MEMPHIS, TN — Dr. King came to Memphis in 1968 because city workers were being denied basic rights and protections. He understood that economic justice is inseparable from racial justice and that workers must have the freedom to organize and bargain collectively in order to live with dignity.
As he said, “The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress.” More than 50 years later, many of us city workers here in Memphis are still fighting for that same dignity. Fifty years later and there is still so much work left to do.
We are Memphis library workers. Every day, we serve this city by keeping public libraries safe, welcoming spaces for learning, connection, and opportunity. We help students with homework, job seekers with applications, families with access to technology, and neighbors seeking information and support. Libraries are one of the few truly public spaces left in our city, and the people who staff them are essential public servants.
People don’t come to the library just for the books—they come because of the library workers. Yet despite the vital role we play, Memphis library workers are denied the rights and protections afforded to other city employees.
The work we do is hard but I wouldn’t trade it. At my library I’ve been able to give out lunches to kids, I’ve helped people apply for jobs and had them come back and tell me they got a job offer, I’ve had students in my fiber arts class begin to be able to teach the basics to newer attendees, and though sometimes I have to look a person in the eye and tell them we don’t have what they need, I have witnessed how quick a library worker is with an inventive solution. People don’t come to the library just for the books—they come because of the library workers.
Yet despite the vital role we play, library workers are denied the rights and protections afforded to other city employees.
Library workers are not classified as civil service employees. That means fewer job protections, less stability, and no guaranteed voice in decisions that affect our wages, staffing levels safety, or working conditions. On top of that, a 1984 executive order still denies many city workers the right to collectively bargain, silencing some of the very voices that keep Memphis running. The consequences of these policies show up in understaffed libraries, high turnover, burnout and workers struggling to keep up with a rising cost of living. When workers lack protections and a meaningful voice, public services suffer, and so do the communities that rely on them.
This is not what Dr. King fought for. When he stood with sanitation workers in Memphis, he was clear that public workers deserved respect, fair treatment and the power to negotiate collectively. He believed unions and collective bargaining were essential tools for democracy and economic fairness, especially for Black and working-class workers. Memphis, of all cities, should understand these basic rights.
First, Memphis City Council must reclassify library workers as civil service employees. Civil service status would provide basic protections, fairness and stability for workers who dedicate their careers to serving the public. It would also strengthen our libraries by improving retention and morale, ensuring that Memphians can continue to rely on high-quality public services.
Second, Mayor Paul Young must amend the 1984 executive order that denies city workers the right to collectively bargain. No worker should be silenced for wanting a seat at the table. Collective bargaining is not radical, it is a common-sense way for workers and city leadership to solve problems together. On January 27, library workers and supporters will be gathering at Memphis City Hall for a press conference before the third reading of the referendum to reclassify the library division as civil service.
