded out of the state - 1938
Ida M. Fuller is the first retiree to receive an old-age monthly benefit check under the new Social Security law. She paid in $24.75 between 1937 and 1939 on an income of $2,484; her first check was for $22.54 - 1940
After scoring successes with representation elections conducted under the protective oversight of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board, the United Farm Workers of America officially ends its historic table grape, lettuce and wine boycotts - 1978
(The Fight in the Fields tells of legendary United Farm Workers of America founder and leader Cesar Chavez and his union’s struggles: to raise farmworker pay from .40 an hour; to win union recognition from savagely resistant grape and lettuce growers; to stop the use of deadly pesticides that were killing children in the fields. The pacifist Chavez endured several month-long fasts to counteract what he saw as a growing tendency toward violence in the farmworker movement, and many think those heroic acts contributed to his early death, at the age of 64.)
(The Fight in the Fields tells of legendary United Farm Workers of America founder and leader Cesar Chavez and his union’s struggles: to raise farmworker pay from .40 an hour; to win union recognition from savagely resistant grape and lettuce growers; to stop the use of deadly pesticides that were killing children in the fields. The pacifist Chavez endured several month-long fasts to counteract what he saw as a growing tendency toward violence in the farmworker movement, and many think those heroic acts contributed to his early death, at the age of 64.)
Union and student pressure forces Harvard University to adopt new labor policies raising wages for lowest-paid workers - 2002
Five months after Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans school board fires every teacher in the district in what the United Teachers of New Orleans sees as an effort to break the union and privatize the school system - 2005
Carjacking Suspect Captured in La Verne, California
Our quiet city of La Verne, California experienced an unusual crime yesterday as a carjacking suspect led the Pomona Police Department on a high speed chase that ended in La Verne. The suspect apparently pulled a women from her car on Garey Avenue, but did get far as he was spotted immediately by the Pomona P.D., and the chase began.
As the crook headed east on Bonita Ave. at a high rate of speed, he t-boned a car at B Street and Bonita, which also caused another car to be hit. The man that was hit from the side was removed from his vehicle with the jaws of life before being airlifted to the hospital. Two others were also sent to the hospital with less serious injuries.
As the suspect exited the damaged car he was quickly surrounded by the Pomona and La Verne Police Officers. Witnesses shared that the man was screaming and would not comply with the officers orders to get onto his knees. I suspect he was under the influence of something as it took three bursts from tasers to get him down.
As the crook headed east on Bonita Ave. at a high rate of speed, he t-boned a car at B Street and Bonita, which also caused another car to be hit. The man that was hit from the side was removed from his vehicle with the jaws of life before being airlifted to the hospital. Two others were also sent to the hospital with less serious injuries.
As the suspect exited the damaged car he was quickly surrounded by the Pomona and La Verne Police Officers. Witnesses shared that the man was screaming and would not comply with the officers orders to get onto his knees. I suspect he was under the influence of something as it took three bursts from tasers to get him down.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Today in Labor History
January 30 -- Union Communications Services, Inc.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is born in Hyde Park, N.Y. He was elected president of the United States four times starting in 1932. His New Deal programs helped America survive the Great Depression. His legislative achievements included the creation of the National Labor Relations Act, which allows workers to organize unions, bargain collectively, and strike - 1882
To all our union brothers and sisters – we have created a group that is strictly for fighting the upcoming campaign that the Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago are gearing up for to make the good state of Illinois right to work. Because of this, we are asking for your help to join us in this extremely important battle. We cannot afford to lose another state to RTW. We cannot allow our elected officials to take away what we have fought so hard to keep. If Illinois passes RTW it will only encourage other states to follow suit. THIS CANNOT HAPPEN. Those of us that live in states that are RTW know exactly the negative affect it can have on all working men and women. Please join us on our page RTW is Wrong for IL.
We will be organizing Facebook meetings each week to strategize on what WE can do to stop any more States becoming RTW. This fight will take ALL of us. We need to send a loud message that we, the working men and women of America, will no longer sit idly by and let the government decide what is good for us. They are OUR elected officials, we are not THEIR elected followers. We need to let them know they are here to serve US, not their wallets. Because we are working people we do not have the luxury of deep pockets, but what we do have is SOLIDARITY and if we fight together we can show them that this is worth more than any money they have in their bank accounts. Our ancestors have won this war before us and we can win it again. It is time for change! It is time to let them know that WE the PEOPLE are taking back what was taken away and KEEPING what we have so rightfully earned.
Join us in standing with our union brothers and sisters in Illinois. There are many things we can do from our own homes. You have a voice and it is time to use it. We ALL must stand up and fight. No longer can we afford to have members that have the “I got mine” attitude, we need to wake them up and shake them up to make them realize that what was fought so hard to get for them can easily be taken away and because of this it takes ALL of us. An injury to one is an injury to ALL.
Solidarity to all. I hope you join us in this important fight.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/nortw4il/
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is born in Hyde Park, N.Y. He was elected president of the United States four times starting in 1932. His New Deal programs helped America survive the Great Depression. His legislative achievements included the creation of the National Labor Relations Act, which allows workers to organize unions, bargain collectively, and strike - 1882
To all our union brothers and sisters – we have created a group that is strictly for fighting the upcoming campaign that the Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago are gearing up for to make the good state of Illinois right to work. Because of this, we are asking for your help to join us in this extremely important battle. We cannot afford to lose another state to RTW. We cannot allow our elected officials to take away what we have fought so hard to keep. If Illinois passes RTW it will only encourage other states to follow suit. THIS CANNOT HAPPEN. Those of us that live in states that are RTW know exactly the negative affect it can have on all working men and women. Please join us on our page RTW is Wrong for IL.
We will be organizing Facebook meetings each week to strategize on what WE can do to stop any more States becoming RTW. This fight will take ALL of us. We need to send a loud message that we, the working men and women of America, will no longer sit idly by and let the government decide what is good for us. They are OUR elected officials, we are not THEIR elected followers. We need to let them know they are here to serve US, not their wallets. Because we are working people we do not have the luxury of deep pockets, but what we do have is SOLIDARITY and if we fight together we can show them that this is worth more than any money they have in their bank accounts. Our ancestors have won this war before us and we can win it again. It is time for change! It is time to let them know that WE the PEOPLE are taking back what was taken away and KEEPING what we have so rightfully earned.
Join us in standing with our union brothers and sisters in Illinois. There are many things we can do from our own homes. You have a voice and it is time to use it. We ALL must stand up and fight. No longer can we afford to have members that have the “I got mine” attitude, we need to wake them up and shake them up to make them realize that what was fought so hard to get for them can easily be taken away and because of this it takes ALL of us. An injury to one is an injury to ALL.
Solidarity to all. I hope you join us in this important fight.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/nortw4il/
Friday Afternoon in the Blogosphere
Los Angeles Times Pressmen Mark Austin and Greg Bauer
New Tribune stars align under editor Kern - Robert Feder
Geeks Bearing Gifts: Untapped Technologies - Buzz Machine
Geeks Bearing Gifts: Untapped Technologies - Buzz Machine
New senior appointments at Tribune Publishing - Capital New York
Postmedia drives advertising revenue with video partnership - INMA
Mainstream Media: Who Gets On and Who Does Not - CounterPunch
Printing plant expansion makes room for new customers - PennLive.com
BuzzFeed’s new editorial standards tout traditional news values - Poynter
Media Outlets Partner With Snapchat To Appeal To Younger Users - NPR
New website maps trends of attacks against journalists in Mexico - Editors Weblog
It’s -30- for Southern Illinois University’s Daily Egyptian printing press - Romenesko
Tribune Media increasing parking rates for Los Angeles Times Employees
Tribune Media's Real Estate management firm to charge $50 a month for Spring Street garage and $60 a month for the Second Street garage. At end is oh-so-helpful contact info for ride sharing.
Oh, just finished reading the Q&A: If you forget your company ID, you have to pay full parking rate with no hope of a refund.
Colleagues:
CBRE, the real estate company that manages Times Mirror Square, is raising parking rates for the Spring Street and 2nd Street garages. To ease the transition for employees, The Times will cover the cost increase for the first quarter of the year. As a result, the rate change will not affect you until April 1. At that point, you will be responsible for the full parking fee.
The new charges are flat rates of $50 per month at the Spring Street garage and $60 per month at the 2d Street garage.
Please note: The Times had no role in the decision to raise parking rates. Tribune Media, our former parent company, retained ownership of all real estate holdings when Tribune Publishing was spun off as a separate public company last year. CBRE was retained by Tribune Media to manage the building, and this is entirely a CBRE decision, as explained in their attached announcement.
The method of payment for parking in the two garages is also changing. In the past, you paid via after-tax payroll deductions every two weeks. We are shifting to pre-tax deductions from the first paycheck of each month.
To continue to pay via payroll deduction, you will need to sign and return an updated payroll deduction form to Christopher Razniewski at crazniewski@tribpub.com by Feb. 27.
Alternatively, you can pay CBRE directly. Please contact General Manager Kimberly Thornton at 231-237-4744 or kimberly.thornton@cbre.com for details on this option. Note: If this is your preference, please inform Christopher Razniewski at crazniewski@tribpub.com by Feb. 27.
Alternatively, you can pay CBRE directly. Please contact General Manager Kimberly Thornton at 231-237-4744 or kimberly.thornton@cbre.com for details on this option. Note: If this is your preference, please inform Christopher Razniewski at crazniewski@tribpub.com by Feb. 27.
We are also providing a FAQ (attached) with public transportation and ridesharing information for those interested in researching commuting options. If you have questions in the meantime, please contact Kimberly Thornton at 231-237-4744 or kimberly.thornton@cbre.com.
Thank you,
Renata Simril
Chief of Staff to Publisher & CEO
Los Angeles Times
213-237-3392 – Office
Chief of Staff to Publisher & CEO
Los Angeles Times
213-237-3392 – Office
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Today in Labor History
January 29 -- Union Communications Services, Inc.
Responding to unrest among Irish laborers building the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, President Andrew Jackson orders first use of American troops to suppress a labor dispute - 1834
Six thousand railway workers strike for a union and the end of 18-hour day - 1889
Sit-down strike helps establish United Rubber Workers as a national union, Akron, Ohio - 1936
American Train Dispatchers Department granted a charter by the AFL-CIO - 1957
Dolly Parton hits number one on the record charts with "9 to 5," her anthem to the daily grind - 1981
Newly-elected President Barack Obama signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, making it easier for women and minorities to win pay discrimination suits - 2009
Mayor Garcetti Announces LA is Half Way to Ending Veterans Homelessness Goal
City wins funding for over 1,300 supportive homes for chronically homeless people and veterans
LOS ANGELES – Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced that 3,375 homeless veterans were housed in LA in 2014, meaning the City is more than halfway toward Mayor Garcetti’s goal of ending veterans’ homelessness in Los Angeles by the end of 2015.
“Veterans returning home often need—and deserve—more than hug and pat on the back, which is why I set a goal last year to end veterans homelessness here in LA, and as a Navy Reservist, this goal is very personal for me,” said Mayor Garcetti. “I'm very proud to announce that we are halfway to our goal.”
Last year, the Mayor pledged to end veterans’ homelessness by the end of 2015. To do so, the Mayor has joined forces with the Home for Good initiative, a public and private partnership with over 100 members, led by the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. In 2014, the City housed 3,375 homeless veterans. The Mayor and Home for Good estimate that the City still has 3,154 homeless veterans.
LOS ANGELES – Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced that 3,375 homeless veterans were housed in LA in 2014, meaning the City is more than halfway toward Mayor Garcetti’s goal of ending veterans’ homelessness in Los Angeles by the end of 2015.
“Veterans returning home often need—and deserve—more than hug and pat on the back, which is why I set a goal last year to end veterans homelessness here in LA, and as a Navy Reservist, this goal is very personal for me,” said Mayor Garcetti. “I'm very proud to announce that we are halfway to our goal.”
Last year, the Mayor pledged to end veterans’ homelessness by the end of 2015. To do so, the Mayor has joined forces with the Home for Good initiative, a public and private partnership with over 100 members, led by the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. In 2014, the City housed 3,375 homeless veterans. The Mayor and Home for Good estimate that the City still has 3,154 homeless veterans.
Mayor Garcetti also announced new federal grant funding to further progress towards his goal. This week, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) was awarded almost $13 million in new federal funds to provide housing for chronically veterans and chronically homeless people. The award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was a record allocation for Los Angeles and will provide funding for supportive housing for 747 chronically homeless individuals and families, including veterans in the City of Los Angeles. In addition to the HUD award, last week HACLA set aside 600 additional vouchers to house homeless veterans.
“In the past week, the City has secured funding for 1,347 new permanent supportive homes for homeless veterans and chronically homeless individuals and families,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “This is another important step in keeping us on pace for ensuring that every veteran in the City has a home by Christmas.”
“In the past week, the City has secured funding for 1,347 new permanent supportive homes for homeless veterans and chronically homeless individuals and families,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “This is another important step in keeping us on pace for ensuring that every veteran in the City has a home by Christmas.”
The federal funds will be administered through HACLA, which to date, has committed 15,690 units to target homeless and chronically homeless veterans, families and the disabled, about 25% of its portfolio. As part of last week’s HACLA’s Board action, five hundred vouchers were set aside for homeless veterans who are ineligible for VA housing and health resources. These veterans are the hardest to house and without this resource would likely remain homeless. The remaining 100 vouchers will be used in conjunction with State Proposition 41 funding to build new supportive housing for homeless veterans.
“It’s a familiar sight across the city, someone holding a sign that reads – please help, I’m a Veteran. These brave individuals answered the call to help this nation in a time of need. Now, many of these people find themselves in a challenging situation for a variety of reasons. HACLA will continue to work to ensure that this City will no longer be known as the homeless capital of the nation,” said HACLA President and CEO Douglas Guthrie.
Nonprofit consultant, Shelter Partnership worked closely with HACLA to help secure this new funding.
About HACLA
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) is a state-chartered public agency. It provides the largest stock of affordable housing in Los Angeles and is one of the nation's leading public housing authorities. It is also one of the oldest, providing quality housing options and supportive services to the citizens of Los Angeles since 1938.
“It’s a familiar sight across the city, someone holding a sign that reads – please help, I’m a Veteran. These brave individuals answered the call to help this nation in a time of need. Now, many of these people find themselves in a challenging situation for a variety of reasons. HACLA will continue to work to ensure that this City will no longer be known as the homeless capital of the nation,” said HACLA President and CEO Douglas Guthrie.
Nonprofit consultant, Shelter Partnership worked closely with HACLA to help secure this new funding.
About HACLA
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) is a state-chartered public agency. It provides the largest stock of affordable housing in Los Angeles and is one of the nation's leading public housing authorities. It is also one of the oldest, providing quality housing options and supportive services to the citizens of Los Angeles since 1938.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Today in Labor History
January 28 -- Union Communications Services, Inc.
American Miners’ Association formed - 1861
First U.S. unemployment compensation law enacted, in Wisconsin - 1932
The newest issue of the Graphic Communications Conference publication, the Graphic Communicator, contains articles about the mid-term elections, retirements of some GCC leaders and organizers, and the widening income gap between corporate CEOs and working families.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Time Capsule Dating to 1795 Included Coins, Newspapers
Early residents of Boston valued a robust press as much as their history and currency if the contents of a time capsule dating back to the years just after the Revolutionary War are any guide. When conservators at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston gingerly removed items from the box Tuesday, they found five tightly folded newspapers, a medal depicting George Washington, a silver plaque, two dozen coins, including one dating to 1655, and the seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. While some of the coins appeared corroded, other items were in good condition and fingerprints could be seen on the silver plaque.
Police in Farmington are looking for a woman who's been caught on camera several times stealing stacks of newspapers. No one knows her motive, but some are speculating if she's after the Sunday coupons.
Police in Farmington are looking for a woman who's been caught on camera several times stealing stacks of newspapers. No one knows her motive, but some are speculating if she's after the Sunday coupons.
Village Voice parent company will explore sale of papers
Village Voice parent company will explore sale of papers
Santa Fe, NM – January 27, 2015 – Voice Media Group has engaged Dirks, Van Essen & Murray and its subsidiary CAL DVM to explore new strategies for its publishing assets, including the sale or acquisition of alternative publications and other digital businesses.
Santa Fe, NM – January 27, 2015 – Voice Media Group has engaged Dirks, Van Essen & Murray and its subsidiary CAL DVM to explore new strategies for its publishing assets, including the sale or acquisition of alternative publications and other digital businesses.
Quick summary of the Southern California media landscape
Los Angeles Times: relatively stable, if you can believe it.
Orange County Register and Riverside News Press: Deep financial do-do; currently being sued by Los Angeles Times for unpaid bills
Los Angeles Newspaper Group: Up for sale either with all of Digital First Media or as a spinoff
Ventura County Star: Unclear what is happening with Scripps Media and the newspaper spinoff.
h/t Brett Levy
Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere
Los Angeles City Hall
Studs Terkel Awards ‘celebrate good journalism’ - Robert Feder
The Fix’s 2015 list of best state political reporters - The Washington Post
First female Editor in Chief of The Economist appointed - Editors Weblog
Jim Moroney’s digital-reaching Dallas Morning News - Capital New York
Who Wants to Buy OC Weekly? 'Cause We're For Sale! - Gustavo Arellano
Equity Firms May Soon Purchase Big Bay Area Newspapers - NBC Bay Area
4 reasons the New York Times Company won’t be sold anytime soon - Poynter
Why media companies get away with paying journalists so little - Simon Owens
Chattanooga Times announces bonuses and layoffs on the same day - Romenesko
Today in Labor History
January 27 -- Union Communications Services, Inc.
New York City maids organize to improve working conditions - 1734
Mine explosion in Mount Pleasant, Pa., leaves more than 100 dead - 1891
First meeting of the Int’l Labor Organization (ILO) - 1920
Kansas miners strike against compulsory arbitration - 1920
A 3¢ postage stamp is issued, honoring AFL founder Samuel Gompers - 1950(There is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America is the sympathetic, thoughtful and highly readable history of the American labor movement traces unionism from the textile mills of Lowell, Massachusetts in the 1820s to organized labor’s decline in the 1980s and struggle for survival and growth today.)
A group of Detroit African-American auto workers known as the Eldon Avenue Axle Plant Revolutionary Union Movement leads a wildcat strike against racism and bad working conditions. They are critical of both automakers and the UAW, condemning the seniority system and grievance procedures as racist – 1969
Pete Seeger dies in New York at age 94. A musician and activist, he was a revered figure on the American
left, persecuted during the McCarthy era for his support of progressive, labor and civil rights causes. A prolific songwriter, he is generally credited with popularizing the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.” He actively participated in demonstrations until shortly before his death - 2014
left, persecuted during the McCarthy era for his support of progressive, labor and civil rights causes. A prolific songwriter, he is generally credited with popularizing the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.” He actively participated in demonstrations until shortly before his death - 2014
Members of the Northwestern University football team announce they are seeking union recognition. A majority signed cards, later delivered to the National Labor Relations Board office in Chicago, asking for representation by the College Athletes Players Association - 2014
Monday, January 26, 2015
Printing a Newspaper
Recorded Christmas Eve 2012 on an iPhone 5 at the plant that prints the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News. Slapped some clips together with iMovie.
Monday Morning in the Blogosphere
Just missed the Red Line last week
Only in LA: The great ideas issue - LAObserved
Interview with New York Times Editor Baquet - Spiegel
Sports Illustrated lays off all staff photographers - NPPA
Postmedia and the heavy price it pays to survive - The Star
N.Y. private-equity firm in talks for Mercury News owner - SF Gate
Cerberus, Apollo bidding for Digital First Media - Capital New York
Former employee of Austin’s Fox affiliate kills himself - Romenesko
OC Register Blasphemously Subscription Deal for Catholics - Gustavo Arellano
What A Scoop! Settlers of Catan Publisher Making Newspaper Game - The Escapist
Today in Labor History
January 26In what could be considered the first workers’ compensation agreement in America, pirate Henry Morgan pledges his underlings 600 pieces of eight or six slaves to compensate for a lost arm or leg. Also part of the pirate’s code, reports Roger Newell: shares of the booty were equal regardless of race or sex, and shipboard decisions were made collectively - 1695
Samuel Gompers, first AFL president, born in London, England. He emigrated to the U.S. as a youth - 1850
The Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America is chartered by the American Federation of Labor to organize "every wage earner from the man who takes the bullock at the house until it goes into the hands of the consumer." - 1897
Workers win a two-day sit-down strike at the Brooklyn electric plant that powers the city's entire subway system - 1937
A handful of American companies announce nearly 60,000 layoffs today, as the recession that began during the George W. Bush presidency charges full-tilt toward what became known as the Great Recession - 2009
(Union Strategies for Hard Times, 2nd Edition: What can unions do as the fallout of the
Great Recession continues to ravage workers and their unions and threatens to destroy decades of collective bargaining gains? What must local union leaders do to help their laid off members, protect those still working, and prevent the gutting of their hard-fought contracts—and their very unions themselves?
Bill Barry, until recently director of labor studies at the Community College of Baltimore County and a 40-year veteran of the movement, calls on his long history of activism and years of "what works, what doesn’t" discussions with other leaders to come up with a plan to survive these terrible times and even use crisis to build a better future.)
(Union Strategies for Hard Times, 2nd Edition: What can unions do as the fallout of the
Great Recession continues to ravage workers and their unions and threatens to destroy decades of collective bargaining gains? What must local union leaders do to help their laid off members, protect those still working, and prevent the gutting of their hard-fought contracts—and their very unions themselves? Bill Barry, until recently director of labor studies at the Community College of Baltimore County and a 40-year veteran of the movement, calls on his long history of activism and years of "what works, what doesn’t" discussions with other leaders to come up with a plan to survive these terrible times and even use crisis to build a better future.)
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Today in Labor History
January 22 -- Union Communications Services, Inc.
Indian field hands at San Juan Capistrano mission refused to work, engaging in what was probably the first farm worker strike in California - 1826
(Farmworker’s Friend: The story of Cesar Chavez is a thoughtful and moving book about the inspiring life of American hero Cesar Chavez, founder and long-time leader of the United Farm Workers of America. This sympathetic portrayal of Chavez and his life’s work begins with his childhood, starting from the time his family’s store in Arizona failed during the Great Depression and his entire family was forced into the fields to harvest vegetables for a few cents an hour. It traces his growth as a man and as a leader, talking of his pacifism, his courage in the face of great threats and greater odds, his leadership and his view that the union was more than just a union, it was a community—una causa.)
(Farmworker’s Friend: The story of Cesar Chavez is a thoughtful and moving book about the inspiring life of American hero Cesar Chavez, founder and long-time leader of the United Farm Workers of America. This sympathetic portrayal of Chavez and his life’s work begins with his childhood, starting from the time his family’s store in Arizona failed during the Great Depression and his entire family was forced into the fields to harvest vegetables for a few cents an hour. It traces his growth as a man and as a leader, talking of his pacifism, his courage in the face of great threats and greater odds, his leadership and his view that the union was more than just a union, it was a community—una causa.)
Birth of Terence V. Powderly, leader of the Knights of Labor - 1849
The United Mine Workers of America is founded in Columbus, Ohio, with the merger of the Knights of Labor Trade Assembly No. 135 and the National Progressive Miners Union - 1890
Five hundred New York City tenants battle police to prevent evictions - 1932
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Sowing Seeds For Life Open today 11am - 4pm
The food pantry is open today with new hours of operation, we're now open from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, so come by and visit as we fill your home with food, As the visitors have increased it has caused a traffic nightmare on Arrow Highway, to alleviate the traffic problem we began opening two hours early, serving the needy already in line.
Sowing Seeds For Life
1350 Arrow Highway
La Verne, CA. 91750
Located between San Dimas Canyon Road and Wheeler.
Sowing Seeds For Life
1350 Arrow Highway
La Verne, CA. 91750
Located between San Dimas Canyon Road and Wheeler.
Today in Labor History
January 21 -- Union Communications Services, Inc.
Some 750,000 steel workers walk out in 30 states, largest strike in U.S. history to that time - 1946
Postal workers begin four-day strike at the Jersey City, N.J., bulk and foreign mail center, protesting an involuntary shift change. The wildcat was led by a group of young workers who identified themselves as “The Outlaws”- 1974
Six hundred police attack picketing longshoremen in Charleston, S.C. - 2000
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
The forces that are anti-Negro are by and large anti-labor - Martin Luther King Jr.
"The forces that are anti-Negro are by and large anti-labor, and with the coming together of the powerful influence of labor and all people of goodwill in the struggle for freedom and human dignity, I can assure you that we have a powerful instrument."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., addressing the United Packinghouse Workers Union (UPWU) in 1962
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., addressing the United Packinghouse Workers Union (UPWU) in 1962
Tuesday Night in the Blogosphere
The Gas Company Building, Los Angeles, CA.
Tribune Publishing CFO stepping down - Chicago Tribune
Gannett to close printing plant in St. Louis - SL Business Journal
Why U-T ran Charlie Hebdo cartoons - San Diego Union Tribune
How Your Facebook Likes Could Cost You a Job - New York Times
A deal so good that U-T San Diego doesn't want you sharing it - Romenesko
GCHQ captured emails of journalists from top international media - Guardian
Iranian paper banned for showing Clooney wearing "Je suis Charlie" pin - Reuters
Mara Shalhoup leaving the Reader to become editor of LA Weekly - Chicago Reader
Amid outcry, News-Press is adamant on provocative term for immigrants - LA Times
Today in Labor History
January 20 -- Union Communications Services, Inc.
Chicago Crib Disaster—A fire breaks out during construction of a water tunnel for the city of Chicago, burning the wooden dormitory housing the tunnel workers. While 46 survive the fire by jumping into the frigid lake and climbing onto ice floes, approximately 60 men die, 29 burned beyond recognition and the others drowned - 1909
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) founded – 1920
The Nazis adopt the “Act on the Regulation of National Labor,” replacing independently negotiated collective agreements. The act read, in part, “The leader of the plant makes the decisions for the employees and laborers in all matters concerning the
enterprise... He is responsible for the well-being of the employees and laborers. [They] owe him faithfulness.” - 1934
enterprise... He is responsible for the well-being of the employees and laborers. [They] owe him faithfulness.” - 1934
Hardworking Mickey Mantle signs a new contract with the New York Yankees making him the highest paid player in baseball: $75,000 for the entire 1961 season - 1961
Bruce Springsteen's "My Hometown," a eulogy for dying industrial cities, is the country’s most listened-to song. The lyrics, in part: "Now Main Street's whitewashed windows and vacant stores / Seems like there ain't nobody wants to come down here no more / They're closing down the textile mill across the railroad tracks / Foreman says these jobs are going boys and they ain't coming back to your hometown / Your hometown / Your hometown / Your hometown..." - 1986
Monday, January 19, 2015
Today in Labor History
January 19 -- Union Communications Services, Inc.
Twenty strikers at the American Agricultural Chemical Co. in Roosevelt, N.J., were shot, two fatally, by factory guards. They and other strikers had stopped an incoming train in search of scabs when the guards opened fire - 1915
(Strikes Around the World draws on the experience of fifteen countries—The United States, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Argentina, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Covering the high and low points of strike activity over the period 1968–2005, the study shows continuing evidence of the durability, adaptability and necessity of the strike.)
Some 3,000 members of the Filipino Federation of Labor strike the plantations of Oahu, Hawaii. Their ranks swell to 8,300 as they are joined by members of the Japanese Federation of Labor - 1920
Yuba City, Calif., labor contractor Juan V. Corona found guilty of murdering 25 itinerant farm workers he employed during 1970 and 1971 - 1973
Bruce Springsteen makes an unannounced appearance at a benefit for laid-off 3M workers, Asbury Park, N.J. - 1986
In Celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement ofcivil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs.
He was born Michael King, but his father changed his name in honor of the German reformer Martin Luther. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. With the SCLC, King led an unsuccessful struggle against segregation in Albany, Georgia, in 1962, and organized nonviolent protests in Birmingham, Alabama, that attracted national attention following television news coverage of the brutal police response. King also helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history.
On October 14, 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence. In 1965, he and the SCLC helped to organize the Selma to Montgomery marches and the following year, he took the movement north to Chicago to work on segregated housing. In the final years of his life, King expanded his focus to include poverty and speak against the Vietnam War, alienating many of his liberal allies with a 1967 speech titled "Beyond Vietnam".
In 1968, King was planning a national occupation of Washington, D.C., to be called the Poor People's Campaign, when he was assassinated on April 4 in Memphis, Tennessee. His death was followed by riots in many U.S. cities. Allegations that James Earl Ray, the man convicted of killing King, had been framed or acted in concert with government agents persisted for decades after the shooting. The jury of a 1999 civil trial found Loyd Jowers to be complicit in a conspiracy against King. The ruling has since been discredited and a sister of Jowers admitted that he had fabricated the story so he could make $300,000 from selling the story, and she in turn corroborated his story in order to get some money to pay her income tax.[1][2]
King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a holiday in numerous cities and states beginning in 1971, and as aU.S. federal holiday in 1986. Hundreds of streets in the U.S. have been renamed in his honor. In addition, a county was rededicated in his honor. A memorial statue on the National Mall was opened to the public in 2011.
Martin Luther King - I Have A Dream Speech - August 28, 1963
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Sunday Night in the Blogosphere
Want to Be Happy? Join a Union - New York Times
10 news organizations form drone coalition - Poynter
Chicago Reader staff joins the Newspaper Guild - Romenesko
Al Martinez, a Dying Boy and Some Peaches - LA Daily Mirror
Al Martinez: The bard who sang everyone's songs - Patt Morrison
Want revenge on Zell? Here's a unique way to go about it - Washington Post
Stuart Loory dies at 82; L.A. Times journalist helped build CNN - LA Times
Digital First Media’s upcoming sale is producing some surprises - NiemanLab
Buy Tribune Media because the company is about to make money - Seeking Alpha
First edition of Charlie Hebdo since Paris massacre sold out in minutes - Editors Weblog
Today in Labor History
January 15 -- Union Communications Services, Inc.
Wobbly Ralph Chaplin, in Chicago for a demonstration against hunger, completes the writing of the labor anthem “Solidarity Forever” on this date in 1915. He’d begun writing it in 1914 during a miners’ strike in Huntington, W. Va. The first verse:
When the union's inspiration through the workers' 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 – 1915
When the union's inspiration through the workers' 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 – 1915
Seventeen workers in the area die when a large molasses storage tank in Boston’s North End neighborhood bursts, sending a 40-foot wave of molasses surging through the streets at an estimated 35 miles per hour. In all, 21 people died and 150 were injured. The incident is variously known as the Boston Molasses Disaster, the Great Molasses Flood and the Great Boston Molasses Tragedy. Some residents claim that on hot summer days, the area still smells of molasses - 1919
Martin Luther King Jr. born - 1929
The CIO miners' union in the Grass Valley area of California strikes for higher wages, union recognition, and the 8-hour day. 
The strike was defeated when vigilantes and law enforcement officials expelled 400 miners and their families from the area - 1938
(From Blackjacks to Briefcases: This book documents the systematic and extensive use by American corporations of professional union busters, an ugly profession that surfaced after the Civil War and has grown bolder and more sophisticated with the passage of time.)
The strike was defeated when vigilantes and law enforcement officials expelled 400 miners and their families from the area - 1938(From Blackjacks to Briefcases: This book documents the systematic and extensive use by American corporations of professional union busters, an ugly profession that surfaced after the Civil War and has grown bolder and more sophisticated with the passage of time.)
The Pentagon, to this day the largest office building in the world, is dedicated just 16 months after groundbreaking. At times of peak employment 13,000 workers labored on the project – 1943
Margaret Mary Vojtko dies at age 83 in Homestead, Pennsylvania. She was an adjunct professor of French and medieval literature at Duquensne Unversity for 25 years—a pay-by-the-courses-taught part-timer with no benefits—before being told her contract wouldn't be renewed, but was offered a tutoring job at two-thirds her old salary. She was making so little that she slept in her office, being unable to afford to heat her home because of medical bills. She had been active in trying to form an adjunct's union. She died five months after being fired - 2013
January 16
The United States Civil Service Commission was established as the Pendleton Act went into effect - 1883
Thousands of Palmer Raids detainees win right to meet with lawyers and attorney representation at deportation hearings. "Palmer" was Alexander Mitchell Palmer, U.S. attorney general under Woodrow Wilson. Palmer believed Communism was "eating its way into the homes of the American workman," and Socialists were causing most of the country's social problems - 1920
Thousands of Palmer Raids detainees win right to meet with lawyers and attorney representation at deportation hearings. "Palmer" was Alexander Mitchell Palmer, U.S. attorney general under Woodrow Wilson. Palmer believed Communism was "eating its way into the homes of the American workman," and Socialists were causing most of the country's social problems - 1920
Former UAW President Leonard Woodcock dies in Ann Arbor, Mich., at age 89. He had succeeded Walter Reuther and led the union from 1970 to 1977 - 2001
January 17
Radical labor organizer and anarchist Lucy Parsons leads hunger march in Chicago; IWW songwriter Ralph Chaplin wrote "Solidarity Forever" for the march - 1915
Radical labor organizer and anarchist Lucy Parsons leads hunger march in Chicago; IWW songwriter Ralph Chaplin wrote "Solidarity Forever" for the march - 1915
President John F. Kennedy signs Executive Order 10988, guaranteeing federal workers the right to join unions and bargain collectively - 1962
January 18
U.S. Supreme Court rules in Moyer v. Peabody that a governor and officers of a state National Guard may imprison anyone—in the case at hand, striking miners in Colorado—without probable cause “in a time of insurrection” and deny the person the right of appeal - 1909
"Take This Job and Shove It," by Johnny Paycheck, is listed by Billboard magazine as the most popular song in the U.S. - 1978
(Stayin' Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class: Stayin’ Alive is a remarkable account of how working-class America hit the rocks in the political and economic upheavals of the 1970s.)
(Stayin' Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class: Stayin’ Alive is a remarkable account of how working-class America hit the rocks in the political and economic upheavals of the 1970s.)