William Lucy

The year is 1968. The date – Feb. 1. Memphians are stunned with news that two sanitation workers are killed in an accident on a city truck. The tragedy brings growing conflict between employees and city administration to a head.

“We needed better wages and benefits for our families,” said Taylor Rogers, a retired sanitation worker. “We were working 40 hours and still eligible for welfare. If things were ever going to get better for our families, we had to do something.”

On Monday, Feb. 12, sanitation workers did do something – they walked out – 1,300 strong.

Mayor Henry Loeb calls the strike illegal. An International Union official flies in from Washington and asks Loeb to recognize the union. The mayor threatens to replace sanitation workers and issues an ultimatum for strikers to “get back to work – or else.”

With the exception of about 200, workers stand united and refuse. A reported 10,000 tons of garbage piles up. When union leaders urge the city council to intervene, they support the mayor. And the history-making strike is on. Black leaders and ministers stand with strikers and encourage everyone to do likewise. Daily marches begin on Feb. 26.

“It was scary, but we had to take a stand,” said Taylor Rogers, a retired sanitation worker. “I sat my family down and talked with them. My wife supported me, and so did my children. My daughter said, ‘Daddy, we don’t have anything anyway.’ And that was it. We had to strike to make a better life for our families – our children.”

Fast forward to 2008 – 40 years later. Union negotiations have broken down between the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1733 and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department. Jailers have been seeking a new contract since 2006 when their 10-year contract expired. Sheriff Mark Luttrell is being accused of not operating in good faith.

“We always hope that the issues can be resolved at the table,” said Dorothy Crook, Local 1733 executive director. “But management has left the table, and talks have halted altogether. We were in negotiations with chief jailer James Coleman and county attorney Danny Kail. The fact is they don’t recognize the importance of individuals who work in our jails and who are a part of this union.”

Coleman and Kail were contacted, and both declined to be interviewed. Sheriff Luttrell did, however, state union negotiations were “on-going and rather vibrant.”

“We have been in negotiations with the jailers for a year now. It takes time to work these issues out sometimes,” he said. “Earlier in the process, we called for a federal mediator to come in, and we may end up having to do it again.”

International Secretary-Treasurer Bill Lucy of AFSCME said more pressure on county management by the community would be an effective tool.

“It is highly effective when the level of community debate is raised,” said Lucy. “Historically, employers have little regard for the welfare of their workers.

Crook agrees and has called for a vigil on Friday, Jan. 18, on the steps of the Criminal Justice Center (CJC). Like the sanitation workers in 1968, correction officers and jailers number 1,300.

“We want the community to know what’s going on,” said Crook. “We’ll have speakers as well as singers Friday at 5:30 p.m. More than 900 delegates will be coming in for the 2008 AFL-CIO Martin Luther King Jr. Conference. They will stand with us in support of the jailers. Unfortunately, after 40 years, officials are still refusing to operate in good faith.”

Lucy said the problem stems from a basic disregard for the welfare of one’s employees.

Thousands stood with sanitation workers in the historic 1968 strike. “I Am A Man” became a slogan and watchword for the union movement. (AFSCME photo by Ernest C. Withers)

“Pay is one thing. Wages have become stagnant for jailers, but there are other issues to deal with,” he said. “Policies having to do with job classification, promotion, and training for advancement opportunities are also very important in these negotiations.”

According to Lucy, jailers are placed in some very difficult situations, but they have not been adequately trained, in many cases, to deal with the challenges they face.

“There are health concerns and safety issues,” said Lucy. ”Facilities are overcrowded and unsafe. The lives of these men and women are put in jeopardy when new jailers are sent in to work without proper training. You have to have eyes in the back of your head to work in this environment.”

Health and safety were also big issues for striking sanitation workers in 1968. The two deaths on the back of a city garbage truck pointed out the dangers of their job. Mayor Loeb, however, was not sympathetic to their cause.

Seven union leaders were fined and jailed for contempt of court on March 6 by Loeb’s police officers. Strikers staged a mock funeral at city hall, mourning the death of freedom in Memphis. Six picketers were jailed a week later for blocking the sanitation depot entrance on Democrat Road.

Despite mistreatment by law enforcement, more than 17,000 show up March 18 for a rally where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was speaking. The entire nation watches events unfold, but Mayor Loeb does not waver in opposing union demands. Attempts to renew talks fail.

“It is true that Dr. King had a great impact on the strike,” said Lucy, “but the sanitation workers who would not buckle under pressure and give in are the real heroes. These men were older men. They weren’t spring chickens. But they told me again and again that the strike was their last chance to make a stand. Their sacrifices are often overshadowed by Dr. King’s death.”

Any time an official does not recognize or respect the rights of employees, said Lucy, negotiations become difficult.

“Sheriff Luttrell continues to make unilateral decisions which are not in the best interest and welfare of employees. He has been resistant to union negotiations for jailers. When someone comes to the table and just tells you what they will and will not do, there are going to be some real problems.”

Forty years ago, said Lucy, sanitation workers needed support. Today, it is county jailers. But issues of concern have changed very little.

“Some strides have been made over the years,” he said. “But we must spark some debate in the community so that people will be aware of what’s going on. Sometimes an employer gets into an ego thing: ‘I am not going to be told what to do by a union.’

“The decade following the sanitation strike, doors were opened for city employees. But trade and economic policies have considerably weakened the role of unions. Today’s fight for workers’ rights is just as crucial and just as difficult as it was back then.”