Red Shirt Wednesday

Union members wear red shirts on Wednesdays as a sign of solidarity. When a sea of red shirts greets management, it’s a way to let them know that the workers stand  together. This modern tradition goes back to 1989 with the Communications  Workers of America (CWA) whose members began wearing red on
Thursdays to commemorate the death of Gerry Horgan. Horgan was a CWA chief steward for Westchester County in New York who died of head injuries after being struck by a speeding car on a picket line. That vehicle was driven by a scab, the teenaged daughter of a manager. She was never charged for his death.
Wearing the red shirt to show solidarity took on new meaning during Wisconsin’s Gov. Scott Walker and his relentless attacks on labor in 2011. Unionists around the country wanted to show solidarity with Wisconsin and donned red shirts once a week. Today, it remains an act of showing unity, both to one another and the
world. It’s not anti-management; it’s a positive statement of workers standing together.

Please click on link below for Tips for organizing your own Red Shirt Wednesday:

PDF icon red_shirt_wednesday.pdf
red Shirt Wednesday