Teamsters Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s Struggle for Civil Rights, Workers' Rights

2024.01.15

The Teamsters are proud to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of fighting for civil rights and workers’ rights on January 15, 2024.

King, an honorary Teamster member, gave his life in 1968 while standing alongside striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. With the help of strong unions, much progress has been made for workers in the years following Dr. King’s work, but the fight for higher wages and better working conditions for all workers continues.

The Teamsters remain committed to continuing Dr. King’s fight for social and economic justice for workers and their families across North America.

Last year, the Teamsters channeled King’s dream of worker dignity at the bargaining table during national contract negotiations with UPS. In the historic 2023-2028 UPS agreement, workers secured several prominent wins, including receiving Martin Luther King Day as a paid holiday for the first time.

Through the work of the Teamsters Human Rights and Diversity Commission, our union will continue to carry on the legacy of Dr. King.