Thousands of labor union members and their families will march through Wilmington on Monday morning, Sept. 2, celebrating the holiday that honors their contributions to America — and rallying supporters to keep fighting for workers.
The 45th Annual Labor Solidarity Parade and Picnic Rally will begin at 10 a.m. with a gaggle of various unions marching from Broad Avenue and E. Street to Banning Park, 1331 Eubank Ave., where a picnic and rally will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The picnic and rally will include live music from the band Suavé, a kid’s zone, booths at which unions will distribute informational materials, speeches from labor leaders — and a local firefighters union grilling 4,000 hot dogs.
While the annual event will be a celebration, the focus is on the importance of labor unions and protecting workers. The theme for this year’s parade and rally will be “fighting for the future of labor,” with leaders from Hollywood unions slated to speak about their recent labor negotiations and the threat artificial intelligence poses to their jobs, said Larry Barragan, chairman of the Harbor Labor Coalition.
That coalition comprises about 30 labor organizations affiliated with the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, including the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the Teamsters, and United Steelworkers. Labor Day is one of the few days the LA-Long Beach port complex is closed.
Those port-related unions, like the ones in Hollywood, have also expressed concerns for years about what technological advancements could mean for their jobs, with the ports and terminal operators touting the benefits of automation.
“People need to continue to fight for the future of labor,” Barragan said. “We set the middle class. We’re responsible for the 40-hour work week, for medical and dental, for paid leave — for child labor laws.”
Labor Day has been a federal holiday for 130 years, ever since President Grover Cleveland signed a law on June 28, 1894, making the first Monday in September a national holiday each year.
But the holiday’s origins began about a decade earlier, when labor activists and some states began honoring American workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
“American labor has raised the nation’s standard of living and contributed to the greatest production the world has ever known and the labor movement has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy,” the Labor Department says on its website. “It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership – the American worker.”
The Harbor Labor Coalition, for its part, began celebrating labor day with a parade and picnic in 1979, the same year the organization was founded.
The event typically draws around 3,000 to 4,000 people each year, Barragan said. But interest has been particularly high this year — with potentially 5,000 people participating and attending. The United Brotherhood of Carpenters alone is planning to bus in 1,000 people from all over Southern California, Barragan said.
About an hour before the parade begins, there will be an introductory news conference at Broad Avenue and E Street to celebrate the coalition’s 45th anniversary. Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis will be among the keynote speakers.
Then, at 10 a.m., the parade will step off. Floats from myriad unions, as well as high school marching bands, will travel east on E Street and then north on Avalon Boulevard before turning west on M Street toward Banning Park.
The picnic will then get underway.
Besides the free beverages and hot dogs — cooked up by the L.A .County firefighters union, local 112 — there will also be music and dancing. And 40 vendor booths representing unions and labor organizations will provide information on various topics, such as how to get a union job, how to support labor groups and how to start a union at a company, Barragan said.
Children, meanwhile, can enjoy a special area featuring face painting, pop corn, cotton candy, a puppet show and a book give away, according to the Harbor Labor Coalition’s website.
The rally program will begin at 11:30 a.m.
Representatives from the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA are slated to speak during the rally. The writers union reached a new labor contract with Hollywood studios about a year ago, ending a five-month strike. AI was among the points of concern for the writers.
“AI will create job loss and economic hardship to many communities,” the Harbor Labor Coalition’s website says. “We must protect workers rights as AI technology and robotics are not vested in our communities, nor do they pay taxes, pension, health and welfare funds.”
Labor Solidarity Parade and Picnic Rally
When: Monday, Sept. 2. Parade begins at 10 a.m. Picnic and rally run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Banning Park, 1331 Eubank Ave., in Wilmington. The parade runs from E Street at Broad Avenue to Avalon Boulevard, up to M Street and ends at Banning Park.
Cost: Free
Information: lalblaborcoalition.com.
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