HONORING DR. KING AND THE FIGHT FOR LABOR DIGNITY
King dedicated his life to the fight for racial and economic justice and was a steadfast supporter of the labor movement. He spoke at union conventions and walked picket lines with workers. Union members and leaders marched with King in the “March for Jobs and Freedom” and the Teamsters donated in support of King’s civil rights work.
In 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life while standing alongside sanitation workers on strike in Memphis, Tennessee. The day before the civil rights leader was assassinated, King delivered his renowned “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech in which he uplifted the struggle of the 1,300 Black sanitation workers in Memphis who toiled in harsh conditions for long hours and low wages.
“The principles that Dr. King fought and died for are the principles that guide our union and the entire labor movement today,” said General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Dr. King led the fight for equal pay for equal work — he was a union man at his core. We know Dr. King would be standing with Teamsters and all workers today as we confront Corporate America to win a better life for the working class.”