Martin Luther King rally for workers' rights in Cleveland recalls leader's union roots
Source: Cleveland.com
By Olivera Perkins
CLEVELAND, Ohio - They rallied in front of the Halle Building on Monday during the holiday honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with some carrying this sign: "I AM A MAN".
For many, the link between the sign and King is inextricable. Striking sanitation workers in Memphis carried that sign in 1968. King had gone to that city to support those workers in their struggle for higher wages and safer working conditions, when he was assassinated. Those who rallied Monday in Cleveland sought to invoke his spirit as a champion of workers' rights in their present day struggle to ensure that working class workers here hold on to "decent" pay and benefits, which they say are threatened with being eroded.
At center of the rally were the contracts of janitors in the Service Employees International Union, Local 1, that are scheduled to expire in the spring.
"In commemoration of MLK and all of the work that he did with labor, we felt that it was fitting to make sure that the voices of the working people of our city are heard," said Yanela Sims, Northern Ohio coordinator for the union. "We want our voices heard. Our objective is to gain fair contracts with good wages and benefits, so that people are able to take care of their kids and live productively."
FULL story at link.
Unions rallied in downtown Cleveland on the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day recalling his roots in organized labor. The focus of the rally Monday also included support for janitors, whose contracts are scheduled to expire in the spring. (photo courtesy Deb Kline, Cleveland Jobs with Justice)
Participants in a downtown rally Monday focused on the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's involvement in organized labor.
photo courtesy Deb Kline, Cleveland Jobs with Justice
Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/01/martin_luther_king_rally_for_w.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
