"Memorable" Night at the Nats
Monday, July 21, 2014(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
The excited father with his son and daughter blended
right into the sea of red-clad fans at Nationals Park Friday night. Until
Secretary of Labor Tom Perez walked out onto the mound and fired the ceremonial
first pitch of the 8th annual Labor Night at the Nats. But even as he
realized a lifelong dream, Perez was thinking of workers, telling Union City
that baseball “is about being able to spend time with your family” and
noting
that All Star player Daniel Murphy of the Mets “was able to take time off for
the most important day of his life, the birth of his child. There’s a lot of
people who can’t afford to do that. He had the ability to do that because his
bargaining agreement said that you can take paid leave. That’s a poignant
reminder
of a right that baseball players have earned through collective bargaining that
so many people don’t have because they don’t have a union contract.”
Hosted by
Metro Washington Council President Jos Williams, NoVA Labor President Dan
Duncan and Labor Night at the Nats organizer
Kathleen McKirchy, Perez and his
kids mingled with players on the field before the game and joined the crowd in
enthusiastically applauding AFSCME staffer Renee Barnes usual spirited
rendition of the national anthem. In addition to a special Nats jersey with his
name across the back, Perez sported a special made-in-the-US Nats cap presented
to him by Duncan. Perez, Williams and Duncan watched the game from the stands
among some of the nearly 5,000 union members who’d participated in the annual
MWC-NoVA-sponsored fundraiser for CSA’s Emergency Assistance Fund. “It was
a
great night at the ballpark,” said Williams, “made even more memorable by
having Tom join us.”
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report/photos by Chris Garlock; (upper right) Perez with OPEIU 2 officers and
members; (lower left): Williams, Perez and Duncan