On Aug. 28, I was honored to speak at an LA City Hall rally celebrating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

As I told the assembled crowd of SEIU 721 members, community leaders, clergy, and others, the good news is that we were able to come together to celebrate this historic occasion.

The bad news is that much of what those hundreds of thousands of people assembled in Washington 50 years ago were fighting for is either still out of reach—or being dangerously taken away from us.

In June, the Supreme Court handed down a terrible decision that compromises the Voting Right Act. Because of that decision, millions of people across the country are already being denied the right to vote—the most basic right in our democracy.

Also, remember that the March on Washington was officially a march “for jobs and freedom.” As union members, those words are especially important to us, especially in a time when America’s middle class is disappearing and good jobs are going away.

I don’t know about you, but I’m really tired of turning on the news and hearing that the economic downturn is over or that the economy is recovering and adding jobs. What they don’t say is that those jobs are low-wage jobs. And the more we add, the more we become a country of very rich people and very poor people.

It’s because of my concern for the disappearing middle class that I took part in a different march on Aug. 30. It was a march led by fast food workers who, just like the marchers in Washington 50 years ago, just want to be able to work a good job and earn a decent wage to support their families.

I was extremely proud to march through the streets of Hollywood with fast food workers who said enough is enough. They’re tired of working long hours for small paychecks that don’t even pay the bills. They’re tired of having to work two or three jobs just to pay for childcare. And they’re tired of hearing that America’s economy is coming back—because for them, it isn’t.

For us, this matters too. We need to be on the forefront of not only preserving but also building up the middle class. If we can help lift low-wage workers up out of poverty—we can protect our public sector contracts. It’s really true: a rising tide lifts all boats. That’s why I’ve committed this union to supporting fast food workers in their struggle for better pay and a union voice. Their struggle for middle-class jobs is our struggle too.

In Solidarity,
Bob Schoonover
SEIU 721 President and LA City
Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic