2018 Evening With Labor Award Winners
ORGANIZING AWARD: SEIU 32BJ and UNITE HERE 23
For their longstanding and effective campaigns to organize area airport workers and win contracts. Those persistent and creative organizing and contract efforts coincided with mass mobilizations resisting immigration enforcement in airports.
GOLDEN PICKET AWARD: AFSCME MARYLAND COUNCIL 3
For their ongoing original mobilization of state workers and their allies against the Hogan administration. Creative actions included projecting their message on the outside of the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center in September.
OUTSTANDING ALLY: CASA
For their exemplary track record working to support area immigrants, working closely with labor on a variety of issues including the Fight For $15.
COMMUNITY SERVICES AWARD: OPEIU LOCAL 2
Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 2 has been one of the most active and supportive locals on behalf of the Community Services Agency. For years, Local 2 has promoted CSA at every quarterly membership meeting, has allowed CSA to make presentations to members and has supported all CSA fundraisers and the Emergency Assistance Fund. Many of their shops and members have volunteered, run food drives, raised money, collected toys, adopted needy families, supported teams for golf and bowling, attended Labor Night at the Nats, and more. Secretary-Treasurer Linda Bridges has served as the Treasurer of the CSA Board of Trustees for over 10 years. Active OPEIU 2 shops include AFL-CIO and Solidarity Center, AFT, AFGE, BAC, CWA, IBEW, Kaiser Permanente, NEBF (National Electrical Benefits Fund), Teamsters, and Union PLUS.
OPEIU Local 2 rocks and lives CSA’s motto “Labor Cares- Labor Shares”!
SPECIAL AWARD: KATHLEEN MCKIRCHY
Starting in 1983 as the Legislative and Political Coordinator for the Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO, Kathleen is finishing up 35 years of service to both the labor council and the Community Services Agency, which she has headed since 1991.
From organizing election day field operations to coordinating testimony and lobbying for labor friendly legislation; from coordinating food drives to operating job training programs; from running special events to helping local union members with emergency financial crises, Kathleen has done it all! Here are some highlights from her 35-year career:
Managed over $1 million in donations in the months after September 11, helping over 1,000 local union members and workers laid-off from hotels, restaurants and the airports in 2001
Secured grants of $2.5 million for hospitality worker upgrade training, and dislocated worker re-training and placement of airport and other workers after September 11 and for services for workers laid-off by the closure of DC General Hospital
Oversaw operation of the Building Futures Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Program over 10 years beginning in 2007 with grant funding of $4.6 million from Department of Labor, General Services Administration, state and local government grants and private foundation funds, moving over 600 low-income area residents into registered apprenticeships and living wage jobs in construction
Started the Emergency Assistance Fund in 1995 and since then has raised over $2 million from local union donations and proceeds of Bowling, Labor Night at the Nats and Golf Tournament fundraisers, helping since 1995 over 6500 union members in need.
Organized metro area union strike support -- food drives and fundraising for member assistance -- for teamsters, communications workers, broadcast technicians, musicians and hotel and restaurant workers, and provided furlough preparation and assistance for members of AFGE, AFSCME and other federal worker unions during government shutdownsCoordinated 34 Evenings With Labor
Has been blessed to work with fabulous MWC and CSA staff, to serve under a committed Board of Trustees, to work with, and enjoy the support of, hundreds of area local union affiliates, and to see first-hand the generosity and caring of unions, their members, and their allies for 35 years!