Sharpton praises AFL-CIO's civil rights connections

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/apr/03/afl-cio-agenda/

By David Flaum (Contact)
Thursday, April 3, 2008

Leaders of the AFL-CIO laid out labor's economic -- and political -- agenda at the opening of the 10th annual National Action Network convention Wednesday at The Peabody.

Rev. Al Sharpton, network president, said it was fitting that the group hold its convention in Memphis the week the nation honors the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination, saying the civil rights movement and labor have been aligned for decades.


Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal

John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, talks to members of the National Action Network during the opening luncheon of their national convention at The Peabody Wednesday afternoon.

"Dr. Martin Luther King was in Memphis on a labor issue (sanitation workers' strike)," Sharpton said, before he introduced AFL-CIO president John Sweeney. "We wanted to make sure we connect with labor and civil rights."

Labor has had a tough 71/2 years, Sweeney told about 120 people at the luncheon, which followed. "We've given more than we've gained."

For example, he said, the U. S. Labor Department has been lax in enforcing wage and hour laws and safety standards. He also accused the National Labor Relations Board of unraveling years of pro-worker legal precedents.

"We need to turn around our health care and civil rights," he said. "We need to restore workers' powers."

FULL story at link.