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“Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.”
- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
Memphis, TN, April 3, 1968
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Dear Gregory,
Today we’re taking a stand -- along with hundreds of other fast food workers -- for a better New York. And we hope you’ll join us.
This morning, we walked off the job to demand higher wages and the right to form a union without intimidation. By standing together for our families and our communities, we can lift the entire economy and rebuild America’s middle class.
March with us in Harlem to demand justice for low wage workers as we fight for a better NYC.
Fast food workers are living in poverty without enough to meet our basic needs. Many of us rely on food stamps and some of us live in homeless shelters. Meanwhile, the $200 billion fast food industry continues to profit from our work without retuning those profits to our communities and New York City’s economy.
But worst of all, they think we can be ignored. Help us show that we’re not just ‘cheap labor,’ but men and women who want nothing more than to be treated with dignity and let to earn an honest living.
Forty-five years ago, sanitation workers in Memphis, TN, were facing the same struggle. They went on strike to demand dignity for all workers. Joined by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the eve of his assassination, Memphis strikers declared to the world, “I AM A MAN.”
Stephon is trying to provide a better life for his daughter, but is having trouble making ends meet while caring for his sick mother. Linda wants to be able to pay her bills and have a better, safer apartment for her and her 80-year-old mother. Gregory delivers food to people all day, but has to rely on food stamps for his own family to eat.
Following in the footsteps of the 1968 Memphis sanitation strikers and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we will tell the world we are men, we are women, we are people. And we will not be ignored.
Stand with us today – join the rally and march at 5:30pm in Marcus Garvey Park at 124th St and Madison.
In November, fast food workers in New York took part in an historic strike to demand $15 an hour and the right to form a union without intimidation. Since then, our numbers have grown and our resolve has strengthened. We are proud to continue in the tradition of civil rights crusaders who came before us and we will not stop until our voices are heard and we have a seat at the table.
We’re on strike today because we can’t survive on $7.25. Higher wages will help us raise our families with dignity but will also help lift our entire economy. More money in the hands of workers means more money spent in local shops and a boost for our community.
As Memphis sanitation striker Alvin Turner said “in order to win, you have to stand up and be counted.”
We’ll be standing up today - Thank you for standing with us!
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Gregory Reynoso, Stephon Warner, and Linda Archer
Fast Food Workers Organizing Committee
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