SOUL e-Newsletter
August 29, 2011
LIUNA Phone Banking
Since August 4, LiUNA! members throughout the country have been reaching out to other LiUNA! members urging them to contact their Congressperson and ask them to say no to the job killing Republican transportation bill. There is still time for you to help in this battle for good jobs! If you would like to make phone calls, there are two ways to do so. You can contact your Local for a phone banking code or you can go to www.liunacalls.org and register as a LiUNA! activist. If you haven't already contacted your Congressperson, do so today! We need good jobs and we need them now!
Women's Equality Day
This past Friday, August 26, marked the 91st anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which granted women the right to vote and hold an elective office. The Women's Suffrage Campaign lasted 72 years, having started at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. According to the National Women's History Project, this campaign is considered to be "one of the most remarkable and successful nonviolent civil rights efforts the world has ever seen."
Thank you women of the past who refused to give up despite obstacles and who fought hard for this right of citizenship so that we, women of today and the future, can make our voices heard by exercising our right to vote!
"I Have a Dream"
On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., stood before a crowd of over 200,000 supporters of civil rights at the National Mall in Washington D.C. It was there, for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Dr. King gave his powerful "I Have a Dream" speech calling for racial equality and the end of discrimination.
Now, 48 years later, a memorial dedicated to this great man was unveiled at the same site Dr. King gave his famous speech. Dr. King's memorial is the first in the National Mall to be dedicated to a person who was not a war hero, a president or a white man. The memorial includes "the four fundamental and recurring themes throughout Dr. King's life--democracy, justice, hope and love." The dedication of Dr. King's memorial was scheduled for August 28 but was postponed due to Hurricane Irene.
Labor Day
In New York City, on September 5, 1882, a group of approximately 200,000 workers paraded up Broadway demanding an 8-hour work day and other labor reforms. This event, sponsored by New York's Central Labor Union, is considered the first Labor Day celebration. This led to other events happening throughout the country. In 1894, following the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland made the first Monday in September Labor Day and signed legislation declaring it a federal holiday.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, "Labor Day is the a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American Workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being or our country." This Labor Day, let's remember to celebrate our hard working laborers who are tirelessly building America, our laborers who continually train and hone their craft providing high quality workmanship on every job, our laborers who fight for a good wage, safe working conditions, and other work-related issues. Thank you LiUNA! Laborers!
SOUL Updates
SOUL 177 is busy, busy, busy! They are working hard to pack candy bags for the Labor Day parade. Also, they set up a recruitment table at the South Central Iowa Picnic and mailed SOUL flyers to all Local 177 members.
SOUL 1140's first family activity was a success! They had 12 children decorate shirts for the Labor Day Parade. To see pictures, check out the SOUL Facebook page!
Sincerely,
Megan Hardy
Researcher
Midwest Region LECET
(402) 305-3305 CELL
(402) 734-0132 FAX
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