|
Dr. King marching with striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn
In a speech the day before he was assassinated, King said: "The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers."
|
Justice for workers: Dr. King's last battle
At the time of his death, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was fighting for the rights of city sanitation workers. Forty years later, his legacy echoes through San Diego, where city sanitation workers are again fighting for justice on the job.
When he was killed, on April 4, 1968, King was in Memphis to march with and support garbage truck drivers and other sanitation workers, who were striking for recognition of a public employees' union and against mistreatment by the Memphis mayor. In a speech the day before he was assassinated, King said: "The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers."
Those workers won their strike. Now, San Diego trash collectors must again fight the battle King died fighting: for fair treatment, respect, and the dignity of earning a decent living for hard work. Mayor Jerry Sanders is trying to privatize the city's sanitation services, trashing hundreds of middle-class public service jobs.
Full-time city trash workers average more than $23 an hour -- $48,500 a year -- according to their union (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees), double the typical pay at nonunionized private trash companies. Like all city workers, they have healthcare benefits.
Besides the economic blow to displaced workers and their communities, privatization jeopardizes the quality services everyone depends on. Washington DC saw a sharp increase in service complaints when it privatized recycling pick-up and a dramatic surge in participation when it fired the contractor and reinstated a city-run system. A 2003 study found that 88% of local governments had to bring services back in-house that they had contracted out, usually because of cost and quality problems, for example "lack of courtesy on the part of drivers, problems with the employee retention, and unreliable service."
By contrast, the San Diego city trash department consistently wins awards and recognition for efficiency and top-notch performance, including:
- First-place Sanitation Driver of the Year award from Environmental Industry Associates four of the past seven years.
- The US Environmental Protection Agency's International Climate Protection Award, which goes to only seven organizations worldwide.
- 2005 Fleet of the Year, a national award for cutting emissions and improving services while saving the city more than $18 million.
Yet Sanders has included the trash department among the first considered for privatization through "managed competition." Dr. King drew a direct connection between civil rights and economic justice, and fought tirelessly for both. To truly honor his work and his words, all who benefit from efficient, high-quality public services must stand up for the workers who provide those services.
Tell your mayor and council members that privatization damages our community. |
