We Are The Union // Cablevision 99

 

This is one of the most creative and most smartly formulated union videos that I have ever seen.

Two Inspiring Union Videos From MLK Day

 

On this day and every day carry the message on!

 

Some quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr. to live by

Two upcoming events in Portland honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a reminder about the Seattle event

And please remember the related Pacific Northwest Labor History Association event in Seattle!
 

A celebration of the legacy of William Bill Lucy: Truly a Magical Night---Respectfully submitted By Tina Turner-Morfitt Vice President AFSCME Retiree Chapter

Sister Tina Turner-Morfitt, President of the Oregon Chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and a rank-and-file Oregon AFL-CIO leader and an active Oregon AFSCME retiree and a delegate to our Labor Chapter, sent the following post in. It captures vital moments in labor history and that point of confluence where the Civil Rights Movement and the Labor Movement flow together and become a might river.

The evening of December 10, 2023, was coined: ‘Make a Joyful Noise’. Hundreds of union and civil rights activists filled the ballroom of the Kimpton Holtel Monaco to pay homage to Brother William Bill Lucy on this celebration of his 90th birthday. Some the accolades used that evening described Brother Lucy, as: “the gold standard”, “a courageous visionary”, “a charismatic changer maker” and “the North Star of the labor movement.”

Reverend Terrence Melvin, the current International President of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, reflected that we were all witnessing a tribute to a rare human being, celebrating a rare milestone. The night was truly indeed magical.

A host of presenters who gave tribute to Brother Lucy’s global legacy include:

 Sister Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO President
 Brother Fred Redmond, Secretary Treasurer AFL-CIO
 Brother Lee Saunders, International President of AFSCME
 Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA), United Stated House of Representatives
 Marcia L Fudge, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
 Sister Clayola Brown, CBTU First Vice-President and Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships
and Racial Justice, AFL-CIO, A Philip Randolph Institute

On a faithful day in February 1968 Brother Lucy began forging his global legacy of inspiring activist
transitioning in subsequent years to become “a hero for members from every generation”. Later in 1972
he was elected as the first Black secretary-treasurer of AFSCME, one of the highest-ranking Black union leaders in organized labor at that time. To his acumen he didn’t stop there, he along with 4 other Black union leaders set a steady course of ensuring that Black workers and other underrepresented groups would become “full partners” in the labor movement’s leadership and contributing a campaign to broaden their mission statement to be more reflective of direction.

I was blessed to have witnessed this memorable evening and given the opportunity to present him with a signed framed copy of a resolution entitled ‘Legacy to William Lucy’ unanimously passed by the
Delegation of the Oregon AFSCME 2023 Biennial Convention on April 29th, 2023. Here it is, 55 years later, in his retirement, he continues to voice that, “Those that make history seldom see the footprints that they leave because the path is always before them.”

"Dr. King's Legacy and the Future of the Labor Movement"

 Most of us know that Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis in 1968, but fewer of us may appreciate what he was doing there at the time - supporting a strike by sanitation workers organizing with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSME). This workshop uses the 55 minute documentary, "At The River I Stand”, to examine the relationship between Martin Luther King and the Labor Movement. The film will be followed by discussion among attendees. We’ll look at the relationship between the labor and the civil rights movements, whites-only unions and the legacy of racism and prospects for unity between labor and other grassroots movements for racial equity and justice.

WHEN: Monday, January 15, 9:15 - 10:40 AM
WHERE: Garfield High School; 400 23rd Ave.; Seattle, WA

For more information:
Sea MLK Jr Coalition (seattlemlkcoalition.org)