TWU Local 100 Honors Dr. King
TWU Founder Mike Quill with Dr. King and former Local 100 President Matty Guinan at our 1961 Convention
America's workers had no better friend and supporter than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In fact, Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis while speaking out against racism and injustice against the City's sanitation workers during the famous "I Am a Man" strike. TWU leaders of the 50's and 60's had a close friendship with Dr. King, who delivered the keynote speech at the TWU International Convention in New York in 1961.
Local 100 leaders spent 2017's three-day MLK weekend honoring his legacy by fighting for better wages and better conditions for the workforce that moves more than 8 million New Yorkers every day. We came away with a solid contract that protects our health benefits and wages and other economic benefits that keep us ahead of inflation. All without any givebacks.
So as we all enjoy the promise of improved benefits and economics for ourselves and our families in the next two years, let us reflect for a moment on the great legacy of struggle that has made our current fights possible.
John Samuelsen
President, TWU Local 100