SPEEA George Floyd Letter
SPEEA joins labor in demanding an end to racism and justice for George Floyd
The senseless killing of George Floyd, a Black father, husband, brother, and son, by Minneapolis Police officers has shaken our nation and exposed the stark reality of the rampant social injustice that still exists in our society today. Hand-cuffed and face down on the pavement, Floyd died a humiliating death. With an officer’s knee on his neck, two other officers holding him down and a third standing idle nearby Floyd pleaded; “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe,” until the life of one more Black man was no more.
Floyd’s death is a harsh and tragic reminder of the unjust treatment inflicted on Black men and women, along with all people of color, in the United States. Sadly, this was not an isolated incident. Floyd’s death is just one of the more recent unjust killings of Blacks at the hands of law enforcement and vigilantes – earlier this year, Breonna Taylor was killed in her own home by police in Louisville and Ahmaud Arbery was killed by three white civilians while jogging in Georgia. Racial profiling, oppression, brutality, and indifference has existed for centuries since before our country formed. It is long past time for change.
The 20,000 members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), IFPTE Local 2001, stand with our labor union brothers and sisters around the United States and condemns in the strongest possible terms the actions of the officers in Minneapolis. We demand a full and complete investigation of Floyd’s death and an end to the inappropriate use of force by police officers everywhere. We demand justice for George Floyd and his family so that his death does not become another statistic.
We join our fellow unions in the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) in calling on the U.S. Congress to immediately conduct hearings on the systemic racism that exists in our country. We demand legislation that protects communities of color in our country and finally puts real meaning into the words “all men are created equal.” Finally, we stand side-by-side with the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and other local unions throughout Washington state in reaffirming our commitments to eliminating racism from the labor movement, calling out injustice wherever it occurs, and combating the structural and institutional inequities that advantage some while denying others their full human dignity
Ryan Rule
President
Michelle Cooper
Treasurer
Shaunna Winton
Secretary
Keith Covert
MW Vice President
Dan Nowlin
NW Vice President
Daniel Peters
NW Vice President
Mike Shea
NW Vice President
Approved by unanimous vote on Thursday, June 5, 2020.