As the country honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we remember his often ignored contributions to the labor movement. Dr. King understood the ties between labor rights and civil rights. He gave his life while supporting striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. He spoke firmly against right-to-work laws, saying that “in our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as ‘right to work.’ It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights.”

TDU Members John Palmer, Willie Hardy and Kim Schultz at the 50th Anniversary of the Memphis Sanitation Strike

Throughout the coming days, many politicians who advocate right-to-work and other anti-labor laws will pay lip service to Dr. King’s work. Some will urge us to continue Dr. King’s struggle for civil rights and racial equality. Politicians who take aim at the labor movement are not fighting for the society that Dr. King envisioned. TDU strives to continue Dr King’s fight for civil rights and for all workers. The labor movement is strongest when it fights for everyone.