WISCONSIN SOLIDARITY in L.A.

"We Are One!"
Union Members and Community Pack First A.M.E Church on April 4

On April 4, the National Day of Action for Wisconsin and workers’ rights, more than 2,300 Angelenos rallied at the historic First A.M.E. Church in South L.A. Two of the architects of the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike, Reverend James Lawson and retired Secretary-Treasurer of AFSCME William Lucy, spoke to the packed church on what was also the 43rd anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination.

“Dr. King’s identification with and in support of the sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, Tennessee is so identical to the struggles of workers in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Maine, and any number of states,” said William Lucy. “The American public clearly is identifying with this struggle. The people are saying [to the governors], ‘You’re wrong. You are fundamentally wrong and you are using political power to achieve philosophical ends.’”

Other speakers included First A.M.E. Pastor John Hunter, the leader of the L.A. labor movement Maria Elena Durazo, SEIU-ULTCW President Laphonza Butler, SEIU 99 member Jackie Brown, and IBEW member Oscar Montelongo.

An authentic Wisconsin bratwurst barbecue was provided by our brothers and sisters in IBEW Local 11. Our event was co-sponsored by California Common Cause.

To see more photos and a full story, click here.

Progressive Democratic Workers for America Prez Bill Floyd
demonstrated the Free Bradley Manning and Julian Assange
poster display outside First AME Church.