After two men were crushed in a garbage truck, more than 1,300 memphis sanitation workers went on strike 50 years ago to protest abysmal wages and working conditions. Longstanding tensions between disgruntled african american sanitation workers and memphis city officials erupted on february 12, 1968 when nearly one thousand workers refused to report to work demanding higher wages, safer working conditions, and recognition of their union, local 1733 of the american federation of. Timeline of events surrounding the 1968 memphis sanitation workers strike. On february 12th, 1968, the memphis sanitation strike began in response of the deaths of. The teamsters union is mourning the death of alvin turner, who participated in the 1968 memphis sanitation workers strike and who has stood with the teamsters over the years to help raise standards for workers in the waste industry. As of this evening, 930 workers in the sanitation department are out on strike in. The strike was supported by local clergy active in the civil rights movement. On february 12, 1968, sanitation workers in memphis, tennessee, began a labor strike to protest unfair wages, unsafe working conditions, and the citys. How the memphis sanitation strike changed history jstor. Other articles where memphis sanitation workers strike is discussed. Mayor loeb rejected the city council vote, however, insisting that only he had the authority to recognize the union and refused to do so.
The strike that brought hope to memphis sanitation workers. The 1968 sanitation strike on display on the 1st and 4th floors of mcwherter library. In february of 1968, a century after emancipation, the shameful jim crow era was alive and well in the american south. Then on february 12, 1968, about of the citys 1100 sanitation workers went on strike. Our video series shares neverbeentold stories of the memphis sanitation workers. It was in the midst of this poor peoples campaign that dr. In most tellings, it starts with the deaths of cole and walker in february 1968, picks up with the involvement of king and his poor peoples campaign in march. The memphis sanitation workers strike is now connected to the iconic i am a man slogan, which verbalized their humanity as men not a boy, garbage man, sanitation worker, but a man. Still, the memphis public works department required its sanitation workers all black men to continue to work in the downpour feb. The rain was torrential, flooding streets and overflowing sewers. That day, two sanitation workers, echol cole and robert walker, took shelter from the rain in the back of their garbage truck. Initially, it was difficult for memphis black sanitation workers to organize in 1968. The night before his assassination in april 1968, martin luther king told a group of striking sanitation workers in memphis, tennessee.
Some older workers did not want to strike despite the deaths of fellow workers echol cole and robert walker. Naacp honors memphis sanitation workers who went on strike. Martin luther kings assassination in memphis is raising issues about the workers he supported. King was summoned to memphis to lend his voice to the sanitation workers strike now a month underway. The naacp, ministers, students and community leaders both black and white, including dr. Memphis sanitation strike health is a human right race. Memphis sanitation workers strike civil rights movement. Spurred by the gruesome deaths of two african american sanitation workers, sanitation employees went on strike for higher wages, better working conditions, and union recognition. Fifty years after sanitation workers strike, the fight. Memphis was so very important, because the 1,300 black men who worked in the citys sanitation department were treated despicably. Photo courtesy of memphis pressscimitar archives, university of memphis. This month, my hometown of memphis honored the 50year anniversary of a strike by hundreds of black sanitation workers who walked off their jobs and marched with dr. Many white and black americans in memphis took pride in the way their community had avoided the violence that accompanied integration in other places.
Remembering the 1968 memphis sanitation workers strike. King who had come to memphis to lend support to the strikers. The workers of the memphis sanitation strike 1968 i am a man. Among the lowest paid of city employees, with no medical insurance, workers compensation, or overtime pay, the sanitation workers had. In 1968, memphis sanitation workers went on strike. The strike that brought mlk to memphis in his final days, martin luther king jr. Remembering the 1968 memphis sanitation workers strike afro. This strike was led by black sanitation workers who were tired of human exploitation, economic oppression, and. Kings presence gave some buoyancy to the sanitation workers, davis says. The memphis sanitation strike, 1968 a short history of the 1968 strike of 0 africanamerican sanitation workers in memphis, tennessee, during which martin luther king jr. Those were the simple words on the signs carried by many of more than 1,300 striking memphis sanitation workers nearly all black during the spring of 1968. Memphis announces grants for remaining 1968 sanitation workers. The grants to workers from the historic sanitation workers strike that brought martin luther king jr.
Recognition of sanitation workers local union, dues checkoff where employer withholds union dues from employees paycheck. The strike might have ended on 22 february, when the city council, pressured by a sitin of sanitation workers and their supporters, voted to recognize the union and recommended a wage increase. Timeline of events surrounding the 1968 memphis sanitation. Memphis, tennessee, sanitation workers strike, 1968. Justice through journalism about why poverty plagues memphis and whether sanitation workers are better off today than 50 years ago. The strike began on february 12 after two sanitation workers were killed on the job, and black workers were the victims of unfair and prejudicial work policies. Support for the strikers in the black community grew, and memphis leaders invited the involvement of martin luther king, jr. King the year 1968 proved to be a turning point for gradualism of integration and racial justice in memphis. When we remember the memphis sanitation strike, with its iconic i am a man signs, its usually just as the backdrop for the assassination of martin luther king, jr. Photographer richard copley and the 1968 memphis sanitation workers strike. Justice for sanitation workers at republicallied waste. But historian jason sokol explains how the strike, which began 50 years ago on february 12, 1968, was ignited by longsmoldering outrage and helped deepen kings radicalism in the last months of his life. The ugly memphis sanitation workers strike portside. Specifically, the memphis search for meaning committee was concerned with study of the period from february 12 through april 16, 1968, encompassing the sanitation workers strike with its escalating community tensions and racial polarizations, and culminating in the killing of dr.
Memphis, tennessee, sanitation workers strike, 1968 u. In memphis, africanamericans were shut out of jobs that paid an honest wage. The strike was all but broken until king got involved, according to fred davis, a memphis city councilman at the time. Memphis sanitation strike, deaths remembered at ceremony. Sanitation workers strike recalled in memphis, other. King is assassinated in memphis, tennessee, by james earl ray. This exhibit pulls directly from primary sources of people that were involved with the 1968 sanitation workers strike that brought dr. I am a man, sanitation workers strike, memphis, march 28, 1968. This timeline tracks the series of events surrounding the memphis sanitation workers strike that began in february, 1968, including the ive been to the mountaintop speech by dr. The memphis sanitation workers strike movement the memphis sanitation strike of 1968 was one of the greatest events in human history. In 1968 memphis, sanitation workers existed in a netherworld between the plantation and the modern urban economy the story of the memphis strike is often woefully abbreviated. Labor history on the evening of february 11, 1968, more than 700 sanitation workers packed into the labor temple in memphis to discuss their increasing frustration with the workplace.
In november 2015, nearly a decade after voting to decertify, drivers for waste management in memphis voted to rejoin the teamsters union. Teamsters mourn death of memphis sanitation worker who went on strike in 1968. Naacp honors memphis sanitation workers who went on strike in 1968 some 1,300 black men from the memphis department of public works went on strike 50 years ago to protest poor working conditions. Sanitation workers strike university libraries blog. Its been a triumphant year for waste workers at local 667. Screenwriter geoffrey fletcher to dramatize the 1968 memphis sanitation strike in i am a man the oscarwinning writer will adapt a 2007 book by labor historian michael k. A short video history of the 1968 memphis sanitation strike of africanamerican refuse workers, during which martin luther king jr was assassinated. From 1968 memphis sanitation strike to teachers strikes. Civil rights movement 1950s1960s february 12, 1968 to.
Memphis sanitation workers strike the martin luther. Sanitation workers who went on a strike that brought martin luther king jr. Apr 19, 2017 afscme 1968 memphis sanitation workers strike timeline. Honey that chronicles how striking black sanitation workers demanded racial equity.
461 651 1358 1235 1069 639 483 927 881 405 1271 605 502 1566 72 838 14 1362 497 102 432 1468 134 374 1584 70 1263 1308 735 1090 1185 504 759 467 595 1063 275 190 451 1079 1257