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“The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress,” said King in a speech in 1965. “Out of its bold struggles, economic and social reform gave birth to unemployment insurance, old-age pensions, government relief for the destitute and, above all, new wage levels that meant not mere survival but a tolerable life.
Ottawa (20 Jan 2014) – It’s Martin Luther King Jr. day south of the border, and Americans are commemorating the birth of the iconic human and labour rights leader with parades, marches, and church services. The annual celebration is held the third Monday of January, close to his birthdate of January 15 in 1929. It’s not officially recognized by the federal or provincial governments in Canada, but it is marked every year by union members from one end of the country to the other.
Trade unionists celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s work for equal rights and fairness
And this year, as corporate conservatives call for the adoption of U.S.-style “right to work” laws, we call instead for the adoption of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. King understood that human rights and labour rights are one in the same, and that we should be vigilantly on guard against politicians trying to curb either.
“In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as ‘right to work,’” King said in in speech in 1961. “It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights. Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining by which unions have improved wages and working conditions of everyone.”
“Wherever these laws have been passed, wages are lower, job opportunities are fewer and there are no civil rights. We do not intend to let them do this to us. We demand this fraud be stopped. Our weapon is our vote.”
From the start, King’s non-violent struggles for equal rights and common decency were supported and promoted by unions and their members. He was, in turn, a strong ally of labour and appreciated just how powerful a force unions could be for equality, justice, and common decency.”
Transformed misery and despair into hope and progress
“The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress,” said King in a speech in 1965. “Out of its bold struggles, economic and social reform gave birth to unemployment insurance, old-age pensions, government relief for the destitute and, above all, new wage levels that meant not mere survival but a tolerable life.
“The captains of industry did not lead this transformation; they resisted it until they were overcome."
King was in Memphis to show solidarity with striking city workers when he was assassinated in 1968. And were it not for unions, Martin Luther King Jr. day wouldn’t have been established: it was established only in 1983 after nearly a decade of concentrated demands for it at the bargaining table by members of AFL-CIO unions.
So, to all Canadians: enjoy all of your freedoms today. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life to help achieve them for us all.
See this excellent short essay on King’s very close ties to the labour movment.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE