54 Search Results for "Civil%20Rights"
The Little Rock Nine
A few pivotal moments enter history marked with an intensity and a vividness passing years do not diminish. One such event was the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
In 1954, the landmark Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education mandated the integration of racially segregated schools. Three years later, Central High School remained rigidly segregated. On September 4, 1957, however, nine black students were to attend classes there for the first time.
The Loss of an American Hero: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
October 14, 2020 2:22 PM
By President Rich Maroko
Our nation lost a brilliant legal mind and tireless advocate for equality on Friday, September 18th, with the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg was a whip-smart litigator, champion for women’s rights, and fierce defender of the most vulnerable Americans. Read more...
An In-Depth Look at the Career of HTC’s New President, Rich Maroko
August 12, 2020 4:04 PM
By Former President Peter Ward
When I announced to the General Officers and Executive Boards of HTC and Local 6 and the Local 6 Delegate Assembly that I had decided to retire, I recommended that Rich Maroko be appointed to fill my vacant offices. I explained to them the many reasons why I believed Rich’s appointment would be good for our Union.
The purpose of this report is to provide you with the same detailed description of Rich’s biography and career with HTC and Local 6. Most of you who know him, know how hard-fighting and smart he is and how much he cares about our members, but I think it is accurate to assume that you do not have as complete a knowledge of his many accomplishments on behalf of our Union as I have. Read more...
We Built This City: Immigrant Labor & The Fight for a Democratic New York
HTC President Peter Ward joined esteemed Irish Consul General Noel Kilkenny as a speaker at the March 27th, 2013 St. Patricks Day Celebration banquet.
As Peter Ward celebrated the legacy of Irish labor he also cautioned that the "human, legal and social institutions" that Irish and other immigrant laborers helped build over the last century are under attack. Today, he said, labor has a responsibility to protect the public education system, public university system, public parks and all the other institutions that are the pillars of a democratic New York City. Peter closed his speech reminding the audience that the fight that Irish and other immigrant workers started over a century ago to ensure that New York "belongs to its people" is nowhere near over.
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...
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.
HTC Pickets Woolworth in Times Square in Solidarity with Sit-Ins Across the South
In February 1960, four brave Black college students walked into a “whites only” lunch counter at a Greensboro, North Carolina Woolworth and sat down, igniting a protest movement to end segregation that spread across the country. The students – Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil – each ordered a cup of coffee and after being refused service, sat quietly in protest until the store closed. The student activists returned the next day in greater numbers and stoically bore the harassment and verbal abuse by white customers. By the third day, the number of peaceful protestors had swelled to the hundreds.
As the Greensboro sit-ins gained national attention, students across the South organized similar sit-ins at Woolworth and other segregated establishments. The activists were often met with aggression, police violence, and even bomb threats. In New York City, our Union organized a picket line of its own outside the Times Square Woolworth in solidarity with the civil rights activists. Read more...
HTC VOTES: Our Endorsements in NY's 2022 Primary
This year, New Yorkers will elect the next State Assembly, Governor, Lt. Governor, Comptroller, and Attorney General. These elected officials will be in charge of New York's continued economic recovery from COVID-19. Many of these races are extremely competitive and it is critical that we elect those individuals who will protect workers and prioritize fixing the problems faced by everyday New Yorkers in the months and years ahead. Read more...
The 2021 Freedom Rides: HTC Marches with Thousands in Washington D.C. to Fight Voter Suppression
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the 1961 Freedom Rides, when a brave group of civil rights activists organized protests against segregation from Washington D.C. through the South, facing angry mobs and violence during their journey. Sixty years later, the fight for civil rights is far from over with an assault on the voting rights of Americans — specifically Black, Brown, and working class people—in full force in present day America. Read more...
HTC VOTES: Tom DiNapoli for New York State Comptroller
Our Union is proud to endorse Tom DiNapoli for re-election as New York State Comptroller. The State’s Comptroller is responsible for making sure the State uses taxpayer money effectively, managing New York State’s Public Pension Fund for over 1 million public employees and retirees, and reporting on the State’s finances. Read more...
