FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1, 2020
Contact: Denise Romano, dromano@twu.org
TWU Statement on Justice for George Floyd and National Protests
Transport Workers of America, AFL-CIO (TWU) International Administrative Council members President John Samuelsen, Executive Vice President Alex Garcia, Secretary-Treasurer Jerome Lafragola, Administrative Vice President Mike Mayes and Administrative Vice President Curtis Tate, have issued the following statement:
“George Floyd’s murder was a criminal act and every police officer involved in his senseless killing should be prosecuted. But we cannot see the murder of George Floyd outside of a context of deep-seated and long simmering racial tensions. Watching his murder is watching the American tragedy unfold in real time.
“Racism and economic injustice are tied at the hip and in this moment we must remind ourselves that the trade union movement at its best is a powerful force against these poisons. Both on the job and in the street we have fought for fair treatment, decent wages, healthcare, family leave, and retirement security for all workers regardless of race or gender. The Transport Workers Union has always been at the forefront of the battle against racial and economic oppression, breaking the color barriers in every industry where we organize.
“Members of the TWU live in our communities and serve our neighbors on the job. And should they choose to do so, we absolutely support their right to peacefully protest for economic and racial justice alongside their fellow Americans. While criminality must be addressed, and the perpetrators held accountable – among police and protestors alike – this moment demands that we as a society hear the pleas of those peacefully flooding in the streets to seek redress for their grievances.
“The nine minutes it took to murder George Floyd have exposed a gaping wound. Now it is incumbent on us and our society to heal it. Let us reflect as a union and a people on the turbulent period we are going through and let us emerge better because of it.”
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The Transport Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, represents more than 151,000 workers in the airline, railroad, transit, universities, utilities, and services sectors