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ATU: Honor Dr. King's Legacy by Continuing His Fight for
Equity
Washington, DC – ATU International President Larry Hanley
released the following statement to mark Martin Luther King
Day.
“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spent his life fighting for
racial equality and economic justice for working families.
His life came to a tragic end in 1968 when he was
assassinated while supporting Memphis sanitation workers in
their fight for a fair wage and respect on the job.
“Now 47 years later, inequality remains the greatest
challenge of our time as the elitist rich get richer, and
far too many hard working Americans struggle to make ends
meet.
“Dr. King famously said ‘A nation that continues year after
year to spend more money on military defense than on
programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.’
It’s time our nation’s leaders and our lawmakers heed his
call and change our priorities by raising the minimum wage,
investing in public transportation, creating jobs and
supporting other initiatives that will lift up working
families.
“As we celebrate Dr. King’s life today, we should honor his
legacy by continuing to fight as bravely and boldly as he
did for equity and justice for all.”
The Amalgamated Transit Union is the largest labor
organization representing transit workers in the United
States and Canada. Founded in 1892, the ATU today is
comprised of over 190,000 members in 253 local unions spread
across 47 states and nine provinces, including 3,000 workers
at Greyhound Lines, Inc. Composed of bus drivers, light rail
operators, maintenance and clerical personnel and other
transit and municipal employees, the ATU works to promote
transit issues and fights for the interests of its
hard-working members. |
