To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

RALEIGH – Protestors held a moment of silence, followed by a rally to push for workers rights and mark the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Monday marked the 43rd anniversary of King's death.

To mark the day, the NC NAACP and AFL-CIO organized a silent protest at Bicentennial Mall, across from the state legislature building in Raleigh. At noon, the crowd stood still and silent for 15 minutes.

NC AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer MaryBe McMillan said, "This silent protest symbolizes the silencing of workers voices in the workplace and in the policy debate."

King was killed in Memphis. He was there to push for the rights of sanitation workers there. Many held signs similar to the ones workers held in Memphis.

"It's an honor and a tribute to him, and we can continue his work that he started because it's not near done yet," said NC State student Bryan Perlmutter.

Protestors say they want collective bargaining rights and are mad about potential budget cuts to education and public employees. Della Singleton works for the state, and she says she wants to see lawmakers take a pay cut.

"You tell your child to be without, and you try to figure out how you are going to make ends meet," Singleton said. "State employees have two or three jobs trying to make ends meet."

After the moment of silence, many of the workers moved across the street to the Legislature where they held a rally.

Organizers say about 1,000 similar events are being held across the nation. They say the events also show solidarity with thousands of public workers across the country, as states cut compensation and jobs to balance budgets.