47 Search Results for "Civil Rights"
Let’s Look at the Issues
There are very few adults in the U.S. who at one time or another weren’t personally touched by a Pete Seeger song. Seeger, who died last week at the age of 94, was a fervent civil rights activist, an determined environmentalist, a fierce civil liberties advocate, and an exceedingly strong union supporter.
Historic telegrams found at union
Recently, a union staff member discovered four historic telegrams, dating back to March 1965, documenting our union's early involvement in the civil rights movement. The telegrams were sent by our union at the request of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. after the murder, in Selma, Alabama, of Rev. James Reeb by a racist white mob.
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This week our entire country honors the life and accomplishments of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. It is a particularly poignant observance for our Union for reasons that are well known to veteran members but may not be known to newer members.
Governor Cuomo Signs "Say Their Name" Reform Agenda and Issues Executive Order on Police Accountability
June 19, 2020 5:57 PM
In response to ongoing state-wide protests and marches, Governor Cuomo signed the ‘Say Their Name’ Reform agenda into law on June 12, 2020. HTC had previously endorsed these measures. The new laws include reforms in policing and criminal justice: a repeal and reform of section 50-a of the New York State Civil Rights Law, allowing disciplinary records of police to be released to the public in cases of misconduct, a statewide ban on police chokeholds, a prohibition of false race-based 911 reports, and the designation of the NY Attorney General as an independent prosecutor in cases involving the deaths of unarmed civilians at the hands of police.
Governor Cuomo also signed an executive order on June 12: “The New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative,” requiring local police departments to adopt a plan by April 1, 2021 in order to be eligible for future state funding. Read more...
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Several months ago our entire country honored the life and accomplishments of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. It is a particularly poignant observance for our Union for reasons that are well known to veteran members but may not be known to newer members.
More Criminal Justice Reform Measures Enacted in New York
Hotel Voice — April 30, 2019
"As many of you know from an editorial we published in Hotel Voice in 2017, our union has been working closely with the Innocence Project on criminal justice reform. It is my belief that this is the single most important civil rights issue in the United States, followed closely by immigration reform. The unfair incarceration of poor, disadvantaged and working class people who disproportionately are Black and Latino is a stain on the soul of our country."
-HTC President Peter Ward
On the Ballot: The Survival of the American Labor Movement
October 27, 2020 10:59 AM
Many Americans understand that a vote for the President is, in effect, a vote on the future of the U.S. Supreme Court, whose rulings will affect our civil liberties and rights for years to come. But Supreme Court Justices are not the only presidential appointees that have significant power over the lives of the American people. A group of lesser known presidential appointees that are effectively “on the ballot” each election are those to the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”). These appointees are responsible for protecting the rights of American workers to organize, join a union, and collectively bargain over their wages, benefits, and working conditions.
As working people cast their ballots this election, they will be voting on the very survival of the American labor movement.
Reverend Al Sharpton: "Get Your Knee Off Our Necks"
June 8, 2020 5:18 PM
On Thursday, June 4th, 2020, Reverend Al Sharpton delivered a memorable eulogy for George Floyd at a memorial service for him in Minneapolis. The family asked the civil rights leader to give the eulogy for Mr. Floyd as this wasn’t a normal death, nor simply an untimely death, but a lynching and the family asked the Reverend who has regularly amplified the voices and experiences of being black in the United States to honor Mr. Floyd and to contextualize his murder. Rev. Sharpton poignantly and stirringly voiced the righteous demand of millions when he said, “what happened to Floyd happens every day in this country, in education, in health services, and in every area of American life. It’s time for us to stand up in George’s name and say get your knee off our necks.”
HTC urges everyone to watch Rev. Sharpton’s remarks in their entirety. You can watch it here.
HTC and the Little Rock Nine
“This year marks the 60th anniversary of our union honoring the Little Rock Nine — a group of incredibly brave students who were the center of the battle to desegregate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, and who even today serve as an enduring symbol of the courage and resolve of the civil rights movement and the fight for equality.”
Those were the words of Hotel Trades Council President Peter Ward, on Tuesday, June 12, when the ties between our union and the Little Rock Nine officially spanned 60 years at a luncheon held in Gallagher’s Steak House.
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1957 address to our Union
On May 21, 1957, as part of its long-standing efforts to advance the cause of racial justice, Local 6 awarded its fourth annual Better Race Relations Award to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who had only recently emerged on the national stage with his leadership of the monumental Montgomery Bus Boycott from 1955-1956. At the time and throughout his life, Dr. King was marginalized, ignored, criticized, persecuted, and hated by huge segments of the country, but our Union recognized his greatness and befriended him from the start. Every member should be proud of that fact.
After receiving the award and a $500 check, Dr. King delivered a stirring speech on civil rights and the labor movement to the Executive Board and Local 6 members gathered in the Union’s Gertrude Lane Auditorium.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we are reprinting highlights of Dr. King’s 1957 address, which were originally published in the June 1957 edition of Local 6’s Hotel and Club Voice publication. Read more...
