Fifty years ago today, Memphis sanitation workers Echol Cole and Robert Walker were crushed to death in the back of their truck. City rules forbade black employees from seeking shelter from the rain anywhere but in the back of their compressor trucks, with the garbage.
Their horrible, unnecessary deaths sparked a citywide strike, a historic struggle for justice and respect that brought Martin Luther King to Memphis, where he marched with those striking sanitation workers carrying those famous “I Am A Man” signs. Those deaths and that struggle will be remembered today at 11am in front of the Howard Theatre as DC sanitation workers – represented by AFSCME Local 2091 – and their brothers and sisters across the labor movement, along with religious, community and political allies – observe a national moment of silence. Today’s commemoration kicks off Black History Month and AFSCME’s “I AM 2018” campaign, which includes a vigil at the Supreme Court later this month; stay tuned for details here on Union City Radio and of course on our website at dclabor.org, click on Calendar. On today’s labor calendar, tune in to this week’s edition of “Your Rights At Work” at 1pm today here on WPFW 89.3FM; today’s topics include efforts to organize by area grad students and the ongoing battle for justice by local airport workers. Plus of course your calls! Here’s today's labor history: On this date in 1864, the Collar Laundry Union, led by 23-year-old Kate Mullaney, formed in Troy, New York, raising earnings for female laundry workers from $2 dollars to $14 dollars a week. Today’s labor quote is by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from his speech in support of the striking sanitation workers at Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee on April 3, 1968. Martin Luther King, who said: “Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike, but either we go up together or we go down together. Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.” Union City Radio is supported by UnionPlus, which provides unique products and discounts for working families. Check them out at unionplus.org!
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