Location:
National Sylvan Theater
15th & Independence Ave.
Washington, DC 20002
AFSCME will co-sponsor a rally and march in Washington, DC, to
coincide with the ceremony to dedicate Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr.'s National Memorial, the first on the National Mall honoring
a non-president and a man of color. The march was originally
planned for August 27, the day before the 48th anniversary of the
March on Washington and Dr. King's historic “I Have a
Dream” speech, but was postponed due to Hurricane Irene.
The rally, led by civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton,
president and founder of the National Action Network, will shine
a spotlight on Dr. King's legacy as a civil rights leader, and
assess America's progress since his death. Dr. King was
assassinated in 1968 while supporting a strike by 1,300
sanitation workers represented by AFSCME Local 1733. The workers
recently were enshrined in the U.S. Labor Department's Labor Hall
of Fame.
AFSCME Sec.-Treas. Lee Saunders will co-chair the event which is
scheduled to begin Oct. 15 at 11:00 a.m. at the National Sylvan
Theater. Other co-chairs are the Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson,
senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church and chairman of the
National Action Network; and Randi Weingarten, president of the
American Federation of Teachers. The National Director of the
march is Pastor Willie F. Wilson of Union Temple Baptist Church
in Washington, DC.
The ceremonial dedication of the Dr. King Memorial will be held
on the following day, Oct. 16. For information on the dedication,
visit www.dedicatethedream.org.
What is AFSCME? American Federation of State,
County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), largest union of public
employees in the United States.
http://answers.encyclopedia.com/question/afscme-79492.html
What is AFSCME’s Record on Pay Equity?
http://www.afscme.org/members/education-and-trainings/education-resources/were-worth-it/what-is-afscmes-record-on-pay-equity
Listed below are the major victories AFSCME has achieved at the
bargaining table, in the courts and through state legislation.
State government
Connecticut — Since 1982, Council 4 has been negotiating pay
equity adjustments totaling in excess of $10 million. The
1988-1991 contract included approximately $900,000 annually for
pay equity upgrades affecting over 2,000 workers in 70 job
classes. In 1994 a substantial settlement was achieved that
upgraded wages by $1,000 per year on average for workers in
female- and minority-dominated jobs.
Florida — The persistence of Council 79 resulted in a $3.8
million appropriation for inequity adjustments for state and
university employees in 1987. The money was distributed primarily
to minority- and female-dominated job classes after consultation
with AFSCME. The inequity fund was the result of several years of
hard work on this issue by AFSCME which included helping fund a
private pay equity study after the state legislature refused to
do so. Additional equity adjustments were made in 1997-1998 by
providing larger raises to lower-paid classifications.
Illinois — Council 31 negotiated an $8 million inequity fund
for state employees.
Iowa — Council 61 negotiated a $25-million, four-year
settlement for state employees in female-dominated jobs.
Additional adjustments were made following union appeals.
