(7530) Lunch for sanitation workers

On February 22, 1968, after getting nowhere in negotiations with Memphis Mayor Henry Loeb, AFSCME International staffers approached the Memphis City Council and Fred Davis, the African American councilman who led the public works committee. At first, Davis refused to speak with them, stating they did not represent anyone in the constituency. AFSCME quickly called in the workers who staged a sit-in in the Council Chambers. As the stare-off wore on, it became lunchtime, so AFSCME brought in bread and sandwich fixings for the men. By 5:00 PM, the Committee had passed a resolution acceptable to the strikers and promised to present it to the Council the next day.