Blue Oregon: Martin Luther King, the Memphis sanitation strike, and the dignity of labor

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.blueoregon.com/2009/01/memphis-sanitat.html

Charlie Burr

In April 1968, AFSCME Local 1733 and the city of Memphis were engaged in a bitter sanitation strike over wages and the right to organize. King's involvement underscores just how central the cause of economic justice was to his work. Below is a short film on the sanitation strike with timeline after the jump.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBDgH435oaU&eurl=http://www.blueoregon.com/2009/01/memphis-sanitat.html

More after the jump.

One of the enduring images from this period features Memphis Mayor Loeb -- with a shotgun beneath his desk -- meeting with local clergy:


Photo: Robert Williams/The Commercial Appeal

Mayor Henry Loeb - a shotgun beneath his desk - greeted about 300 black and white ministers in his office Friday, April 5, shaking hands with Rev. Joseph P. Toney while Father Nicholas L. Vieron (behind the clasped hands) looked on. The ministers - who represented congregations in wealthy East Memphis and the impoverished inner city - were impressed with Loeb's cordiality in the face of such a potentially uncomfortable confrontation. The ministers were calling for an end to the sanitation strike and union recognition for the workers. But Loeb gave no indication he was willing to compromise with the strikers.

Strike timeline (from AFSCME Local 1733):

Monday, Jan 1 - Henry Loeb is sworn into office as mayor.

Sunday, Jan. 31 - Rain sends sewer workers home.

Tuesday, Feb. 1 - Two sanitation workers are killed in an accident on a city truck.

Monday, Feb. 12 - Memphis sanitation and public employees strike after last-minute attempts to resolve grievances fail. Newspapers claim 200 workers of 1,300 remain on the job but only 38 of 180 trucks move. Mayor Loeb says strike is illegal but says "this office stands ready... to talk to anyone about his legitimate questions at any time."

Tuesday, Feb. 13 - An International Union official flies in from Washington to meet with the mayor. He calls for union recognition, dues checkoff and negotiations to resolve the workers' grievances. The Mayor says he'll hire new workers unless the strikers return to their jobs.

Wednesday, Feb. 14 - The Mayor delivers a back-to-work ultimatum for 7 a.m. Feb. 15. Police escort the few garbage trucks in operation. Negotiations between the city and the union break off. Newspapers say more than 10,000 tons of garbage is piled up.

FULL story at link.