History’s voice fades

April 3 marks the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech at Mason Temple, when he addressed the striking members of AFSCME Local 1733 and thousands of their supporters. The 1,300 black sanitation workers went on strike in February 1968 to force the city of Memphis to recognize their union, and for better working conditions, fair treatment and a livable wage. At its heart, their strike was about respect and dignity.

Yet here in Memphis, leaders and decision-makers at every level of government are ignoring the legacy of the sanitation workers’ strike and King’s advocacy. They are devaluing public service workers, outsourcing public service jobs and shuttering schools in the poorest neighborhoods.

Elected officials and decision-makers are also ignoring the advice and input of Local 1733, the union that represents public service workers and of which I am executive director, implementing arbitrary policies and taking actions that don’t save money or make operations more efficient. In fact, their choices are having the opposite effect.

In some city divisions, most notably Public Works, managers are making decisions that could even be dangerous. Sanitation workers are forced to work in terrible storms and sent out on trucks that don’t have working windshield wipers or defoggers.

In the city’s schools, all 1,000 custodians will be laid off due to the merger of the Memphis and Shelby County schools, and their work will be outsourced to a private company. Even if the school custodians are rehired, they’ll be earning less — barely a livable wage — and they won’t have a voice at work. These are primarily single women heads of household who have been school employees for an average of 20 years.

In the midst of this, Memphis continues to give millions of dollars in tax breaks to big companies — tax breaks for which working families end up paying.

The 1968 sanitation workers’ strike was a high-water mark in the fight for civil rights, but it was also a critical moment for labor rights because the sanitation workers forced the city to recognize their union. Yet 45 years later, the city again is ignoring the concerns of workers and refusing to listen to their union. History can serve as a guide, or as a warning. Unfortunately, our city’s leaders have not learned the lessons of history.