Tomorrow Tennessee progressives and people of good will and movement organizations will march on their state Capitol in Nashville in a very broad based demand for living wages, a broadening democracy, and better public schools. The march will begin at noon central time.
The United Campus Workers-CWA is the principal organizer and initiator of the march and rally, but they have been joined by a wide array of Tennessee progressive and movement organizations.
This march is yet another southern action and movement confronting bigotry and racism, assaults on democracy and workers, and assaults on unions. Now, beginning in North Carolina with the NAACP, at least South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee have begun to mobilize for justice in their states.
The coalition defined their demands:
“We are facing attempts to completely dismantle our public schools, a broken minimum wage where full time jobs keep Tennesseans in poverty not out of it; and endless attacks on our democratic rights to vote, protest, and organize. It’s time that Tennessee’s elected officials put the people before the profits of their wealthy campaign donors.”
The United Campus Workers are joined by the Tennessee AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club, SOCM, SEIU, Workers Interfaith Justice, Jobs With Justice, Tennessee NAACP, Memphis Progressive Student Alliance, Chattanooga for Workers, United Students Against Sweatshops, and others.
The United Campus Workers have been organizing and demanding a living wage for all workers in the Tennessee state university system. They recently won a broad based wage increase, a step toward their demand and their goal. The demands of this coalition go directly to the crisis of income and wealth inequality.