This 1980 letter documents an exchange between Senator Harrison A. Williams Jr. and Bayard Rustin regarding proposed changes to workplace safety laws. Responding to concerns from Rustin and the A. Philip Randolph Institute, Williams explains his efforts to strengthen OSHA while protecting it from political attacks. The correspondence highlights shared concerns about safeguarding workers’ rights, particularly for those without union representation.
A Civil Rights Strategy for the Seventies
In this working paper prepared for the Conference of Black Trade Unionists, A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, and Norman Hill argue that the civil rights gains of the 1960s remain incomplete amid persistent racial and economic inequality. They critique the Nixon administration’s policies and the Philadelphia Plan, advocate for expanded employment and apprenticeship opportunities, and call on Black trade unionists to mobilize voters around housing, education, employment, and health care.
