Bill Lee: “I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding and for that gracious introduction, but, more importantly, for his…”

“I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding and for that gracious introduction, but, more importantly, for his magnificent leadership and for constantly looking out for working men and women throughout the country. I also thank him very much for bringing us together this evening to discuss the Supreme Court case, Janus v. AFSCME. Mr. Speaker, as we remember the man and the movement which transformed the soul of America, we must never forget that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., fought for economic justice and workers' rights. A few months before Dr. King's assassination, two young African- American workers were crushed to death by a faulty truck in Memphis. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees-- AFSCME--union members went on strike, and Dr. King was right there with them, leading and lending his support. In a speech to the sanitation workers on strike, Dr. King explained why he was there. He said: ``Now our struggle is for genuine equality, which means economic equality. For we know that it isn't enough to integrate lunch counters. What does it profit a man to be able to eat at an integrated lunch counter if he doesn't earn enough money to buy a hamburger . . . ?'' Now, 50 years after Dr. King's tragic assassination after standing up for economic justice and fighting to end poverty, the Supreme Court is taking up a case that would gut union rights. Make no mistake, the Supreme Court case, Janus v.…”