AFSCME - Marking 40 Years Since the Memphis Sanitation Strike

Marking 40 Years Since the Memphis Sanitation Strike

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March 31, 2008

By Jesse Russell

This week marks 40 years since the Memphis Sanitation Strike and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The strike began on February 11, 1968 when 1300 black sanitation workers walked off the job protesting years of discrimination, low or no pay, and dangerous working conditions. They also sought to be represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. The strike soon became a major struggle of the civil rights movement and one of the final fights for Dr. King. He spoke his last speech in Memphis on April 2:

[King]: That's the question before you tonight. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?" The question is not, "If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" The question is, "If I do no stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?" That's the question.

King was assassinated on his hotel balcony on April 4. The strike would end on April 12 with union recognition and wage increases.

Sen. Barack Obama

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) addressed AFSCME's 38th International Convention on Thursday, July 31, 2008.