On April 3, 1968 the Rev. Martin Luther King spoke in Memphis, Tenn. in support of African American sanitation workers on strike for better working conditions and recognition of their AFSCME union (see video). Ensuring that workers were treated with respect no matter their race was almost unimaginable then and — in some places — remains a daunting task today.

And what about gender equality? How many people dreamed back then that we would have a woman Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives today?

We’ve made extraordinary progress in our country advancing civil rights for all, but the fight for dignity is not over. It goes on through struggles like raising the minimum wage, lowering prescription drug prices and making sure every worker can exercise the right to join a union through the Employee Free Choice Act.

MLK Day is not only a holiday to honor a great man’s fight for social and economic justice. It is also a reminder that the struggle continues and it involves all those who have benefited from living in a better world thanks to the sacrifice of our forebears.

Yesterday, for the first time in more than 10 years, in the first hours of business of the 110th Congress and with Democrats back at the helm, the House passed a federal minimum wage increase. As stated by Representative Robert Andrews (D-NJ), “This is the day for the people who empty the bedpans, change the bed linens, sweep the floors and do the hardest work of America.” Amen.

The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2, legislation increasing the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour, by a vote of 315-116.

After years of ignoring the plight of the working class and leaving a stagnant minimum wage intact, Congress is doing something for working people. According the Economic Policy Institute, the increase could benefit as many as 15 million low-wage workers.

Thousands of messages from AFSCME e-Activists helped make this happen.

This issue now goes to the Senate. Shortly before the House vote, the Senate was urged by the AFL-CIO, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and others to reject business tax cut giveaways and pass a clean minimum wage bill. Hear, hear!

When the bill to raise the minimum wage goes to the House floor today, it will be time for politicians to put money where their mouth is… literally.

Unlike previous initiatives, this bill has no strings attached such as tax giveaways for corporations or rollback of worker protections. Just a straightforward $2.10 an hour raise to the hardworking Americans who for 10 years have had to get by making a mere $5.15 an hour, $206 a week or $10,712 a year. No matter how you cut it, it’s just not enough to keep a family out of poverty.

For too long working families have been clamoring for a minimum wage hike. The signs couldn’t be clearer than in November, when voters overwhelmingly approved a raise in all six states where the initiative was on the ballot.

Now it’s time for the Congress we helped elect to take the hint.

How would you like to quit your job and yet be paid a whopping $210 million (yes, you read right) in severance payments? If you’re former Home Depot CEO Robert Nardelli, that’s what you get for six years of service. Who wouldn’t like to be unemployed under those circumstances?

Talk about a golden parachute — or platinum, as AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee said in his statement earlier this week. It seems that in corporate-governed America your retirement security is at risk… unless you happen to be a CEO.

And guess who gets to foot the bill? Union members participate in benefit plans with over $5 trillion in assets. Runaway executive pay not only hurts working men and women who are invested in the company but also diminishes returns for our funds.

“We’re aghast at the level of compensation that Nardelli is walking away with — this is money directly out of shareholders’ pockets,” Richard Ferlauto, AFSCME’s director of pension investment policy, told the New York Times.

It’s high time that someone paid attention to the issue of ballooing CEO compensation. Congress dragged its feet for years when it came to raising the minimum wage, an issue which is coming back to the forefront as Democrats make it part of the 100 Hours Agenda. Yet politicians haven’t made so much as a peep when corporate salaries come under scrutiny.

This inaction could change as Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), incoming Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, has indicated his support for the AFSCME campaign to give shareholders a say in approving CEO pay and plans to hold Congressional hearings on this issue.

AFSCME Director of Pensions & Benefits Richard Ferlauto told CNBC’s Erin Burnett why he’s happy Home Depot CEO Nardelli is gone, and why he is continuing to push for reforms on the issue of CEO pay. Go to CNBC’s website to watch the video clip of his appearance, and for more information on the issue of pension security, check out AFSCME’s website: http://www.afscme.org/pensionsecurity

Today is an historic day — for women, for working people, for all of us who want a better America.

Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was just sworn in as the first woman Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. She is charged with nothing less than making good on the promises made in the 2006 mid-term election by progressive candidates. The Democrats will be pushing a flurry of legislative activity, known as the “100 Hours Agenda” to help working families during the first 100 hours of the new Congress.

Today, Democrats are expected to move on ethics reform, voting to ban gifts from lobbyists. Then, on Tuesday, the 100 hours is set to officially begin. AFSCME is part of the Change America Now campaign that will be mobilizing people across the country in support of specific economic elements of the agenda.

1. Minimum Wage — The House will next vote to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour over two years, helping nearly 15 million American workers who make the minimum wage or slightly above it. The federal minimum wage stagnated at $5.15 an hour for years under the Republican Congress.
2. Prescription Drugs — Democrats will then vote to allow the federal government to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, meaning lower drug prices for seniors. Big pharmaceutical companies opposed this, and Republicans complied during their time in power.

These and other agenda items are the reason why AFSCME members across the country worked so hard to put new leadership in Congress. You can help pass the 100 Hours Agenda by sending a message to your congressperson today.

Each December gives us the chance to reflect upon the positive contributions we’ve made to the lives of our family, friends and ourselves. But this year, we have an opportunity to celebrate the contribution we made to the entire nation.

In 2006, AFSCME members changed America. Come January we will have the first pro-worker Congress in over a decade.

And we made it happen. When asked to tell why they voted overwhelmingly for change in the November elections, AFSCME members by the hundreds responded. The short responses varied widely in their content and reflected the great diversity of our membership. Some were humorous and gleeful, some were angry and passionate, but nearly all of the responses conveyed a sense of empowerment – a sense that our members had taken action and succeeded in a first step towards a more worker-friendly Congress.

To show their appreciation for our work, incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid recently paid a visit to AFSCME’s Washington, DC headquarters. Pelosi and Reid answered some important questions that AFSCME members submitted online, and they vowed to enact an ambitious legislative agenda that helps working families. During the first 100 hours of the new Congress, Speaker-Elect Pelosi vowed voted to:

• Make college more affordable by cutting the interest rates for student loans in half;

• Lower the cost of prescription drugs by directing Medicare to use its purchasing power to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies as part of Part D;

• Repeal tax breaks and other multi-billion dollar subsidies for Big Oil and invest in alternative sources of energy, and

• Raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour

This is the agenda of lawmakers who share the values of everyday Americans, not corporate CEOs. And AFSCME members made it happen.

In 2006, we changed America. And that’s something to celebrate

Politicians continue to drag their collective feet when it comes to funding vital public services. As the time to adjourn for the year approaches, the do-nothing Congress remains faithful to its tradition and instead of voting on its annual spending bills– bills to fund vital services like health care, social services, and financing for student lending – it decided to dump all the work on the new majority. That is to say, most of the bills will have to wait until January, when the new Congress will convene.

The House and Senate already cleared a continuing resolution to fund government programs through December 8. The problem is that this continuing resolution restricts funding to the Republican-led House’s low proposed funding level, or last year’s enacted level, which do not provide for increasing needs, inflation, and long-term under-funding.

Congress reconvenes December 4 to attempt to complete further action on the remaining 2006 spending bills. If they fail to make progress, they will have to continue insufficient funding, with ensuing budget nightmares for vital public services and America’s social safety net.

For more information, check out the Emergency Campaign for America’s Priorities.

Thanksgiving marks a time of appreciation. While most AFSCME members will be enjoying a well-deserved holiday or getting paid overtime for working the holiday, we might want to think about the numerous nonunion workers who don’t get paid holidays, sick leave or other decent benefits. Whereas the median earnings for a union worker average $801 a week, nonunion employees make an average $622 per week.

More working people than ever want to join a union, but employers routinely harass, intimidate and coerce their employees who want to exercise such a right. Resolutions are usually reserved for New Years, but perhaps this Thanksgiving in addition to being grateful, we can each resolve to think about what we can do to help those without the rights, benefits and protections of a union. Maybe it’s as simple as speaking out the next time you hear someone disparaging unions. Maybe it’s taking action online in support for the Employee Free Choice Act. Or maybe it’s becoming an AFSCME Volunteer Member Organizer to support other public service workers who are trying to form a union with AFSCME (often in the face of stiff opposition from management.) After all, things like paid holidays and employer-paid health care do not happen spontaneously. As the old saying goes, union members are the folks who brought you the weekend.

With that in mind, have a happy holiday. You deserve it because of your hard work (AFSCME Members Proudly Serving America video) and so do your fellow workers, unionized or not.

Last week, the voices of working families were heard loud and clear, and those voices said we are ready for change! Based on the election exit polls, union families provided at least two-thirds of the Democratic victory. AFSCME members did their part and likewise came out in full force to vote and help effect the change America so badly needed.

Both houses of Congress are now controlled by the Democrats, paving the way for pro-worker initiatives such as raising the minimum wage, strengthening Social Security and Medicare and making healthcare affordable and available for everyone. In addition, six governorships and seven state legislatures were gained by the Democrats — a huge win for public service workers. On November 7th, voters also raised the minimum wage in all six states where the initiative was on the ballot and rejected so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights initiatives in three states.

The mid-term elections signified an unprecedented effort on the part of AFSCME, as members across the nation mounted an aggressive effort to get voters to the polls. AFSCME members across the country made over 8 million telephone calls and distributed 7 million worksite fliers and direct mail pieces in targeted districts. The union spent $35 million on member mobilization, candidate contributions and “Get Out The Vote” (GOTV) activities in support of pro-worker candidates and initiatives. You can see for yourself the power of the AFSCME green machine at www.afscme.org by checking out our Election 2006 photo gallery and listening to AFSCME president McEntee discuss the election results.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 7 – a mere five days away. Have you had enough of the attacks on our Social Security, pensions and health care? Have you had enough of the mismanagement of the Iraq War? Have you had enough of scandal?

Most of us have. That’s according to our recent AFSCME election survey where 75% of respondents said they think our nation is seriously on the wrong track. If that’s the case, each and every one of us must do something about it.

Voting is our one and only chance to right thee wrongs in Washington, D.C. Sure, we can let our elected officials know how we feel while they are in office. But only once every two years do we get to hire or fire them.

What’s more, experts predict that less than half of eligible voters will go to the polls this Election Day. We can make the voice of working people even more influential by turning out to vote on November 7.

So click here and pledge to change America. Vote – and bring your co-workers and friends to vote – on November 7. Let’s show Washington that we’ve had enough.