This Black History Month, the RWDSU honors the Black workers, organizers, and leaders whose courage and collective action built the American labor movement – and whose legacy is the foundation of our ongoing fight to organize the South.

From warehouses to healthcare to poultry plants, Black workers in the South have always been the heartbeat of the struggle for economic justice in our union and beyond. They organized not only against exploitative employers but against a system designed to deny them power altogether.

Henry Jenkins: RWDSU’s Trailblazer 

Henry Jenkins was a prominent labor leader and civil rights activist who served as a Vice President of the RWDSU and as President of the RWDSU Alabama and Mid-South Council. (Click to watch a video and hear from Henry Jenkins in his own words.) A black union organizer in the Deep South, Jenkins played a critical role in bridging the gap between labor rights and the Civil Rights Movement. Notably, during the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, Jenkins and fellow RWDSU members provided essential support by bringing supplies, food, and tents to the marchers’ campsites. His activism often put him in significant danger; in 1964, he survived an attack where a rifle bullet was fired through his car windshield while he ate lunch. Jenkins remained a steadfast advocate for workers' rights and racial justice until his passing in 2011, leaving a legacy that continues to influence the RWDSU’s worker-led, social justice organizing models in the South today…

This past Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the streets of Newark didn’t just echo with the memory of a leader; they vibrated with the footsteps of a movement. RWDSU Local 108 was proud to stand on the front lines as a key endorser and participant in the Martin Luther King March of Resistance, joining a coalition of over 200 organizations to demand justice, dignity, and a fair shake for every worker and family in our community.

The People’s Organization for Progress (POP) co-sponsored the march with RWDSU Local 108. The event kicked off at the iconic Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statue on MLK Blvd. For the members of Local 108, the message was clear: the struggle for labor rights is inseparable from the struggle for civil rights.

For RWDSU Local 108, being part of the March of Resistance is about more than a single day of service, it’s about protecting the very people who keep New Jersey running. Our members live and work in the communities most affected by the policies being protested.

RWDSU Local 338 members at The Herbal Care achieved a strong first contract at one of the first adult-use–only dispensaries in New York State to organize and successfully negotiate a union agreement. The organizing win was supported by  New York’s labor peace law, which protects workers’ ability to unionize without fear. 

Negotiations began nearly a year ago, and continued through the challenges of a competitive, highly regulated market, including significant operating costs across the industry. The new agreement delivers guaranteed wage increases, additional paid holidays, vacation time for the first time, faster sick-time accrual,  scheduling rights and hours protections, along with robust grievance and arbitration rights. “I was happy to get the union behind us – just having representation and someone to hear our concerns,” said member Calib Wolters.

“The RWDSU is the backbone of New York’s retail economy supply chain and more, and I am honored to have their support once again,” said Governor Kathy Hochul. “Together, we have made New York a national leader in worker safety and economic justice. Whether it’s ensuring our retail workers can go to work without fear or making sure a full-time job pays a living wage, we have proven that when labor and government work together, we all win. The RWDSU has led the charge on the front lines to ensure that modernization in the workplace never comes at the expense of human safety, dignity or respect. I look forward to continuing our fight for New York’s families – defending our warehouse workers, our grocery clerks, our retail professionals and more – to ensure that the next term is defined by even greater progress for the workers who move New York’s economy forward.”

Governor Hochul’s first term was marked by significant legislative wins with RWDSU members, including:

• Signing the Retail Worker Safety Act (RWSA): A first-in-the-nation law requiring retail employers to implement violence prevention programs and silent response buttons.

• Strengthening Wage Theft Enforcement: Providing the Department of Labor with new tools to crack down on unscrupulous employers who steal from their workers.

• Increasing the Minimum Wage: Securing a historic agreement to raise the wage to $17 in New York City and Long Island by 2026, with future increases indexed to inflation.

• Protecting Striking Workers: Signing legislation that reduced the waiting period for workers on strike to collect unemployment insurance.

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) issued the following statement on the endorsement:

“Tish James is not just an ally; she is practically a member of our union, standing with us at rally after rally. We were there when she first ran for City Council because we saw a leader who truly understood the struggles of our members. We stood with her as she became Public Advocate and Attorney General because she never forgot where she came from. As she seeks a third term as Attorney General, we are proud to continue this journey together, knowing that New York’s workers have no fiercer advocate in the Attorney General’s Office.

“Over the years, Tish has worked alongside the RWDSU to tackle the issues that matter most to our members. As Attorney General, her Labor Bureau has been a national leader in the fight against wage theft, recovering millions of dollars for exploited workers and holding unscrupulous corporations accountable. Her office has served as a critical line of defense for those whose rights have been trampled by powerful interests.”

“The RWDSU never backs down from a tough fight, they represent the best of New York’s grit and solidarity, and we have fought together to ensure that labor rights are recognized as fundamental human rights. They have been with me since the very beginning, and I am incredibly proud to have their support as I seek reelection,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “The RWDSU is at the heart of our city and state, and together, we will continue to build a New York where every worker is respected, protected, and paid fairly.”