Teamsters Local 667
Memphis Strong — carrying the legacy of 1968
Powering · Labor Education
AFSCME Local 1733
Memphis, Tennessee — I AM A MAN
AFSCME Local 1733: Where It All Began
The union that changed Memphis forever. From the 1968 sanitation strike to today, Local 1733 has been fighting for dignity, respect, and justice for public service workers.
1733
Memphis Local
1968
Sanitation Strike
65
Days on Strike
1.4M
AFSCME Members
Who We Are
America's communities never rest. Streets need cleaning. Families need care. Students deserve well-run schools, and our neighborhoods demand safety. That's why people who work in public service never stop. This isn't just a job. It's a calling. The work matters because it means something to make a community better.
AFSCME Local 1733 represents public service workers across the City of Memphis — from sanitation and public works to parks, hospitals, and city administration. As part of AFSCME and the AFL-CIO, Local 1733 is one of the most historically significant union locals in America.
Who We Represent
The 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike
On January 31, 1968, Memphis sanitation workers Echol Cole and Robert Walker were crushed to death in the back of a malfunctioning garbage truck. They had climbed into the compactor to shelter from the rain because Black workers were not provided a place to take breaks. The city offered their families one month's pay and $500 for funeral expenses. Nothing more.
On February 12, 1968, approximately 1,300 Black sanitation workers walked off the job. They carried signs that read "I AM A MAN." They demanded union recognition, fair wages, a 10% wage increase, overtime pay, safety equipment, a grievance procedure, sick leave, pension programs, and health insurance. Mayor Henry Loeb refused to negotiate.
AFSCME International President Jerry Wurf arrived in Memphis on February 18 and declared the strike would only end when workers' demands were met. Local 1733, founded in 1964 by T.O. Jones, became the organizational heart of the movement.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to Memphis to support the workers as part of his Poor People's Campaign. On April 3, 1968, he delivered his prophetic "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech at Mason Temple. The next day, April 4, he was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel.
After 65 days, under immense national pressure, Mayor Loeb agreed to recognize AFSCME Local 1733. The workers won union recognition, wage increases, and dues checkoff. The strike remains one of the most important moments in both the labor movement and the civil rights movement.
"I AM A MAN."
— The signs carried by 1,300 Memphis sanitation workers, February 1968
The Struggle Continues
More than 55 years after the strike, AFSCME Local 1733 continues to fight for the rights of Memphis public employees. The issues that sparked the 1968 walkout — fair pay, safe working conditions, respect on the job — remain at the center of the local's mission.
Under the leadership of President Adrian Rodgers, Local 1733 advocates for competitive wages, proper staffing, modern equipment, healthcare benefits, and pension security for the workers who keep Memphis running. When the city backtracks on promised wage increases or cuts corners on safety, Local 1733 is there — just as it was in 1968.
Community Impact
AFSCME Local 1733 is more than a union — it is a cornerstone of Memphis history. The local's legacy has been honored at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, at Clayborn Temple (the strike headquarters), and in countless books, documentaries, and memorials across the country.
AFSCME believes that every person working to sustain their community deserves respect. As part of AFSCME International's 1.4 million members, Local 1733 draws strength from a nationwide network while staying rooted in the Memphis community that shaped it. For people proudly committed to public service, we never quit.
"In 1968, the men of the Memphis Sanitation Department went on strike because of poor working conditions and faulty equipment that caused the death of two workers. AFSCME is the union that honors solidarity without conformity, drawing each member's story into a force of experience and commitment that can't be ignored. We are AFSCME."
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