Forty years after the Rev. Martin Luther King lost his life supporting striking sanitation workers, the civil rights and labor movements remain united and intertwined, American Federation of Teachers President Ed McElroy told NYSUT delegates.

McElroy, who was in Memphis, Tenn., earlier this month to mark the 40th anniversary of King's death, said the fight for freedom, equality, dignity and economic justice is just as crucial today as it was 40 years ago.

He cited one of his favorite quotes from King: "What good is it to sit at a lunch counter if you can't afford a hamburger?"

McElroy praised NYSUT for its social justice emphasis, noting the union's effort to end the achievement gap is a national model.

Other "civil rights" issues unionists must fight for include decent health care, housing and education; raising the minimum wage; and working for a fairer economy.

McElroy, who will retire as AFT president at the national union's convention this summer, called NYSUT the "backbone" of AFT and the American labor movement.

He thanked NYSUT members for their support of AFT's effort to slow down reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. "We would not have been able to stop the assault without you," McElroy said.

NYSUT members have also been an important part of the AFT's support for Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential bid.

McElroy recalled standing out in the cold in Manchester, N.H., the weekend before the state's primary in February when two busloads of New Yorkers pulled up to work on behalf of Clinton.

"You should be proud of the work you're doing on behalf of Senator Clinton," McElroy said. "I know I'm proud of you."

McElroy has been AFT president since 2004. He began his union career in the 1960s, serving as president of the Warwick (R.I.) Teachers Union and later as president of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers.

NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi praised him as a fixture in the labor movement, serving with both the AFT and the AFL-CIO.