Labor Day Round-Up and Photos, Phone Banking Thursday

Here's what you need to know this week:
 

Labor Day Round-Up

Hundreds of union members came out to our two events across West Central Florida on Monday. IBEW 915 hosted our Tampa event featuring Lupton's barbecue, face-painting, inflatables, a DJ, and a program emceed by our President Stephanie Yocum and Vice President Kim Smith. Endorsed candidates like David Jolly (Governor), Jose Javier Rodriguez (Florida Attorney General), Kathy Castor (U.S. House), Brian Nathan (State Senate), and many more took the stage to fire up our activist base for the work ahead of us in November. The Tampa event was featured on WFLA Channel 8 (also in Spanish). Florida Phoenix writer Mitch Perry caught up with David Jolly at the picnic to capture his response to barbs thrown from the Byron Donalds camp.

David Jolly, left, speaks to crowd of attendees and press alongside WCFLC President Stephanie Yocum
 

Our Coalition of Manasota Unions organized a celebration at Fogartyville in Sarasota. Mediterranean food from Quni Tuni was on hand plus a concert from American Federation of Musicians members who played folk labor classics. The program, emceed by Tihda Vongkoth of AFM, largely featured union activists who shared difficulties and victories of their unions. Endorsed candidate for U.S. House Kelly Kirschner also spoke. ABC 7 in Sarasota interviewed candidate for CFO Annette Taddeo at the Sarasota event. Special thanks to Tihda's co-organizer for the event Sarah Hernandez.

Coalition of Manasota Unions event at Fogartyville in Sarasota
 

For both events, thanks to all of our volunteers, vendors, and attendees who made the events a success! See the bottom of this Labor Report for more photos.

Here's What's Coming Up:
 

9/17: Pinellas Virtual Phone Bank for Labor-Endorsed Candidates

Join us calling union members and their families in Pinellas County to learn about the issues they're facing in an increasingly costly state and educate them about the pro-working-family candidates that the Florida AFL-CIO has endorsed in November.

We will be focused on our endorsements for Lindsay Polega-Quigley for State House Dist. 60, Leela Gray for Congressional District 13, David Jolly for Governor, and No on Amendment 3.

We will start the virtual phonebank with a brief training and go over the script. Staff will be available throughout the phone bank to assist.

9/18: Documentary Screening I am Somebody at HCTA

Annually, WCFLC, ASALH, and HCTA join together to watch a movie at the intersection of Black history and labor history. This year, we will watch a 30-minute documentary followed by an open discussion. The documentary is about a hospital strike of four hundred Black women and their union 1199 in Charleston, South Carolina in 1969. You may RSVP here: https://mobilize.us/s/3yo3CG

9/27: Matewan Screening and Q&A with Actor Will Oldham

A one-day-only matinee of the film Matewan is coming to Tampa's Sun-Ray Cinema on Sunday, September 27 at 1:30pm.

"Filmed in the coal country of West Virginia, Matewan celebrates labor organizing in the context of a 1920s work stoppage. Union organizer, Joe Kenehan, a scab named "Few Clothes" Johnson and a sympathetic mayor and police chief heroically fight the power represented by a coal company and Matewan's vested interests so that justice and workers' rights need not take a back seat to squalid working conditions, exploitation and the bottom line."

The 2 hour, 12 minute, PG-13 film will be followed by a Q&A with Will Oldham, who plays 16-year-old miner and preacher Danny. Tickets and seat selections can be purchased in advance for $18.13 after taxes and fees.

10/9: The Wash by Powerstories Theatre

Powerstories Theatre is producing a run of the stage play The Wash at The Studio@620 in St. Petersburg October 1-11.

"In 1881, Black laundresses in Atlanta led a strike weeks before the International Cotton Exposition came to town. Demanding $1/dozen pounds of laundry, the Atlanta Washerwomen’s Strike of 1881 was one of the largest, successful interracial labor strikes of the post-Civil War era.

The Wash by Kelundra Smith offers an intimate and often funny look at ordinary women who went from workers to fighters and won. With humor, heart, and history, her play celebrates ordinary women who discovered extraordinary strength, transforming from workers into fighters and ultimately changing the course of labor rights in the South."

WCFLC has purchased ten tickets for the Friday, October 9 performance at 7:30pm. While all those tickets have been claimed, Powerstories has agreed to a discounted rate of $33 for any of our members who wish to attend the October 9 show. Union members may sign up at this link. You can view all other dates and ticketing information for the run here: https://powerstories.com/the-wash/

That's all for this week! Check out our website at wcflc.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates.
 

National Association of Letter Carriers, FSALC President Al Friedman, Tom Philips, and Jerry Lonergan


J Ferguson, IUPAT DC 78 and Hillsborough County Commissioner Harry Cohen


APWU Group Photo: Roger Butterfield, Kathy Hiley, Patty Gumz, Scott Turner, and Dave Bernstein


 

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State Rep. Lindsay Cross, St. Petersburg City Council Vice-Chair Richie Floyd, and Miranda Floyd, Pinellas CTA
 

Bonus photo from Saturday, our canvass with the South Tampa Dems!