In another victory for Southern California “carwasheros” seeking justice, respect and safe workplaces, the workers at Magic Clean carwash in Los Angeles this week voted to join United Steelworkers (USW) Local 675. The Magic Clean employees are the fourth carwash workforce to win their union as part of the CLEAN Carwash Campaign.

Veronica Avila, the daughter of immigrants who rose out of Chicago's poor meatpacking neighborhood and later organized restaurant workers, has been named winner of the 2012 Edna Award.

The Edna, which has a $10,000 prize, honors women age 35 or younger who already have distinguished themselves as leaders of the social justice movement. The award honors Edna Berger, a pioneer for women’s rights, who rose from a receptionist at The Philadelphia Inquirer to become a writer, editor and the first female organizer in The Newspaper Guild-CWA.

Take a minute today (Oct. 11) and say “Happy Birthday” to Eleanor Roosevelt. A member of the Newspaper Guild for more than a quarter of a century, Roosevelt strongly believed in workers, their unions and their involvement in the political process. 

Brigid O’Farrell, a member of the National Writers Union/UAW Local 1981, writes if Roosevelt were alive today, she would be out campaigning against California’s Prop. 32 to silence workers in the political arena, while giving the wealthy and corporations free reign. Read more at the Roosevelt Institute's Next New Deal blog.

Less than a week remains before the deadline—July 31—to submit nominations for the 2012 Edna, a $10,000 award for young women making a mark in labor, women’s and other social justice movements.

The award honors Edna Berger, a pioneer for women’s rights who rose from a receptionist at The Philadelphia Inquirer to become a writer, editor and the first female organizer in The Newspaper Guild-CWA.

College professors, cable television installers and employees at donut shops, a hotel and in telecommunications are the latest workers to join AFL-CIO unions.

Nearly 400 AT&T Mobility retail store workers in Mississippi and Wyoming have chosen Communications Workers of America (CWA) representation. AT&T which has agreed to management neutrality, recognized the workers’ choice of CWA when majorities signed union authorization cards. The Mississippi unit includes 314 workers.

The Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild (WBNG) Local 32035 and the Labor Heritage Foundation are sponsoring the “Occupy Now!” photo contest. The winner will be announced at the Great Labor Arts Exchange festival, June 22-25. The contest—with almost $1,000 in prize money—is looking for the great photos of the Occupy movement.

Ana Maria Archila, co-director of Make the Road New York (MRNY), is the winner of the first-ever Berger-Marks Foundation’s Edna Award for social justice. The $10,000 award recognizes young women whose leadership in the social justice movement has already fueled social change.

Washington State interpreters have a first pact with the state, and more news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 1,400 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.

The clock’s ticking but you still have time to nominate a young woman leader for the Edna Award presented by the Berger-Marks Foundation. The foundation says the $10,000 award recognizes a young woman whose leadership in the social justice movement who has made:

an extraordinary contribution early in her career, and whose achievements indicate that her work will continue to significantly improve the lives of working women and men.

The Berger-Marks Foundation will honor a young woman leader with its Edna Award. The $10,000 award recognizes a young woman whose leadership in the social justice movement has already fueled social change.