The 1968 Memphis Strike, Part One: The Garbage Workers.
Less well known is that Memphis sanitation workers, inspired by their counterparts in New York, began their strike two days after the New York strike ended, on February 12, 1968. When the USA renegotiated their contract with the City in 2007, they won recognition of MLK Day as a holiday in recognition of Dr. King’s special relationship with sanitation workers.
On 1 February 1968, two Memphis garbage collectors, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, were crushed to death by a malfunctioning truck. Twelve days later, frustrated by the city’s response to the latest event in a long pattern of neglect and abuse of its black employees, 1,300 black men from the Memphis Department of Public Works went on strike. Sanitation workers, led by garbage-collector-turned.
In 1968, 1,300 black men from the Memphis Department of Public Works went on strike after a malfunctioning truck crushed two garbage collectors to death. The strike led to marches with.
On February 1, 1968, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, two black Memphis garbage collectors, were crushed to death by a malfunctioning truck. The city’s lackluster response to this event, which epitomized years of neglect for its black citizens, inspired a strike that galvanized thousands of city workers and captured the nation’s attention. This poster’s bold yet simple sign, created for the.
First I want to clarify. I have light skin so my situation is nowhere near as obvious or as threatening as other groups in America. As a light skinned Puerto Rican woman, I have been naive enough to think that I don’t need to fear cops or fear being feared (the most dangerous one).
Less well known is that Memphis sanitation workers, inspired by their counterparts in New York, began their strike two days after the New York strike ended, on February 12, 1968.
The Memphis sanitation strike which began in Memphis on February 11, 1968 was characterized by protests of the Memphis sanitation workers against poor working conditions, discrimination, poor payment, lack of compensation for work-related injuries and lack of recognition for the worker’s union (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local-AFSCME).