IFPTE Honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
'Dr. King's words ring as true today as they ever have'
On Monday, January 16th, America will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. The members of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) are honored to join our nation in remembering one of our nation’s greatest Americans.
During the toughest of circumstances, and in the face of extreme hatred, Dr. King nonviolently moved our nation toward equality and true freedom for all of its citizens. It was a civil rights struggle that was, and continues to be, linked with labor rights for all of America’s workers. As Dr. King stated before the AFL-CIO Convention in December, 1961, “Our needs are identical with labor's needs—decent wages, fair working conditions, livable housing, old age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children and respect in the community.”
Sadly, Dr. King was assassinated on April 4th, 1968, the day after he gave his historic “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” speech in Memphis in support of the city’s 1,300 sanitation workers, who had been on strike for nearly two months fighting for fair wages, decent treatment on the job and recognition of their union. At the time, Memphis sanitation workers were earning only $1.80 an hour, working in dangerous conditions that led to the death of two workers, and many, particularly African-American workers, worked without pensions and health benefits.
As we remember Dr. King on his birthday, it is also important to reflect on what is happening today, where lawmakers at all levels are aiming to strip Americans of their constitutionally protected right to collective bargaining. Where governors in places such as New Jersey, Wisconsin, Ohio and elsewhere are attacking the rights of state government workers to collectively bargain and belong to unions. Where lawmakers in the United States Congress, and many of the candidates running for president, have vowed to do everything they can to end the bargaining rights that federal employees have enjoyed for 50 years. Where lawmakers in places like Indiana are moving forward a so-called “right to work” [for less] agenda...All efforts that contrast drastically with the movement that Dr. King led.
Rev. King’s rich and historic struggle for civil rights and human dignity will forever be tied to America’s working people. As he stated, "In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as 'right-to-work.' It provides no 'rights' and no 'works.' Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining...We demand this fraud be stopped." Dr. King’s words ring as true today as they ever have.
This January 16th, Dr. King’s legacy of social justice for all will be honored and will continue to live on through the IFPTE family, union members everywhere, and all working people throughout our nation.