A Message from Business Manager Chris Erikson
I have stated several times that I have accepted that Donald Trump won the election and will be our President for the next four years. I have also stated that we cannot let the politics and the differences of opinions that we as members of Local 3 may have over the election weaken our Union by driving a wedge between us. We can’t let that happen. We are aligned on most issues that affect all of us, like the work opportunity, our wages and benefits, our safety and health, and our retirement security. The economic security of ourselves and our families is dependent on the strength of Local 3.
So I won’t harp too much on the fact that President-elect Donald Trump insisted that the flags that have been flying at half-staff to honor the memory and service of former President Jimmy Carter be raised for his inauguration in and around the Capitol building. Carter truly knew what it meant to be a part of the human race, and his legacy of giving and raising people up will endure. Hopefully, it will inspire future leaders to display humanity and to live and share it the way President Carter did.
Today, we celebrate the birthday of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an American hero cut down in his prime by an assassin’s bullet. His end was a sad paradox, as he preached for non-violence in a hate-filled and violent South. He advocated for justice, and he preached for equality, voting rights, and civil rights for African-Americans. To this day, his work is still necessary and pertinent, as the road to equality for African-Americans may have just gotten a little steeper. So, as the flags fly at full-staff today, and our country swears in a new president and a new administration takes over, hopefully they too may emulate some of the values and the humanity that both Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and President Jimmy Carter exhibited.
President Jimmy Carter signs legislation officially establishing the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta, Georgia in 1980. (Photo courtesy of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.)
