Liberal groups protest ‘assault’ on labor rights on date of MLK’s assassination
The Hill – Labor, civil rights and environmental groups will advocate for collective bargaining rights Monday on the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Under the banner of “We Are One,” the coalition is seeking to build off the labor movement’s momentum from its standoff in Wisconsin with GOP Gov. Scott Walker. Organizers are citing the slain civil-rights leader’s protests for collective bargaining rights for sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn, as inspiration to support workers rights.
“What we’re witnessing is nothing short of an ideological assault on Dr. King’s vision for a more just and equitable nation,” Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, told reporters on a press call Monday. “If Dr. King were here with us today, he would undoubtedly be marching against injustice in Madison, Columbus and on Capitol Hill, just as he marched against injustice in Memphis in 1968.”
