PDTC

Portsmouth Democrats host Yard Sale Saturday at the PA Club

Looking to sell some stuff? Want to find some bargains? Head on down to the Portuguese-American Citizens Club on Saturday from 8am-1pm for the first annual Portsmouth Democratic Committee Yard Sale. There will be coffee and refreshments available, and if you want a table, it's just $10 — reach out to Rich Gottlieb at 683-3231 levgoty@cox.net for more info.

The PA Club is on Power St. just off East Main. Hope to see you there!

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Localblogging, 02871, PDTC

URI Prof Scott Molloy brings history of unions to life in Portsmouth talk (update)

Prof. Scott Molloy
URI Prof. Scott Molloy speaks at PMS

In a 40-minute talk packed with artifacts and anecdotes, URI professor Scott Molloy covered the history of labor unions for an audience of dozens at Portsmouth Middle School last night.

A self-described union supporter and organizer who gained his "street smarts" as a RIPTA bus driver before graduate school, Molloy began the talk by debunking the myth that unions are a 20th-century phenomenon.

Starting with the artisan's guilds of the Middle Ages, Molloy traced the rise of organized labor, with an emphasis on Rhode Island's unique position. Slater Mill in Pawtucket, said Molloy, was the birthplace of the American factory in 1790, and within a few years, unions were already in place.

"We've been here from day one," said Molloy, "And unless I read my history wrong, we'll be here for some time to come."

Molloy handed around a dozen plastic-sealed primary documents, including a an 1829 letter from a Newport union lobbying the general assembly and an 1887 ad from the Providence Journal specifying that "no Irish need apply."

A key event, according to Molloy, was the 1955 merger of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), which had organized by craft, and the Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO) which organized in industries across skills.

Molloy attributed the decline of the labor movement to global forces, as businesses left the United States to save money. Another factor is the great recession of the past years that Molloy said has been used to "pit us against one another," and which, he pointed out, was not caused by unions.

"When you saw Bernie Madoff led out in handcuffs, he didn't have a union button in his lapel," said Molloy. "This was not a labor crisis, this was a financial crisis." In 1950, he said, corporate taxes comprised 32% of federal revenue, while today, that number has shrunk to 6%.

But Molloy expressed hope for the future. Evens in Wisconsin, where the Governor attempted to take away collective bargaining rights, have rekindled union support. "The slumbering giant is finally waking up," Molloy said.

The event was the first of the Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee's "Democracy Talks" series.

Full disclosure: I am an officer of the Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee which sponsored the talk.

Update: Corrected attendance in the first graf; according to the Newport Daily News, there were close to 50 people in attendance. I was in the front row and missed some.

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Localblogging, 02871, PDTC

Reminder: Portsmouth to host talk on role of labor unions tomorrow night

URI Professor Scott Molloy comes to Portsmouth on Thursday, April 14 to speak about labor unions and labor relations in the first installment of a new "Democracy Talks" lecture series on civics and government sponsored by the Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee.

Free and open to the public, the lecture will be held on Thursday, April 14, 7 p.m. at the Portsmouth Middle School auditorium on Jepson Lane.

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Localblogging, PDTC, 02817

Portsmouth to host talk on role of labor unions in the 21st Century

URI Professor Scott Molloy comes to Portsmouth on April 14 to speak about labor unions and labor relations in the first installment of a new "Democracy Talks" lecture series on civics and government sponsored by the Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee.

Free and open to the public, the lecture will be held on Thursday, April 14, 7 p.m. at the Portsmouth Middle School auditorium on Jepson Lane.

“With so many workforce issues being faced in Rhode Island and nationwide, we thought people might want to hear an expert’s ‘big picture’ understanding of labor relations today, and tomorrow. We are thrilled to have Dr. Molloy, a nationally known scholar and lively speaker, inaugurate our lecture series,” said Town Committee Chair Leonard Katzman.

Molloy is nationally recognized for his expertise on American labor, labor history and Irish American history. He is the author of Trolley Wars: Streetcar workers on the Line, (2007) that looks at workers during the Rhode Island Transit Strike of 1902 and Irish Titan, Irish Toilers: Joseph Banigan and Nineteenth-Century New England Labor (2008). He is also known regionally as president and founder of the R.I. Labor History Society and for his role in helping to build the Irish Famine Memorial in Providence in 2007.

Full disclosure: Written substantially from a press release by the Democratic Town Committee, of which I am an officer.

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Localblogging, 02871, PDTC

New officers elected to Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee

During its organizational meeting, the Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee elected a new slate of officers for the 2011-2013 term, according to a statement released by the committee. The new officers are Chair Leonard Katzman, Vice-Chair Marge Levesque, Treasurer Charles Levesque, and Secretary John McDaid.

“The Town of Portsmouth faces many challenges and the Democratic Party will continue to play an integral role in Portsmouth government," said Chair Katzman in remarks distributed to the media. "We are fortunate to have so many talented individuals who are committed to improving the quality of life in Portsmouth through their service on the Democratic Town Committee.”

Katzman, who served two terms on the Portsmouth Town Council, is in his second full term as chair. Incoming Vice-Chair Marge Levesque is a veteran of 14 years on the Portsmouth School Committee. Chuck Levesque, continuing his service as treasurer, has served as the Senator for District 11, state representative, and on the Town Council. McDaid, who runs a Portsmouth news blog, was a candidate for School Committee in 2010.

The Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee is a nonprofit association established to uphold and to advance the principles of the Democratic Party within the Town of Portsmouth. The primary goal of the Town Committee is the election and appointment of qualified Democrats to offices, commissions, committees and boards in the Town of Portsmouth, the State of Rhode Island and the United States of America.

The Committee is responsible for the endorsement and the support of a slate of Democratic candidates for the Town Council and School Committee. The Democratic Town Committee also strives to communicate to all residents of the Town of Portsmouth the principles of the Democratic Party.

Editorial note and disclosure: It may be blindingly obvious, but this is written from a press release by the committee of which I am a member.

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