Public Employee Press

Editorials
Dr. King and Labor

At the midpoint of the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. cautioned, "We must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as 'right to work.' It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights."

Dr. King's views on right-to-work laws still ring true: "Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining by which unions have improved wages and working conditions of everyone."

Martin Luther King Jr., had he lived, would have turned 87 on Jan. 15. He spent his life fighting for dignity and equality. He aligned himself with progressive labor unions, including AFSCME, to overturn America's deeply entrenched systems of racial apartheid and gender discrimination.

King dreamed of America's potential to eradicate poverty for many. Unions helped make this happen by collectively barganing for better wages.

"The labor movement did not diminish the strength of the nation but enlarged it," he said. "By raising the living standards of millions, labor miraculously...lifted the whole nation. Those who attack labor forget these simple truths."

Today one-percenters like the Koch Brothers and others finance legal actions that attack unions.

The Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association case is one such challenge now before the United States Supreme Court. The goal of the conservative interests is to silence work ers' voices, weaken unions, and make it easier to reverse longstanding gains, and the programs and policies that help working families.

Union workers helped build a stable American middle class, one of the reliable assurances for a strong and vibrant democracy.

By making unions weaker, these laws lower wages and living standards for all workers in the state. In fact, workers in states with these laws earn an average of $5,971 less a year than workers in other states.

Because of the higher wages, working families in states without these laws also benefit from healthier tax bases that improve their quality of life.

Reflecting on Dr. King's dream of a free society and his legacy of union pride and dignity for all workers leaves no room for right-to-work laws.