WASHINGTON, DC – Edward Wytkind, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), offers the following statement as America pauses to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.:
“As we honor Martin Luther King, Jr., let us carry out his work by fighting for a stronger and more just economy that lifts the lives of millions of working people who are suffering. We celebrate his legacy when we demand that fundamental worker needs, including good jobs, the right to form and join unions and safe workplaces, do not take a back seat to corporate interests.
“As we celebrate the hard-fought progress Dr. King helped to deliver, let us never relent in our pursuit of economic justice for everyone. It was Dr. King who said, ‘True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.’
“Today’s economic reality requires action from all of us – but especially from elected leaders who can enact policies that effect change. The best way to honor Dr. King is by fighting everyday to create good jobs and combat economic injustice. That is transportation labor’s commitment today as Americans remember the great Martin Luther King.
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The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, represents 32 member unions in the aviation, rail, transit, trucking, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit www.ttd.org.
