Union Movement = Social Justice Movement
Martin Luther King, Jr. was gunned down in Memphis in 1968, the day after delivering his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. But how many Americans know that what brought Dr. King to Memphis was the melding of a labor union contract fight and the growing force of the civil rights movement? There long has been recognition on the union side, as well, that our fight for improved working conditions is connected to the social justice movement in the larger society.
—Adapted from The Union Member's Complete Guide, by Michael Mauer.