Brothers and Sisters, As we celebrate the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 20, let us not forget that his struggle did not only center on civil rights for all Americans, but looked to the Labor Movement to provide dignity and respect in the workplace.
He said these words on the day before he was assassinated in Memphis, where he had arrived to support striking sanitation workers:
“ But let me say to you tonight that whenever you are engaged in work that serves humanity and is for the building of humanity, it has dignity and it has worth.”
AFSCME Memphis Sanitation Strike, April 3, 1968
These words are no less true today than they were 56 years ago. We demand dignity and respect. Unity, Solidarity, Pride in our work!
