It Ain’t 1968 in Memphis

posted at 3:55 pm on April 1, 2011 by Mike Antonucci

In this morning’s Memphis Commercial Appeal, National Education Association president Dennis Van Roekel sets the stage for the nationwide labor union rallies set for Monday, April 4, the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King.

On Monday Americans will pause to remember that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis 43 years ago. We should also recall the cause that brought him here: a strike by city sanitation workers.

At that time King had already helped win passage of landmark legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but he realized that removing legal barriers alone would not bring about equal opportunity and economic justice for African-Americans. He recognized that workers of all races — including public employees like the Memphis sanitation workers — would have to use their collective strength to win a fair deal for themselves and their families.

A look back at the events in Memphis 1968 that led to the arrival of Dr. King on the scene should give pause to those decrying the incivility of today’s protests. In 1968 there was real violence and real danger – on both sides.

Dr. King’s murder was unrelated to the strike, but his death prompted high-level federal involvement in mediation. Twelve days later, the strike was settled and the city of Memphis recognized AFSCME Local 1733 as the representative of the city’s sanitation workers.

It’s understandable that unions would want to commemorate these events and highlight the links between unions and the civil rights movement as they fight to protect their gains. But past glories have the effect of overshadowing today’s reality. Over the next few days we’re going to hear a lot about AFSCME Local 1733 in 1968. We won’t hear anything about AFSCME Local 1733′s more recent history.

In 1998, the local fired executive director Dorothy Crook because of “numerous complaints from members about [Crook's] competency and ability to function as executive director… Questions were also raised about financial irregularities appearing in the books of the Local 1733.” Crook filed a grievance against the union. One of her supporters claimed Crook had been removed because she “had informed the national AFSCME union about an improper life insurance plan that violated the union’s constitution.”

A legal battle ensued. In 2004, after firing Crook’s successor, Local 1733′s president asked Crook to return to her old job. She did so, only to be forced out again in 2008.

The union’s position continued to deteriorate to the point where, last May, AFSCME Local 1733′s first president, Joseph Trotter, appeared at a union meeting and said:

A union is about its brothers and sisters helping each other. I used to have more stewards than you have members. A year ago, I wrote to your president because as old-timers we saw this union falling apart.

Trotter told the sitting union officers, “AFSCME used to mean something to people. But AFSCME doesn’t mean anything to anybody now, including you guys.”

Last November, AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee placed Local 1733 under national administratorship, claiming the “prolonged internal struggles began to affect the decision making abilities of the Local.” It remains under national oversight today.

Blowback