January 19th is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. CUPE Ontario honours Martin Luther King Jr. as both a civil rights icon and a labour activist who saw racial and economic justice as inseparable.
Dr King was assassinated in Memphis after walking a picket line with striking sanitation workers. He challenged poverty, racism, and the oppressive systems that profit from discrimination and inequality. He knew that unions are essential to building dignity, power, and fairness for working people.
That legacy matters now more than ever before. Working people continue to face a cost-of-living crisis, growing inequality, and renewed attacks on public services and collective bargaining. We are also all witnesses to the militarization of American cities, the draconian and frankly murderous actions of ICE agents, the rise of neo-fascism just across the border, with the echoes of it here in Canada.
Dr King’s legacy and messages around fighting racism and economic inequality together ring so clear: Labour rights are civil rights.
We honour Dr. King’s life and legacy not with words alone, but with action. Join us in organizing against racism in our workplaces, our communities and in our union. Join us in resisting austerity and fighting for the right to free and fair collective bargaining. Join us in not only in overtly fighting against rising fascism and militarization, but also in fighting for justice, dignity, and equality for all workers.
Discover the benefits of joining Canada’s largest labour union, CUPE.
