RWDSU Honors the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1/21/08)

     Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., (right) meets with RWDSU Local 3 to review a new contract with Bloomingdales in the 1960s.

On Monday, January 21, Americans everywhere will salute the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For RWDSU members Dr. King's legacy has special meaning.

Our union was among the earliest supporters of Dr. King's grassroots drive to challenge racial injustice in the South. In Chicago, we provided an important forum for Dr. King to speak out against poverty in America's cities. Later, thousands of RWDSU members stood shoulder to shoulder with other civil rights activists during the historic 1963 March on Washington. RWDSU members take special pride that, in 1968, ours was the first union anywhere to negotiate a contract guaranteeing Dr. King's birthday as a paid holiday.

Today, in reflecting on the life and work of Dr. King, we recognize that the fight he began has yet to be won -- and it is up to our generation of RWDSU members to complete his mission.