Labor Month!
Labor unions are what gave America a strong middle class. And many other things, including the 5 day, 40 hour work week! Indivisible Charlottesville strongly supports the labor movement and is proud to be working with local unions for the entire month of September: Labor Month! Here’s a statement from our friends at CALC:
The Charlottesville-Albemarle Labor Council (CALC) is a coalition of local labor unions committed to advancing the shared goals of worker power and economic justice. You might remember us from the “Labor in the Park” event we held at IX Art Park back in May. We are excited to be partnering with Indivisible Charlottesville for the first ever LABOR MONTH which we will kick off at the Labor Day Rally from 5-6 p.m. at the Albemarle County Office Building, 401 McIntire Road.
For our members, every day is Labor Day: it’s not about showing up once a year, but about the continuing struggle to protect the hard-fought standards we have and continue to materially improve conditions for workers.
In that spirit, some of our member unions will be sharing guest posts via Indivisible Charlottesville’s email and socials for each week of September, telling you about specific, concrete ways you can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with local labor unions. We’ll be coordinating roughly one action per week this month, and we encourage you to show up or speak out in force—tell your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers, your kids, your parents! Below is a sneak peek so you can save the dates. Please stay tuned for more information. We don’t have to tell you that the stakes are high right now. Let’s remind Charlottesville that labor unions are democracy at work!
In solidarity,
The Charlottesville Albemarle Labor Council
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
Monday, September 1: American Association of University Professors, UVA Chapter (UVA faculty), with United Campus Workers of Virginia and Indivisible Charlottesville
Join us before the Labor Month kickoff rally for a Labor Day Teach-In at UVA, from 12-1 p.m., outside Monroe Hill House (parking at UVA Central Grounds Garage)!
WEEK 2
Monday, September 8: National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 518 (USPS workers)
Please help us fight against the potential privatization of the United States Postal Service by asking your representatives to support House Resolution 70 and Senate Resolution 147!
Sunday, September 14: United Campus Workers of Virginia, CWA Local 2265 (UVA staff, faculty, and student workers)
Join us at 3 p.m. for the kickoff of UCW’s Living Wage Campaign, in the Swanson-Case Room at the JMRL Central Branch!
WEEK 3
Monday, September 15: Amalgamated Transit Union (employees at Charlottesville Area Transit)
Show your support for CAT workers by committing to riding public transportation for the whole day—and then join us at Charlottesville City Council (6:30 p.m.) to encourage Charlottesville to prioritize a fully funded and robust transportation system!
WEEK 4
Monday, September 22: Albemarle Education Association (employees at county public schools) & Charlottesville Education Association (employees at city public schools)
For county residents: stay tuned for a community email campaign from the union representing public school employees in Albemarle County!
For city residents: please write to Charlottesville’s City Council and School Board, asking them to develop a budget that prioritizes a living wage for support staff over spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on school resource officers (SROs)!
WEEK 5
Monday, September 29: Teamsters Local 29 (UPS, Charlottesville Public Works, TForce, PET Dairy, Marshall’s Mechanics, ABF Freight, National Fruit, Danone North America, Packaging Corporation of America)
Contact your state representatives about repealing Virginia’s “right to work” law, and contact your federal representatives about strengthening enforcement of labor law violations under the National Labor Relations Act!