Why March 28 - April 4

We're a bit under 3 weeks from the 9th Annual National Student Labor Week of Action! We wanted to share a bit more on the week of action and why students and workers all across the country are coming together and fighting for justice, respect, dignity, and change on their campuses and communities.

First things first, lets talk about when its happening - March 28 - April 4, 2008.

It was almost 40 years ago now, that in the streets of Memphis Dr. King Jr. was out supporting striking sanitation workers who demanded much more than improvements in their poverty-level wages, much more than safer working conditions, much more than healthcare and financial security after they retired (which are some of the great benefits of being able to bargain collectively may I add) - but rather were in the streets demanding the right to bargain collectively (which is a human right incidentally) for the biggest reason most workers choose to form a union in the first place - RESPECT! Carrying signs that read "I am a MAN", these workers refused to surrender their humanity and took a stand, and for standing with them Dr. MLK Jr. lost his life.

We originally started off the NSLWoA as a day of action 9 years ago on April 4th, 2000 in honor of the work and life that Dr. MLK Jr had lived and practiced, a life which showed that no matter how big or politically inconvenient for some, freedom is not a luxury but rather a fundamental right that all humans are worthy of. We decided that as students it was much more than a dream, it was A CALL TO ACTION!

Well soon enough we learned that a day of action was actually hard for all students across the country to engage in for many reasons (spring break, exams, other conflicting events, etc...) and we started trying to figure out how to expand the time frame and make it a week of action

We didn't have to think about it too much because March 31st in many states is celebrated as Cesar E. Chavez day, a farmworker leader who along with Dolores Huerta and others did the unthinkable and raised the issue of exploitation and horrible working conditions for farmworkers and helped form the United Farm Workers Union. (Incidentally, for those in a state where March 31 is not Chavez Day, there is now a national push for a National Chavez Holiday)

Alright Folks, more later on what's happening this year!

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