As we approach the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday, it is as important as ever that we reflect on his message and his mission anew.

Dr. King literally gave his life struggling shoulder to shoulder with striking workers and their union. He denounced so-called “right to work” laws as false slogans designed to rob working people of civil rights and economic rights. And, he said, “It is a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages.”

While our country and society have made great strides as Dr. King said, the “arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

We have more work to do to bending that arc so that every American, regardless ofreligion, ethnicity, gender, wealth or the lack of it, has equal rights. In a time of historic income inequality in our country, far too many working men and women must labor at two or more jobs, simply to try to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads.

As Dr. King showed by his actions, uniting workers in unions is crucial to equality and economic justice. Dr. King was a legend in his day and remains a hero to this day. He was a man who dared to take on the injustices of his time but who in doing so paid with his life. He left us a legacy of courage that illustrates the best of of our nation. As a union and as a nation, we can honor him with our own efforts for social justice and let his dream guide our actions.

On behalf of myself, General Secretary-Treasurer Armand E. Sabitoni, and the entire LIUNA General Executive Board, I hope you will join me in words and actions inspired by the incredible legacy of Dr. King.