An IAM delegation visited Washington, DC for the 2020 AFL‑CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference. This year’s theme was “Give Us the Ballot.”
In a message to IAM members, International President Robert Martinez Jr. urged members to stand up together in solidarity, organize with urgency and never give up on our sacred calling to promote dignity for every working person.
“Prior to his assassination in 1968, King worked feverishly to highlight economic injustice in America through his Poor People’s Campaign,” wrote Martinez. “Economic inequality continues to threaten our country today. Wages for workers have stagnated; costs for health care and insurance have skyrocketed; and the pay gap between CEOs and workers continues to widen.”
IAM General Secretary-Treasurer Dora Cervantes participated in a voting rights panel discussion at the National Press Club as a part of the conference activities.
IAM General Secretary-Treasurer Dora Cervantes explains how working people are going to mobilize in 2020.
“A union contract gives me a vote and a voice at work,” said Cervantes. “The ballot gives women, people of color, and working people a voice and a vote in our nation, states, cities, and communities.”
The PRO Act (H.R. 2474), introduced in May by House Education and Labor Committee chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and cosponsored by 215 Democrats and three Republicans, would amend the National Labor Relations Act to broaden workers’ rights to strike and unionize.
Congressional lawmakers say the legislation would drastically improve worker protections. That includes provisions such as:
Establish penalties on predatory corporations that violate workers’ rights, and combat misclassification of workers as supervisors and independent contractors.
Strengthen workers’ right to strike for basic workplace improvements, including higher wages and better working conditions.
Create a mediation and arbitration process to ensure corporations and newly formed unions reach a first contract.
Authorize unions and employers to negotiate agreements that allow unions to collect fair-share fees that cover the costs of representation.
Streamline the National Labor Relation Board’s (NLRB) procedures to secure worker freedoms and effectively prevent violations.
Protect the integrity of union elections against coercive captive audience meetings.
Passage in the House would advance the legislation to the Senate for consideration.
Like so many other social justice warriors, Dr. King realized that inequality is a threat to our democracy. He spent his life fighting and calling for economic justice. King realized that inequality is a threat to our democracy—right until the very end. As we pause to celebrate his birthday, we must redouble our efforts to make his dream a reality.
Prior to his assassination in 1968, King worked feverishly to highlight economic injustice in America through his Poor People’s Campaign. Economic inequality continues to threaten our country today. Wages for workers have stagnated; costs for health care and insurance have skyrocketed; and the pay gap between CEOs and workers continues to widen.
The nation is at a crossroads. Our national economic policies unfairly favor the growth of corporations at the expense of the rest of us. The growing economic inequality is unsustainable.
This is an important time in our history. In his final book, Dr. King posed the following question: “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” The labor movement is fighting for a community of working people who are compensated fairly and have their rights respected. All workers need to stand up in solidarity to close the gap between rich and poor and ensure that every working man and woman has the opportunity to make their lives better.
As King said, “all labor has dignity.” The first step in achieving this dignity is to create economic security for all working men and women.
Wednesday’s edition of the IAM’s live webcast included the latest from IAM District 70 and Elise Bryant, Coalition of Labor Union Women President and Labor Heritage Foundation Executive Director, discusses Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Coalition of Labor Union Women.
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