What Would MLK Do?
White supremacists are keeping the nation in turmoil as we begin our Martin Luther King Jr celebrations. At 6 PM tonight (Friday) The Dallas AFL-CIO will study the most effective mass organizer that America has ever produced. We stream on http://facebook.com/dallasaflcio. The lessons that we learn from Dr King can help us through the awful crisis at hand.
Together, Dr King made clear, the labor movement and the civil rights movement can triumph over any challenge.
Labor Sets Agenda
The greatest gains for American working families have always come through legislation. The new president, the new congress, and the new Texas Legislature offer challenges and opportunities to those who are clear about our needs.
The nation needs the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would remove many of the blockades that halt union organizing. It would strengthen occupation safety and health rules that include an OSHA infectious disease standard; bring a vast program to rebuild America infrastructure; issue a call for a racial equity czar to insist on equity in benefits; and demand a rebuilt safety net that shores up Social Security, Medicare, food and housing programs. The plan proposes to lower the Medicare eligibility age to 50.
Workers in our state must get the “Fair Shot” demanded by the Texas AFL-CIO. They continue to refine our demands with a statewide survey. The Texas Alliance for Retired Americans will continue to push for Medicaid expansion.
At a labor communicator’s conference this week, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said, “I’ve never been more optimistic than I am right now.”
More Actions Coming Up
Jan 15,11A-2P and Jan 16, 11A-2P: AFL-CIO MLK Civil and Human Rioghts conference on line
Jan 15, 6PM: Dallas labor leads discussion on “MLK and Labor” on http://facebook.com/dallasaflcio
Jan 16, 2-3:30P: MLK NAACP Grand Prairie Youth Poetic Speaking & Reflections on line
Jan 16, 6:30P: Gene Lantz speaks on “Labor Solidarity Is the Only Remedy” for the College of Complexes on http://facebook.com/genelantz.7
Jan 17, 11A: MLK religious service at 202 W Center St, Duncanville, 75116
Jan 18, 9A: Drive up car event with free lunch at 2975 Esplanade, Grand Prairie, TX
Jan 18, 10A; Independent MLK march starts at Gould & MLK Blvd
Jan 20: Inauguration Day
Jan 21, 7:30: Dallas AFL-CIO Central Labor Council meeting for affiliated members
Jan 28: Deadline to see the movie “Stand,” about a strike in Canada
Feb 16: 2—Deadline for union high school students to apply for Texas AFL-CIO Scholarship Program
