On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, where he stood with sanitation workers demanding the right to bargain collectively and pursue their dream of a better life.

From Madison, Wis., to Washington, D.C., to Illinois, more than 600 events were planned for this day of action with support from SEIU, AFSCME, and other unions as well as local community and social justice organizations in a show of force in opposition to the attacks on working people. In Los Angeles, union workers and others gathered for a rally at the First A.M.E. Church of Los Angeles.

In more than a dozen states across the country, workers are under attack. Legislatures are attempting to eliminate collective bargaining for both public and private sector employees, pass so-called "right to work" laws that weaken workers rights to be represented by a union, and turn back prevailing wage laws that ensure decent living standards.

Laphonza Butler, President of SEIU United Long Term Care Workers’, chastised groups like the Tea Party, claiming they are trying to change America’s values to that of greed and selfishness, ignoring the pleas of the working class. She said that Republicans are holding America hostage with the threat of a government shutdown if Congress doesn’t agree to cut funding for programs that are sorely needed. She pointed out that almost five million people are in poverty in California and children in the state are last, ranking 50th in the nation in standardized testing. Butler emphasized that now is not the time to be silent about the challenges ahead and that the fight of the 1,300 sanitation workers in Memphis must be continued.

April 4th

Los Angeles CA