MORNING MESSAGE
Leo Gerard
“Steelworker” generally evokes images of hulking mills, not ivory towers. But this week, 2,000 graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh are voting on whether to become members of the United Steelworkers (USW) union. A blue collar is not required to be a USW member. All that’s necessary is a sense of belonging to a team of co-workers who believe they all benefit from banding together to jointly seek better wages and working conditions from their employer. Pitt’s tiered system pays administrators very well, salaried professors less, grad students dramatically less, and part-time instructors, often doctoral graduates hired as contractors to teach a course at a time, a pittance. As individuals, they can’t change any of this. But with a union, they might be able to.
Pitt Grad Students Vote To Join USW
A key labor moment arrives at the University of Pittsburgh. Post-Gazette: ” First came a push to get prospective members to sign cards indicating support, then a petition seeking a campus election and finally a hearing before state labor officials, who ultimately gave that vote the green light. Now, more than two years after it began, a campaign to organize graduate assistants at the University of Pittsburgh into a labor union finally is in the hands of the students themselves. The election covers approximately 2,000 graduate employees who work on the sprawling public research campus in Oakland, the region’s largest. It comes amid a flurry of organizing efforts on campuses nationwide. In February 2017, the effort at Pitt by a student organizing committee to align with the United Steelworkers gathered momentum with the push to secure card signatures from 30 percent or more of the potential bargaining unit, the share needed to petition for an election. They succeeded. In March of this year, following a lengthy hearing on that petition, the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board ruled that a vote could go forward.”
Dems Rally Behind Omar As Attacks Escalate
Dems rally behind Omar as Trump escalates attacks. The Hill: “House Democrats rallied behind Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Monday as President Trump escalated his attacks suggesting the freshman lawmaker downplayed the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It’s a change from past controversies involving Omar, one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. Fellow Democrats who rebuked her in recent weeks for comments viewed as anti-Semitic are now rushing to her defense. ‘There have been occasions when she’s made comments that she’s apologized for that were inartful or that were taken as anti-Semitic. This was certainly not one of them,’ Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-Calif.) said Monday on a call with reporters. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) also backed Omar, a fellow CBC member: ‘What she said was true: that after the attack on 9/11, Muslims were treated horribly in this country.’ House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) has been among the most outspoken Jewish Democrats to publicly call out Omar for her criticism of Israel. But Nadler, who represents the part of Manhattan where the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers occurred, notably defended Omar this time. ‘She was talking about discrimination against Muslim Americans. And she just said that, after that happened, it was used as an excuse for lots of discrimination and for withdrawal of civil liberties,’ Nadler said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.’ ‘I have had some problems with some of her other remarks, but not with that one.’”
Sanders Takes on Fox News
Sanders takes on Fox and emerges triumphant. Politico: “Bernie Sanders entered the Fox’s den on Monday night — and he not only survived the hour-long encounter, but often dominated. Appearing at a Fox News-hosted town hall smack dab in the middle of Trump Country, the Democratic presidential front-runner played the part, swatting down tough questions from the hosts about health care, defense spending, and his newfound wealth. At one point, the Vermont senator even led the network’s audience in a call-and-response that found them cheering loudly for his policies. In the days preceding the event, Sanders faced backlash from liberals who said he shouldn’t participate given the network’s nativist bent and cheerleading for President Donald Trump. But when it was over, Sanders had received an hour of positive exposure on the highest-rated cable channel — something none of his primary rivals have yet risked. The town hall took place in a cultural center in the shadows of a former steel mill here, in a county in Pennsylvania that voted for Trump after twice supporting Barack Obama. But the room was packed with Sanders supporters, and the Vermont senator fed off the energy of the crowd.”
Subpoenas Of Trump’s Finances
House Democrats double down on their investigations into Trump’s finances. ThinkProgress: “As Washington awaits special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report — which President Donald Trump and his allies claim fully exonerates him of any wrongdoing, though it’s still unclear exactly what evidence Mueller compiled — House Democrats are moving full steam ahead on investigations unrelated to the special counsel’s office. Top Democrats on the Hill have expanded their probe into Trump’s finances, looking for evidence about whether the president and his businesses may have committed financial crimes. On Friday, a memo revealed that House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Elijah Cummings (D-MD) plans to subpoena accounting firm Mazars USA LLP, seeking 10 years of the president’s personal and business-related financial records. And on Saturday, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-MA) sent a new letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, re-upping his request for six years of Trump’s tax returns, and giving the agency until April 23 to comply. The investigations by the two committees are among many congressional probes into possible crimes involving the president and his campaign, inauguration, business practices, and inner-circle.”
TN Plans To Restrict Voter Registration Drives
Civil and voting rights organizations oppose TN’s proposed restrictions to voter registration drives. Common Dreams: “A collective of national civil and voting rights organizations sent a letter to the Tennessee General Assembly asking them to reject bill SB971/HB1079 that would create burdensome requirements, threatening civil and criminal penalties for individuals and groups conducting voter registration drives. The bill, scheduled for a vote in the House Monday, will intimidate groups from conducting community-based drives to avoid the risk of being subject to the bill’s severe penalties. In a state that struggles with voter registration and turnout, leaders should look for ways to encourage activities like voter registration drives, but these new restrictions will have the exact opposite effect.”
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