How Unions Helped Bring Economic Justice to Black Workers

[marmar]

AlterNet / By Daniel Denvir

How Unions Helped Bring Economic Justice to Black Workers
Despite the fact that most black people are workers, the media continues to talk about black issues and union issues separately.


February 25, 2011 | Police attacked a crowd of striking black sanitation workers in Memphis on February 23 1968, 43 years ago this Wednesday. It was low-pay and dangerous work, and they suffered abusive white supervisors. Two workers had been crushed to death that January. The City Council refused to recognize the collective bargaining rights of the workers, who had joined the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Their picket signs read “I Am a Man.”

Martin Luther King, Jr., a long-time ally of organized labor, came to Memphis to support the strikers. He led marches and spoke to crowds of thousands as protesters confronted an increasingly violent police response. King was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968.

As tens of thousands of workers in Wisconsin protest to defend their right to collectively bargain, the key role of public sector jobs and unions in delivering economic justice to black workers has been largely overlooked. In a speech at an AFL-CIO convention seven years earlier, King told the crowd that labor was a civil rights priority and that the two movements faced a common enemy:

“Negroes are almost entirely a working people. There are pitifully few Negro millionaires, and few Negro employers. Our needs are identical with labor's needs -- decent wages, fair working conditions, livable housing, old age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children and respect in the community. That is why Negroes support labor's demands and fight laws which curb labor. That is why the labor-hater and labor-baiter is virtually always a twin-headed creature spewing anti-Negro epithets from one mouth and anti-labor propaganda from the other mouth.” ........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/economy/150024/how_unions_helped_bring_economic_justice_to_black_workers/

[liberal N proud]

1. LIke liberals, unions have been given a bad name

Unions have made it possible for so many to have a decent life and many of them have never been in a union. But their lives were improved because of what the union fought for.

[FreakinDJ]

2. Bigots Hate the Unions because of it's EOE record

[ProgressiveProfessor]

3. If you go back far enough, many unions actively opposed black membership

So black workers formed their own unions but those unions were prevented from joining the all-white National Labor Union. That clearly changed over time, but until the 1960s there was still at least vestige racism even in the labor movement.

We need to acknowledge vice deny that history, since it is quite real. We also need to focus on going forward and clearly show that is not what unions are today.

[FreakinDJ]

4. Early 70s Union had Better EOE record then State Government

go back far enough and you have Slavery - so what

[ProgressiveProfessor]

5. You are taking the "it's ancient history" approach which most American do

The problem with that approach is that it makes it easy to dismiss modern day complaints about historical wrongs against minorities and in particular native americans.

I am also not sure you have the historical support for your position that in the early 70 all unions had a better EOE record than state governments. There was still a lot of it in the deep south, some argue it is still there today.

[FreakinDJ]

6. Your the professor - try "CivilRights.org"

The level of Anti-Union sentiment on this website and others now that FUX News has called out to all TeaBaggers to make their presences known is alarming

http://www.civilrights.org/publications/voices-2009/representation.html

MLK marched with Unions all through the South - How is that for Historical FACT and empirical evidence

[ProgressiveProfessor]

8. Not particularly relevant

I am union member, and certainly not anti union, but I am anti BS. I also know that spouting nonsense reduces your credibility tremendously. Which is why I advocate acknowledging the history (since it is factual) and show how far the union movement has grown beyond those roots.

Unions have always been some of the most progressive elements of our society, but they were still part of our society. If society at the time was strongly racist at the time, they would reflect some of that.

Despite some bad early history in terms of race, unions have been a very positive force in our society for the working man and pulled society forward, even if society was not particularly interested in moving. They have been instrumental in achieving many of the gains made for minorities in our society. Its a great story to tell. Just don't ruin it by injecting falsehoods into it.

[Kweli4Real]

9. I suspect that is the point ...

to dismiss contemporary racial complaints.

[toddwv]

7. Don't tell the right-wingers that...

That will give them another reason to break unions.

[classysassy]

10. Keep the blacks poor and in their place

destroy the middle class seem to be the aim of the wealthy criminals and their paid shills( Fox news,Limbaugh,hate radio),the workers need to draw a line in the sand and say not an inch further and all middle class and the poor should support them.