Memphis 1968 

Philadelphia 2008

Memphis, Tennessee, 1968

1,300, nearly entirely African-American sanitation workers went on strike for family-sustaining wages and a voice on the job. The workers earned a poverty wage of $1.80/hour.

The lack of proper equipment and training caused the deaths of Echol Cole and Robert Walker.

Non-violent protestors were maced and attacked by police. Sanitation workers made history when they declared that as hard working people they deserved dignity and respect on the job. They proclaimed “I AM A Man.”

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2008

Hundreds security guards (mostly AlliedBarton) are organizing for family sustaining wages and a voice on the job. Some estimates say that there are 16,000 security guards in Philadelphia. 97% of the private security officers are African-American. The 2008, inflation adjusted equivalent of $1.80 (1968 dollars) is $11.16/hr, the average wage of security officers in our city is $9.80! (see yourself here)

Security guards in Philadelphia site the lack of proper outdoor equipment and emergency training as some of their main concerns.

Non-violent security officer protestors, in 2005, were “suspended” and moved away from other active workers. Student protests forced Amy Gutmann to force AlliedBarton to returning the officers to their posts. Security officers, both women and men, in Philadelphia are fighting for their families and declaring that they deserve dignity and respect on the job. They proclaim, “I AM A Human.”