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2024 Milwaukee Labor Day parade
Union workers filled the streets for Milwaukee's annual Labor Day parade on Monday, Sept. 2. While the parade did not have a specific theme, people FOX6 News talked with said the sense of unity was powerful.
MILWAUKEE - Union workers filled the streets for Milwaukee's annual Labor Day parade on Monday, Sept. 2. While the parade did not have a specific theme, people FOX6 News talked with said the sense of unity was powerful.
"We are all pumped, ready to go," said Rachel Meyers, USW Steelworkers.
With businesses closed and people off from work, downtown Milwaukee was still full of workers.
"I just love all the different unions that show up – from electrical workers to the stagehands to the service industry," said Brandon Payton-Carillo of Milwaukee.
Union workers walked down Wisconsin Avenue through the city celebrating labor rights.
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"Without unions and without labor it’d be impossible to make America what it is today," said Jose Negron, IAM union worker.
"You see the groups, you see the energy, you see the cheering, the chanting I think that’s really important for the kids to see," said Linda Peterson, USW Steelworkers.
The federal holiday honors American labor workers who fought for fair working conditions in the late 1800s – things like higher wages and an eight-hour work day.
Union workers who were in the parade say they felt like more people were out celebrating the holiday.
"There’s more of an urgency with all the kind of labor battles that are going on. People fighting for fare wages, fighting for safety," Payton-Carillo said.
Then there was a sense of solidarity. Many labor leaders say ahead of the November election, this was a breath of fresh air.
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"Right now everybody is so divided especially over election topics and things like that so it is important to show that even if we have differences of opinions we come together for important things today, like remembering the labor movements," Peterson said.
The parade ended at Maier Festival Park where LaborFest was held.