A Message from Business Manager Chris Erikson Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday is always a pertinent time to reflect and consider where we are as a country, as so many are still struggling for civil rights and fighting for racial and social justice.
Dr. King was a special man who never had the chance to reach his full potential, yet he did more in his short 39 years than most can dream of. His work of desegregating and integrating the South, fostering and growing the Civil Rights Movement, and expanding the right to vote to all people was special not just because of the work itself but because of the violent opposition he faced. King stood up against those whose intention was to expressly hold people down, solely because of the color of their skin. He and his allies fought discrimination, injustice, bigotry, and oppression.
He was a man of action. His words inspired, but his actions made a real difference, and he died supporting the struggle of working people – sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, who were striking for better wages and safer working conditions.
Local 3's legacy is entwined with Dr. King, as Harry Van Arsdale Jr. was a brother in arms with King. They both dedicated their lives to the causes they believed in and spent every waking minute of the day working for the people. Harry supported King and his work both personally and through the NYC Labor Movement with Local 3 and the Central Labor Council. There are letters back and forth between the men and significant donations were made from the members of Local 3 to King's legal defense fund and various groups helping the cause. Harry was on a committee with others in 1960 entitled “The Committee to Defend Martin Luther King and the Struggle for Freedom in the South” and traveled to Selma, Alabama, in March 1965 to lend his voice to the fight to expand the right to vote.
Local 3 carries on this legacy of fighting against discrimination, racism, and oppression and of embracing diversity. Our union thrives because of it and will never waver from the fight for dignity, democracy, and respect for all people.
