Working People’s Day of Action draws hundreds to downtown Buffalo

Buffalo – Community members active in the labor and civil rights movement mobilized for a rally on Saturday, February 24 to demand an end to a rigged economy and a corrupt political system.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered out in front of the Federal Courthouse in Downtown Buffalo for the “Working People’s Day of Action” mobilization effort to bring attention to the plight of the American worker.

The day of action effort comes two days before the US Supreme Court readies to hear Janus v. AFSCME Council 31, a case that would rig the system even more against working people by taking away their freedom to have strong unions and their right to have a voice on the job.

Bonnie Peters, CSEA Local President of Chautauqua County, said with some urgency at the rally that our day of reckoning is near. “I can tell you many people in our community are working harder and harder but not getting ahead. The deck is stacked against working people—the economy is rigged and we are here today to say enough is enough. We want an end to the systems in place that reward a handful of corporate elites at the expense of everyone else.”

“Beyond better pay and benefits, being part of a union means you are part of a movement that’s fighting to achieve justice and opportunity for all,” said Richard Lipsitz, President of WNY Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO. He added, “No matter what happens, no matter whom tries to divide us and get in the way of us achieving a decent living for ourselves and our families, working people will remain united.”

Buffalo’s rally was part of a nationwide day of action effort spanning 28 cities across the country. Local working people, elected officials and community leaders joined the call to end undemocratic policies that keep working wages stagnant and benefit only the wealthy and powerful. The initiative builds on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who five decades ago supported striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, in their demand to form a strong union and to be treated with dignity at work.

“The faith community remains united with working people and Western New Yorkers of all races and backgrounds to demand an end to an economy that’s rigged against us. We will rise to defend the freedoms that Dr. King fought and died for, like the freedom from want, the freedom from hate, the freedom to vote, and the freedom to join in strong unions,” said Rev. Mark Blue, President of the Buffalo Branch of the NAACP. “We have a duty to pick up the mantle that Reverend Dr. King left and build a loving, moral army to bend the arc towards justice.”

Fifty years after this monumental strike, working people across all communities and backgrounds continue to struggle for better pay, benefits, and working conditions. Protesters were joined in solidarity by elected officials, including US Congressman Brian Higgins, New York State Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes and NYS Senator’s Tim Kennedy and Chris Jacobs.

Terry Melvin, Secretary-Treasurer of the New York State AFL-CIO, said at the rally, “All across the country, workers, parents, and students are gathering to say enough. The attacks on our civil liberties, our social justice and our paychecks have gone on for too long. Buffalo is just one of many cities to stand up in the face of the constant attacks against working men and women.”

Workers and their allies will remain committed to fighting against economic inequality and political exclusion. The Working People’s Day of Action is one in a series of events that will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike while bringing attention to the present state of the American workforce.