PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Labor Day is a day set aside to recognize the hard work of Americans, and organized labor organizations take the opportunity to hold a parade in the city every year. Community leaders spoke at a rally to kick the festivities off.
The celebration of union power, comprising 1,500 to 2,000 union members all dressed in their various colored T-shirts, made its way up Columbus Boulevard from Washington Avenue.
Just before the parade, at the Sheet Metal Workers International Association hall, a number of elected officials — and others who want to be elected officials — turned up to be seen and shake hands.
This gathering is always a part labor celebration, part election rally. Almost every state senator and state representative in the area was at the union hall. Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon was there, as were members of Philadelphia City Council, including Council President Darrell Clarke. Even former Councilmember Bobby Henon, who was forced to resign after a bribery conviction, was there — wearing his purple Local 98 T-shirt.
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Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, acknowledged that his teachers’ union has been through a lot in recent years, from the short-term state takeover of the school district to a new superintendent. He said elected officials can have a big impact on PFT members.
For John Greer, a retired business agent for Transport Workers Local 234, it’s a chance for unions to celebrate the gains they’ve achieved.
“People didn't have good working conditions. They didn't have vacations, they didn't have benefits. There was child labor. I mean, things were pathetic, and that's what created organized labor — people organized to eliminate all these bad things that an average working person should be able to enjoy.”
Greer said this is his 35th Labor Day parade.
“There is an upswell from the everyday person — working people, families that understand that they don’t do well on their own. They need support. And the support comes through organized labor.”
The parade ends at the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing, where the union members will have a Labor Day picnic.
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