MLK Assassination and Organized Labor

The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, sent shock waves around the nation and around the world. A number of different constituencies in Arkansas looked to embrace King’s legacy. J. Bill Becker, present of the Arkansas AFL-CIO, explained that King quote “gave his life fighting for the rights of workers attempting to achieve dignity and justice on the job. He is a martyr to the cause of organized labor and a champion of the poor and underprivileged.” Becker urged the passage of an Arkansas Labor Management Relations Policy, recognizing the right to quote “self-organization, to form, join or assist labor organizations [and] to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing.”