Have a question? Need assistance? Use our online form to ask a librarian for help.
In February 1968, over 1,000 sanitation workers from the Memphis Department of Public Works, most of whom were Black, working for the Memphis Department of Public Works went on strike after two workers, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, were killed by a malfunctioning truck.1
While a previous attempt by sanitation workers to strike a few years earlier had failed, this time was different. The strike was led by president of AFSCME local 1733 T. O. Jones, Jerry Wurf, president of the Local American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the local branch of the NAACP. Strikers demanded higher wages, safety measures, and other concessions. The most notable phrase associated with the strike seen on many placards was I AM A MAN.
Mayor Henry Loeb refused to recognize the union and strike and was forced to hire white strikebreakers once the garbage piled high. On February 22, strikers held a sit-in at city hall that erupted into violence between strikers and the police.
The strike drew the attention and attendance of national civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King Jr. who considered the strike part of the Poor People’s Campaign which advocated for economic justice. In early March, went to Memphis in support. On March 28, strikers and their supporters marched down the center of town and were met with resistance. Over 200 people were arrested, and in the violence 16 year old Larry Payne was killed. In response, the mayor declared martial law.
On April 3, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech and was assassinated the next day. In the wake of the assassination, there were protests and riots around the country and while there was an urgency to end the Memphis strike, it continued. Walter K. Ruther, president of the UAW, gave a large donation to assist the strikers, and on the 8th, he and thousands of others made a silent march through the city. On April 16, the strike ended with the recognition of the union and wage increases, though workers still worked to ensure the terms of the deal were followed through on.
Jerry Wurf who led AFSME for almost 20 years, died in 1981. T. O. Jones who died in 1989, was posthumously recognized by the Memphis city council in July 2018. 2
William Lucy discusses his role in the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in the 1960s, especially how he and the union supported the 1968 sanitation workers' strike in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1966, Lucy started to work for AFSCME in Washington, D.C. as the Associate Director of the Department of Legislation and Community Affairs. Lucy explains AFSCME's support of the Civil Rights Movement, especially the push to expose the economic exploitation of African Americans. Lucy narrates the events of the 1968 sanitation workers strike in Memphis, discusses the involvement of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and describes the union's strategies. Lucy also discusses his involvement in the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and the Free South Africa Movement.
The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to digital content are provided when available.
At the River I Stand : Memphis, the 1968 strike, and Martin Luther King by 
Going Fown Jericho Road : The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King's Last Campaign by 
Jerry Wurf, Labor's Last Angry Man by 
Southern Labor and Black Civil Rights : Organizing Memphis Workers by The following resources created and digitized by the Library of Congress can be used to find out more about the events of the day.
Congressional Record
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Records in the Manuscript Division
Organized Labor Since the 19th Century: A Research GuideThe links below are for content on the Library of Congress website or more generally on the internet.
are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.Additional works on this topic in the Library of Congress may be identified by searching the Library of Congress Online Catalog under appropriate Library of Congress subject headings. Choose the topics you wish to search from the following list of subject headings to link directly to the Catalog and automatically execute a search for the subject selected. Please be aware that during periods of heavy use you may encounter delays in accessing the catalog. For assistance in locating other subject headings that may relate to this subject, please consult a reference librarian.
