Cohen Announces Nationwide Day of Action April 4

'We Have the Opportunity to Plan and Build Something Enormous'

The voice of the labor movement and its allies will roar louder than ever on April 4, the anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when "it will not be business as usual at workplaces and communities across this nation," CWA President Larry Cohen said Wednesday.

Speaking to 10,000 CWA members on a nationwide phone call, Cohen said the AFL-CIO Executive Board had adopted his proposal for "movement-wide dramatic action" to honor King and the workers fighting for their rights today.

King was shot to death while he was in Memphis to support 1,300 striking city sanitation workers. "Their fight was about recognition, respect and dignity," Cohen said. "Dr. King called it a moral struggle for an economic outcome, much like the fights in the states and at the bargaining table and in every one of our organizing drives."

Cohen urged CWA locals and members to begin brainstorming ideas and making plans for April 4, challenging them and all Americans to "create events at every workplace in America."

It could be as simple as everyone wearing red that day, having workers meet outside and march into work together or standing up at noon and shouting, "Workers rights are human rights!" Cohen said.

Other ideas include candlelight vigils in parks, meetings of church congregations, rallies at statehouses and protests in front of corporate offices. Cohen said CWA locals and activists will receive an e-mail shortly asking them to submit their ideas and plans, and another town hall-style phone call will be held in advance of the events.

King's murder while fighting for city workers spurred public organizing drives across the United States. Cohen said there is no better way to honor that and King than by doing what he would do, "create a new movement for economic justice."

"We need to combine offense and defense," Cohen said. "We need to take it to every workplace, union and non union, private and public sector. We have an opportunity to plan and build something enormous."

What Can I Do Right Now?

Planning for April 4 events is essential, but there are other ways you can support the workers' rights battle immediately, no matter where you live.

"The current epicenters of the battle may be in New Jersey, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Florida and other states, but that does not mean that this is any less of a fight in Washington, Denver, Oklahoma," said CWA Public Sector Vice President Brooks Sunkett, speaking on CWA's nationwide phone call Wednesday.

"I am asking each of you, before you leave this call tonight, to make up your mind to commit to doing something right there were you are, where you live, to fight this battle on your turf," Sunkett said.

Here are three ways you can get involved now.

• Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. A tool kit to guide you through writing a letter is available on CWA's website. Click here or go to www.cwa-union.org.
• All CWA locals should find and publicize a "Poster Public Worker," a real public worker in your local community who will set the record straight about pay and benefits and debunk the myths about public workers. Click here for an example called "Letter from a Librarian."
• Start conversations with family, friends and other about what is really happening in Wisconsin, New Jersey and the other states in the news. "The best education comes from one-on-one conversations," Sunkett said.