On Monday, 1/17, we all will celebrate a day set aside to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, TN during an AFSCME public employee strike. Dr. King was there to lead the community and the workers in a campaign to establish dignity. We all remember the haunting picket signs, “I am a Man.” How true that rings today. So much of the rhetoric in today’s Republican circles and by rightwing shock jocks takes away from our dignity and value as public workers. Somehow we are the enemy, somehow we are the cause of the economic recession; somehow we are socialists/communists; somehow we have forced industry to Mexico; somehow we have caused political disruption. It seems to us that we are nothing more than scapegoats for their venom. We are workers of dignity, workers who perform valuable services to the citizens of our state and our country. We are people – parents, church-goers, scout leaders – we are citizens and we are proud public workers. Dr. King gave the ultimate sacrifice for us as public workers, and we must never let him down. We must fight and struggle and do what we need to do to our last breath to assure the value and dignity of public service. The battle is on – are you in?
Source: AFSCME Council 24 Weekly Summary dated; 01/14/2011
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