Sanitation Workers Strike, Memphis, Tenn., 1968

AFSCME Communications Department Records

jruss — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:06:22 -0400

AFSCME has produced a regularly published magazine since its inception. Publication duties for this organ and other materials were accomplished by the Education and Publications Department for the first twenty years of AFSCME’s existence. The 1954 Convention, however, passed Resolution 14, establishing a Publications and Public Relations Department. This new department would continue to publish the AFSCME magazine and other materials and would also take on new media public relations duties both at headquarters, and importantly, in the field. Recognizing that current field staff’s duties did not include crafting AFSCME’s message during organizing campaigns and strikes, it was hoped that the new department would provide skilled public relations professionals on the ground. The new department was created on April 1, 1956. The Publications and Public Relations Department existed until 1971 when the name was changed to the Public Affairs Department. This existed until 2011 when the name was changed again to the Communications Department.

The AFSCME Communications Department Records document the public activities of the Department, AFSCME International, and AFSCME officials. Records include speech transcripts; press releases; surveys and polls; documents related to AFSCME biennial conventions such as transcripts of proceedings, correspondence, and planning documents; correspondence; publications; meeting minutes; clippings; photographs, slides, and negatives; audio and video recordings; and posters.

AFSCME Local 1733: Memphis, Tennessee Records

jruss — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:40:48 -0400

Sanitation workers in AFSCME Local 1733 in Memphis, Tennessee led a strike in 1968 to gain union recognition. The strike lasted for 65 days and garnered national attention as Local 1733's campaign for labor rights became fused with the struggle for civil rights. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lent his support to the strikers by visiting Memphis and leading marches. While there, on April 4, 1968, King was assassinated. The strike was settled soon after King's death. Local 1733 went on to wage other campaigns for workers' rights, including a push to raise wages for public employees in the summer of 1969, a school boycott in the fall of 1969 that corresponded to the NAACP's drive for more racially diverse representation on the Memphis City Council, and a push to unionize workers at St. Joseph Hospital in the fall of 1969.

The vast majority of this collection consists of newspaper clippings that follow these campaigns in both local and national publications. Some additional material relating to the strikers' strategies and the organizations formed to support the strikers such as Community on the Move for Equality (C.O.M.E.) and Memphis U.S.A. also appears.

AFSCME Office of the President: Jerry Wurf Records

jruss — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:29:17 -0400

This collection focuses on Jerry Wurf's tenure as AFSCME International President from 1964 until his death in 1981. Some information appears on an AFSCME affordable housing project that began prior to Wurf's election to the presidency. This housing project was one of the issues that led to a rift among AFSCME members and to Wurf's winning the presidency from incumbent president Arnold Zander. The bulk of the collection, though, represents the Office of the President's records during Wurf's tenure.

Information appears on International Executive Board (IEB) meetings; AFSCME councils and locals; the Committee on Public Education (COPE); the Coalition of American Public Employees (CAPE); Public Employees Organized to Promote Legislative Equality (PEOPLE); public employee legislation; international public employee unions; the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers' strike; the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination; Wurf speeches; the Vietnam War; Wurf and AFSCME's relations to larger AFL-CIO issues; AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer William Lucy; AFL-CIO President George Meany; and Communication Workers President Joseph Beirne.

Nelson Jones Interview - AFSCME Memphis Local 1733 Sanitation Strike

jruss — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:26:40 -0500

From February to April, 1968, sanitation workers in Memphis struck to form AFSCME Local 1733. Their campaign gained national attention from civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On April 4, 1968, Dr. King was assassinated while in Memphis lending his support. On April 16, 1968, the city of Memphis settled the strike with AFSCME negotiators and agreed upon a contract. Here, striking sanitation worker Nelson Jones comments on his feelings about the strike and the union.

1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

scaloia — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 15:57:03 -0400

Thomas Oliver “T.O.” Jones believed a union for sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee was a necessity. A sanitation worker himself, he experienced the unfair working conditions and accompanying low pay. It was the 1960s and forty percent of full-time Memphis sanitation workers qualified for welfare assistance. The men had to carry heavy trash bins, often leaking waste, from residents’ yards to the trucks in sweltering Memphis heat. Black workers did not read more »

June 7 at 6:30 pm: Photographer Richard Copley and the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike

scaloia — Wed, 23 May 2018 15:17:03 -0400

The Walter P. Reuther Library, in collaboration with the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, is proud to host photographer Richard L. Copley as he discusses his work and experiences during the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike. read more »

Moment of Silence for Memphis Sanitation Workers

scaloia — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 10:43:30 -0500

On February 1, 1968, Robert Walker and Echol Cole of Memphis, Tennessee were killed on the job by a malfunctioning garbage truck. Ten days later, members of their union, AFSCME Local 1733, voted to strike. Their struggle for recognition of their union and their humanity caught the attention of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the entire nation.

Please join the Walter P. Reuther Library and AFSCME in observing a moment of silence for for these men. read more »

Now on view: All Labor Has Dignity: The 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike, Photographs by Richard L. Copley

scaloia — Fri, 30 Mar 2018 14:37:58 -0400

In 1968, Memphis sanitation workers, AFSCME Local 1733, went on strike for increased wages and union recognition, but most importantly, to be treated with respect and dignity. The strike became an important chapter in the civil rights movement, attracting the support of Martin Luther King, Jr., who was visiting the striking workers when he was assassinated. Photographer Richard L. Copley documented key moments read more »

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

jruss — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:25:59 -0400

“It is a crime to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages.”–Martin Luther King, Jr.

At the beginning of 1968, working conditions for sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, especially African Americans, were atrocious. Employees were given no benefits, no vacation pay, no pensions; forty percent qualified for welfare, and many worked second jobs. During bad weather, black workers were sent home without pay, while white workers collected a full day’s wages. The Memphis Sanitation Department refused to modernize the equipment used by black workers. read more »

Web Exhibit Announcement: I AM a Man

jruss — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:00:57 -0400

April 4, 2012 marks the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. King had traveled to Memphis in the spring of 1968 to lend his support to striking sanitation workers, members of AFSCME Local 1733. We're pleased to announce the launch of a new web exhibit, created in conjunction with the Wayne State University Library System, explaining the events of that spring. Please visit the exhibit and share widely: (http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/iamaman/).

Johanna Russ was the Archivist for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) from 2008 until 2013.

AFL-CIO letter to Tennessee Council on Human Relations, 1968

scaloia — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 11:50:43 -0500

A letter from Paul R. Christopher, AFL-CIO Region VIII Director, to Rev. Baxton Bryant, Executive Director of Tennessee Council on Human Relations. Christopher expressed concern that Rev. Bryant was among those the Memphis police sprayed with mace at a demonstration in support of the Memphis Sanitation Strike. Christopher also thanks Bryant for his support of the cause.

AFSCME Ciampa letter to C. Blackburn, Memphis, 1968

scaloia — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 11:39:57 -0500

A letter from P. J. Ciampa, AFSCME International Field Staff Director, to Charles Blackburn, Director of the Memphis Public Works Department.The letter references a meeting between the two men that took place February 1, 1968, and outlines AFSCME Local 1733's requests discussed at the meeting. Local 1733 would go on strike February 12 of that year.

AFSCME Local 1733 contract, 1968

scaloia — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 14:26:59 -0400

First contract between AFSCME Local 1733 Memphis Division of Public Works and the City of Memphis. The contract recognized the union, outlined a grievance procedure, and declared an end to discrimination on the job. The agreement also included a 10 cents per hour raise effective May 1, 1968 with an additional increase of 5 cents per hour effective September 1, 1968. The contract put an end to the 65 day strike of the Memphis sanitation workers, calling for employees to return to work on April 17, 1968.

AFSCME Memo, Ciampa to Wurf, Memphis, 1968

scaloia — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 12:07:26 -0500

A memo dated February 12, 1968 from P.J. Ciampa, AFSCME International Field Staff Director, to Jerry Wurf, AFSCME International President, regarding the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike, which began that morning. The memo outlines the main issues - union recognition, grievance procedures, and wages - and the departments participating in the strike - sewer, maintenance, street maintenance, sanitation, repair shop, and tire shop (AFSCME Local 1733).

AFSCME memo, Fitzpatrick to Ames, Michigan donations, 1968

scaloia — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 11:59:16 -0500

Tom Fitzpatrick writes to Joe Ames, AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer, that Ames's speech at the Michigan Leadership Conference inspired attendees to pass a resolution (attached) calling on Michigan Locals and Councils to make donations to support the Memphis Sanitation Workers on strike.

AFSCME memo, Tom Fitzpatrick to Michigan locals regarding Memphis strike, 1968

scaloia — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 14:36:06 -0400

Memo from AFSCME Michigan Area Director Tom Fitzpatrick to all Michigan AFSCME Local union presidents, chapter chairmen, and councils regarding the Memphis sanitation workers' strike. Fitzpatrick asked for monetary donations for the striking Memphis workers and for letters to be sent to the Memphis mayor's office.

AFSCME News Release, Leaders found in contempt

scaloia — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 11:42:57 -0500

A news release from AFSCME describers contempt charges against AFSCME President Jerry Wurf and other leaders, including P.J. Ciampa and Bill Lucy, during the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike.

AFSCME Sanitation Workers' Strike, Blueprint for Action

scaloia — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 11:36:37 -0500

A document titled "Blueprint for Action" created by the Strategy Committee - a coalition of religious and community leaders in Memphis - for the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike. Actions include boycotting downtown businesses and Memphis's two main newspapers, and enlisting the help of other city employees. On the reverse are hand-written names, including committee members.

Apology from Memphis sanitation workers to citizens of Memphis, 1968

scaloia — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 15:00:00 -0400

Flier titled "To our fellow citizens: We Apologize..." signed "Your Sanitation Crew" in which striking sanitation workers explain the reasons for their strike.

Letter, AFL-CIO Regional Director to Baxton Bryant, Memphis Sanitation Strike, 1968

scaloia — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 14:52:25 -0400

Letter from Paul R. Christopher, AFL-CIO Region VIII Director, to Rev. Baxton Bryant, Executive Director of the Tennessee Council on Human Relations. Christopher expressed sympathy that Bryant had reportedly been a victim of mace used by police during a demonstration for the Memphis sanitation workers' strike. Christopher also thanked Bryant for his support of the striking workers.

Memorial Program for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Memphis, 1968

scaloia — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 14:42:19 -0400

Program titled "The Service of Memorial and Dedication for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Speakers included Dr. Ralph Abernathy, Coretta Scott King, Bishop J.O. Patterson, Reyes Lopez Tejerina, Rev. B.L. Hooks, and Rev. Samuel B. Kyle.

Memphis Sanitation Strike Strategy Committee letter

scaloia — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 16:51:50 -0500

A letter addressed to "Christian Colleague" from "The Strategy Committee" describes efforts to support the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike. An attached note informs the reader of a poster march to occur on February 26, 1968, beginning at Clayborn Temple in Memphis. The Strategy Committee included: J. M. Lawson, Elder G.E. Patterson, Rev. P. L. Rowe, Rev. Henry L. Starks, Mrs. Thomas C. Matthews, Rev. Harold Middlebrooks, Mrs. Cornelia Crenshaw, Jesse Turner, Rev. Ezekiel Bell, and Dr. Ralph Jackson.

Proposed Agreement, AFSCME Local 1733 Memphis, 1965

scaloia — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 11:27:48 -0500

A proposed agreement between the Memphis Department of Public Works and Local 1733 AFSCME. Local 1733 did not successfully enter into an agreement with the city until 1968, after a two-month long strike.

Richard Copley Event Flyer

scaloia — Wed, 23 May 2018 15:35:01 -0400

(3712) Wurf and King, Memphis

jruss — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:48:03 -0400

AFSCME President Jerry Wurf consults with Martin Luther King, Jr. who traveled to Memphis to lend support to the striking sanitation workers of Memphis Local 1733 in 1968. King was assassinated while in Memphis campaigning for the AFSCME Local.

(7482) Wurf and Reuther march for King

jruss — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:57:04 -0400

AFSCME President Jerry Wurf and UAW President Walter Reuther (lower right, front row) march in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. on 8 April 1968, shortly after his assassination.

(7483) Memphis Local 1733 picket

jruss — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:35:37 -0400

Members of AFSCME Local 1733 in Memphis picket for union recognition, years before the campaign won national attention. T.O. Jones stands second from left.

(7484) Memphis sanitation workers strike

jruss — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:38:33 -0400

AFSCME Local 1733 sanitation workers strike in Memphis with National Guard members looking on. The 1968 strike attracted national attention.

(7485) AFSCME leaders in contempt of court, Memphis

jruss — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:42:59 -0400

AFSCME International Field Staff Director P.J. Ciampa (left), AFSCME International President Jerry Wurf (middle, with back turned), and then executive assistant to Wurf, William (Bill) Lucy (far right with pipe), receive contempt of court charges on March 6, 1968, during the Memphis Local 1733 sanitation workers’ strike.

(7486) Police mace Memphis strikers

jruss — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:51:57 -0400

Police spray mace on AFSCME Memphis Local 1733 sanitation strikers.

(7487) St. Louis AFSCME workers support Memphis

jruss — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:54:14 -0400

AFSCME members from St. Louis express solidarity with Memphis Local 1733 sanitation workers during the 8 April 1968 memorial march for Martin Luther King, Jr.

(7529) AFSCME staffers watch King in Memphis

jruss — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:50:44 -0400

AFSCME International Field Director P.J. Ciampa (left), and AFSCME staffer Bill Lucy (center, in checked suit) watch as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. greets a crowd while in Memphis for the sanitation workers’ strike in late March or early April 1968.

(7530) Lunch for sanitation workers

jruss — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:02:03 -0400

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.

(8883) Seated strikers

jruss — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:43:50 -0500

Members of Memphis Local 1733 are seated on benches during the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike.

(8884) Contract ratified, Memphis

jruss — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:55:24 -0500

Members of Memphis Local 1733 jam a city auditorium to ratify their first bona fide contract with the city after a 65 day sanitation worker strike the year before.

(8885) I AM a Man

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:19:41 -0500

Striking members of Memphis Local 1733 hold signs whose slogan symbolized the sanitation workers' 1968 campaign. At center is James Riley. To his right is Hubbell Clark. To Riley's left is a man known as "Jumping Jack."

(8886) I AM a Man

jruss — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:05:55 -0500

Striking members of Memphis Local 1733 hold signs whose slogan symbolized the sanitation workers' campaign in 1968.

(8887) King speaks in Memphis

jruss — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:20:20 -0500

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks to a crowd in Memphis during the AFSCME Local 1733 sanitation workers’ strike.

(8888) King in Memphis

jruss — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:31:56 -0500

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. meets with a crowd in Memphis during the AFSCME Local 1733 sanitation workers’ strike.

(8889) Ciampa maced

jruss — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:38:00 -0500

AFSCME International Representative P.J. Ciampa is maced by police in Memphis during Local 1733’s sanitation workers’ strike.

(8890) Dignity sought in Memphis

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:21:17 -0500

Memphis Local 1733 strikers, Rev. Theodore Hibbler, left, and Ted Brown, demand dignity during their 1968 campaign.

(8891) King in Memphis

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:22:35 -0500

AFSCME International President Jerry Wurf (right) and International Representative P.J. Ciampa (standing) with Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis during Local 1733’s sanitation workers’ strike.

(8892) Victory in Memphis

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:11:45 -0500

AFSCME President Jerry Wurf (left) and other union and community leaders celebrate the agreement reached with the city of Memphis after a 65 day sanitation workers’ strike, a campaign that saw violence and the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

(8893) King family, Memphis

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:38:54 -0500

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s widow, Coretta Scott King, and their children disembark the plane carrying King's body to Atlanta for his funeral. King was assassinated while showing his support for AFSCME Local 1733’s sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis.

(8894) National Guard, Memphis

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:44:53 -0500

Memphis Mayor Henry Loeb called in the National Guard during AFSCME Local 1733’s sanitation workers’ strike.

(8895) King speaks in Memphis

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:50:11 -0500

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks to a crowd in Memphis during the AFSCME Local 1733 sanitation workers’ strike.

(8896) March for King

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:17:14 -0500

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s family leads the memorial march held in Memphis after he was assassinated while showing his support for AFSCME Local 1733’s sanitation workers’ strike. To the right of Coretta Scott King and her children Yolanda, Martin III, and Dexter, are Rev. Ralph Abernathy and Rev. Andrew Young.

(8897) AFSCME marches for King

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:23:40 -0500

AFSCME International President Jerry Wurf (left), International Organizer James Howard (middle), and International Secretary-Treasurer Joseph Ames participate in the memorial march for Martin Luther King, Jr. King was assassinated while supporting Memphis Local 1733’s sanitation workers’ strike.

(8898) Wurf, Reuther mourn King

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:31:44 -0500

Seated on the speakers’ platform in front of Memphis City Hall at the rally following the memorial march for Martin Luther King, Jr. are from left: Bishop B. Julian Smith of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, AFSCME International President Jerry Wurf, UAW President Walter P. Reuther, and AFL-CIO Civil Rights Director Don Slaiman. King was assassinated while supporting striking sanitation workers from Local 1733.

(11380) Senator Ted Kennedy honors Martin Luther King, Jr.

jruss — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:15:10 -0400

AFSCME International President Jerry Wurf watches as Reverend Ralph Abernathy (right), leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, welcomes Senator Ted Kennedy to the rostrum at the one year memorial for Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis in April 1969.