St. Petersburg sanitation strike of 1968

The sanitation workers' strike of 1968 was a response to a restructuring of hours resulting in a new system of pay for the sanitation workers. This new pay plan effectively reduced weekly wages for sanitation workers from $101.40 for 6 days of work (which included time and a half for Saturday) to $73 for 5 days of work. This new plan amounted to a 15% reduction in pay per hour and a 28% reduction in pay per week. After the walkout, strikers demanded a $0.25 increase in their hourly wage before they would return to work. == Additional disputes ==

Aside from the wage dispute, there were other elements of grievances that contributed to the strike of 1968. Furthermore, older workers with seniority in the department feared termination over the newly implemented trash containers as they were heavier and more difficult to handle. == Background ==

Previous strikes There had been five other sanitation worker strikes in St. Petersburg, Florida, before that of 1968.1941.1951 In 1965, a labor strike was quickly settled by St. Petersburg City Manager Lynn Andrews, who promptly granted the requested raises. Local civil rights attorneys, James Sanderlin and Frank Peterman, represented a committee of eight sanitation workers, members of the Young Men's Progressive Club, during the labor negotiations with the city. Two days into the strike, "Andrews fired 70% of the sanitation department's workforce". Andrews hired approximately 140 temporary workers to fill the vacancies in the department. After one week, Andrews granted the wage increases. Sanitation workers would now earn a 40-hour salary larger than the 44-hour salary they were earning previously. Garbage men's organization In 1964, garbage man Joe Savage formed the Young Men's Progressive Club, which served as a quasi union for the sanitation workers of St. Petersburg. There were no union dues and strictly survived off donations. In an effort to avoid violence, they formed an anti-violence committee of an estimated 25 members responsible for preventing violence from breaking out during a strike. Members would typically meet twice a month at the Tabernacle Baptist Church. == Course of the strike ==

The first six days Day 1 On Monday May 6, 1968, St. Petersburg city sanitation workers went on strike and implemented a work stoppage at the Lake Maggiore sanitation compound. Andrews labeled this work stoppage a "wildcat walkout" strike provoked by a "few dissident workers" at an afternoon press conference. Attorney James Sanderlin, representing the strikers, quickly asserted that all sanitation workers wanted an increase in pay. As only five city garbage trucks were collecting trash, Andrews decided to allow citizens to dump their own garbage. Andrews announced that all men who did not work that day would be fired. Later that evening, Andrews also said he would be reverting to the old collection system, where sanitation employees would be returning to a six-day, 48-hour work week. 210 of the 211 workers were African-American, explaining the "racial overtones" behind the entire event at the time. Avenues of monetary relief were arranged to meet some financial needs of strikers, such as donations. Attorney John Due, organizer for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFL-CIO), presented a check to the Young Men's Progressive Club. On August 17, 1968, reports of fires and looting in the south side of St. Petersburg emerged. Nine people were injured, five were white and four were African-American. There were a reported 335 fires set since the start of the sanitation strike on May 6 and the violence was not yet over. Riots would continue for the next four days. Settlement On August 30, 1968, fired sanitation workers and City Manager Andrews came to a public agreement and brought an end to the strike. As terms of the settlement, strikers would return as new employees, losing accumulated sick pay, vacation, and seniority. Workers would return to a six-day 48-hour work week, however, if a crew was able to finish their routes early they would be given the opportunity to clock out and receive a full day's pay. • Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) • Committee of Concerned Clergymen • American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFL-CIO) • Greater St. Petersburg Council on Human Relations • Junta of Militant Organization (JOMO) == Aftermath ==

While returning sanitation workers did not receive the pay increase they had hoped for, there are those who suggest this strike "brought the national Civil Rights Movement to St. Petersburg" and started the conversation for cultural and economic advancements of African-Americans in the city. A few months following the end of the sanitation strike, C. Bette Wimbish became the first African American elected to St. Petersburg City Council. James Sanderlin, the attorney who represented the sanitation strikers, became the first African-American Pinellas County Judge in 1972, and later was elected to the county circuit court. == References ==