MARCH 31 -- The fight for labor rights has always been connected to the struggle for civil rights. That’s because dignity on the job, the right to organize, and freedom from discrimination are fundamentally human rights. Today, that legacy is under attack. Across the country, we are witnessing the erosion of civil rights protections that were hard-won by generations before us. In statehouses and courtrooms, the rights to vote, protest, learn unfiltered American history, and control our own bodies are being chipped away.
When civil rights are threatened, unions lose ground too. Workers can't build power when they’re silenced, divided, or forced into the shadows. The freedom to organize, bargain, and speak truth to power depends on a society that values justice and equality across the board.
We’ve seen this before. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – the great champion of civil rights -- was assassinated in Memphis while supporting the labor rights of striking sanitation workers. These sanitation workers were fighting both for personal dignity and union recognition. The March on Washington, where Dr. King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, was co-organized by labor leader A. Philip Randolph and bore the full title: The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Union halls were often safe havens in communities under attack. Civil rights fueled labor power, and labor gave civil rights real economic teeth. But now, that alliance is being tested.
In 2024 and into 2025, states like Florida, Texas, and Alabama have pushed legislation curbing protest rights and targeting DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs—even in workplaces and public schools. These attacks spread out to the blue-collar working class, especially those in unions where DEI exists as a framework to challenge discrimination, support career advancement, and protect vulnerable members.
Simultaneously, right-to-work laws and anti-union sentiment are resurging in parts of the country. Some politicians are using culture war narratives to pit workers against each other by race, gender identity, or immigration status—all while corporations exploit these divisions to boost profits and crush organizing drives. And in the courts, the weakening of federal labor protections is happening in lockstep with the rollback of voting rights.
This is a coordinated attack. The same forces trying to make it harder to vote are trying to make it harder to organize. The same billionaires banning books about civil rights are dismantling programs that help workers understand their rights. It’s a strategy to divide, distract, and disempower -- but working people are fighting back.
The movement depends on unions like ours, with 44,000 members, to move the needle. In every organizing drive, there’s a recognition that labor can’t win without civil rights, and civil rights can’t survive without labor muscle behind it. The degradation of civil rights is a labor issue. If we don’t meet this moment with unity and courage, we risk losing everything our predecessors fought for.
We stand at a crossroads, and the choice is clear: fight together—or lose everything we have fought for.
