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Working Families in Historic Civil Rights Struggles
America's
union movement champions those who
lack a voice in our society. Union members played
a critical role in the civil rights struggles of the past
and that involvement continues today.
When
Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed for civil
disobedience,unions and union members frequently
came to his aid with the legal and financial help
he needed. Union members marched in Washington
in 1963 and in countless cities around the country. King was killed
while in Memphis to aid striking sanitation workers.
Today, the union movement is in the forefront of efforts to ensure that the gains of the past are maintained and to fight for those still denied opportunity and equality. From its struggles to ensure U.S. workplaces are free of discrimination to its battles to ensure that the hard-earned right to vote is secure for all, the union movement continues to fight for the poor and the oppressed.
These
images are a snapshot of the partnership between the union movement and
the civil rights 
movement.
At
right, President John F. Kennedy poses
Aug. 28, 1963, at the White House with a
group of leaders of the March on Washington,
including Martin Luther King Jr. and union
leaders A. Philip Randolph, an AFL-CIO
vice president and principal organizer
of the March on Washington, and
Walter P. Reuther, then-president of the UAW.
From
left: Whitney Young, National Urban League
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Southern Christian Leadership Conference; John
Lewis, Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee; Rabbi Joachim Prinz,
American Jewish Congress; Dr. Eugene P. Donnaly, National Council of
Churches; A. Philip Randolph, AFL-CIO vice president; Kennedy; Walter P.
Reuther, UAW; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, rear, and Roy Wilkins,
NAACP.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., at bottom-left,
shown in a line of men with arms linked,
helps lead the March on Washington, Aug. 28, 1963.
Thousands of union members participated.
Union members carrying UAW and IUE signs are visible in this photo.
In April 1968, Dr. King traveled to Memphis
to support striking sanitation workers—members of AFSCME
Local 1733. The strike was in many
ways more than a dispute over workplace issues—
it was a struggle for dignity for predominantly African American workers
joining together with a union to create a voice on the job and in their
community. It was while supporting these striking union members that Dr.
King was assassinated by a sniper on April 4, 1968. Visit AFSCME's
Memphis: We Remember website
for more information.
Next Meeting
February 11th, 2009
Boardroom at 300 East Locust
Community Services @
5, Executive Board @ 5:30
Delegates @ 6
The policies of South Central are democratically determined by our delegates from affiliated locals. They propose policies, express their opinions, and cast votes in proportion to the number of workers they represent to determine the programs and policies of South Central Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, according to the national Rules Governing AFL-CIO Area Labor Councils and Central Labor Councils.
Every four years delegates elect officers to lead South Central Iowa Federation of Labor and implement these policies.
Per capita tax pays for the regular operation of South Central and finances its many legislative, educational, research, public relations, legal and community activities.
We are located at 300 East Locust, Suite 260
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
515-265-1862
Last updated on January 15th, 2009 Copyright 2005 scifl.org
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