Honoring the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

WASHINGTON, DC- Gerry Hudson, Executive Vice President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement today:

"As we commemorate the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, it's time for an honest assessment of just how far we've come to achieve his dream of freedom and justice for all.

"A quick snapshot of today's income inequality and continued health and educational disparities suggests that we haven't come far enough.

"Economic disparities alone are higher today than it's been in this country since 1928.  Today's minimum wage is just $5.85 an hour, which buys significantly less than the minimum wage of King's time.  Health disparities are also grim. More than one in five African Americans are uninsured and they have the highest rates of death due to diabetes, heart disease, and breast, lung, and colon cancer than any other ethnic group. And perhaps most sobering-segregation and inequality continue to define our public school system. Most recently we learned that in 17 of the nation's 50 largest cities, less than half of the students who entered high school in 2003 graduated.

"We've got lots of work to do. But there is hope.

"King was assassinated during a campaign to support striking Memphis sanitation workers trying to secure better pay and working conditions by joining a union. Forty years later, workers are still fighting for economic justice and equality:

  Security officers employed by Inter-Con to protect Kaiser Permanente patients and staff are preparing right now to strike to protest against Inter-Con's intimidation and coercion of workers;

  Minnesota security officers, in an historic act of non-violent disobedience, were arrested last month as they continued their campaign to turn dead-end jobs into good jobs with health care for the more than 800 security officers who protect some of the largest downtown buildings in Minneapolis and St. Paul; and

  Food service employees, janitors, and other workers employed in major cities around the country by food service giant Aramark are working with SEIU, UNITE HERE, and community organizations to ensure the company provides quality jobs and services to communities nationwide.

"These seeds of change will overpower the seeds of inequality that continue to plague our nation. So 40 years later, let's recall King's words, not as an opportunity to shame us for our failings, but as a reminder of the tools we have to change the status quo."

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Gerry Hudson, executive vice president of SEIU, leads the work of the union's Long Term Care Division, which represents nearly 500,000 nursing home and home care workers nationwide. He is renowned for his work on environmental justice, and he continues to lead SEIU's efforts to win quality, affordable healthcare for all, immigration reform, and other major initiatives by strengthening the union's partnerships and alliances with community groups.