On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in front of the
Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. He was in Memphis to express his adamant
support for striking sanitation workers. His assassination in this context
takes on new meaning today as working people across the country rise to build a
movement in opposition to the anti-worker and anti-union agenda being
propagated by state governments in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and elsewhere.
Like Madison today, Memphis became a central focus for progressives and
media across the country as working people took to the streets to fight the
massive oppression and discrimination faced in the workplace.
In 1968, Memphis sanitation workers worked without protective gear or
uniforms; they were forced to carry metal bins on their heads to discard trash.
“They had no paid holidays, no paid vacations, no sick leave, or health
insurance. Use of the term ‘boy’ by white supervisors was commonplace. They
rang a bell to call [employees] like animals to board the trucks.” Eating and
washing areas were completely segregated. Compensation: $1.04 an hour.
That year, two Black workers were blocked from standing indoors alongside
whites during a rainstorm. The two men tried to stay dry in the back of a
compactor truck that lacked routine maintenance. The compactor malfunctioned
killed them. Their preventable deaths, coupled with years of discrimination and
oppression, led to the wildcat action of 1,300 sanitation workers on Feb. 12,
1968.
The city government took the position of no concessions; sanitation workers
must return to work without union recognition. The wildcat action was then
transformed into an all-out strike. The goal of the strike was affiliation with
the American Federal, State, City and Municipal Employees Union.
The workers’ peaceful call for an end to discrimination was met with
hostility and state-organized violence. On Feb. 23, police attacked a march in
support of the sanitation workers with mace. In addition, city officials were
granted an injunction to prohibit future pickets or rallies in support of the
sanitation workers.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s arrival in Memphis brought much needed energy. The
people faced continual demonization; many strikers and supporters were being
imprisoned. Upon arrival, King called for a citywide march in support of the
sanitation workers.
Under the pretext of violence initiated by rally participants, Memphis
police attacked the demonstration on March 28. Tear gas, night sticks and mass
arrests were the order of the day. Peaceful response no longer seemed like the
only tactic required to win the struggle against injustice. Even King
questioned its validity. The National Guard was given ultimate authority and
Memphis became a police state with a 7 p.m. curfew.
King returned to Memphis a few days later against the advice of many of his
colleagues who felt it best to forget Memphis and the entire Poor Peoples
Campaign. His return overtly displayed his commitment not solely to civil
rights or personal gain but the fight against inequality in general. It also
showed his acceptance of varying tactics and strategies in the fight for
justice.
King was determined to unite with the youth and more radical elements in
Memphis with the goal of victory for the sanitation workers. But his task was
pre-empted by his assassination on April 4. The next day, President Johnson
ordered federal troops to Memphis and charged Undersecretary of Labor James
Reynolds with the task of settling the strike. Within two weeks, the sanitation
workers were formal members of AFSCME.
Many lessons can be drawn from that struggle. The power of workers to withhold their labor—the power to strike—proved to
be a highly effective weapon. Building unity among workers, the community and different political groups became an important source of strength. Racism was, as it had been so many times before, whipped up by the bosses and the politicians to a fever pitch to keep workers divided. These are all lessons the capitalist class would like us to forget, together with Dr. King’s principled stand for the right of labor to organize.
Today, as unions in Wisconsin and throughout the country face continual
onslaught, King’s legacy of unity in struggle rings true. On April 4, the
Communication Workers of America has called for a National Day of Action in
support of unions and working people across the United States. Dr. King was
assassinated on the brink of launching a campaign for justice for all working people;
today our task is the same.
From Madison, Wis., to Washington, D.C., to Illinois, more than 600 events
are being planned on this day of action. It is receiving support from AFSCME,
SEIU and other unions throughout the country. Unions are uniting with local
community and social justice organizations in a show of force in opposition to
the attacks on working people.
“King made people take notice of sanitation workers all over the country,”
said Joe O’Donnell, the D.C. chief of street cleaning. “To be honest,
conditions were bad for both Blacks and whites. Everybody benefited from what
King and our union (AFSCME, AFL-CIO) accomplished.”
