Milwaukee Labor Day celebration; unions making a comeback?

Union workers united at Milwaukee Laborfest

Laborfest drew hundreds of union workers to downtown Milwaukee and Maier Festival Park.

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee's annual Labor Day celebration brought hundreds of people downtown and to Maier Festival Park on Monday, Sept. 4.

Leaders told FOX6 News, unions are making a comeback. They point to recent polls that show Americans approve of labor unions more than they have in generations. Even so, thin crowds at Laborfest have one longtime union member concerned for the future.

Laborfest, Milwaukee (2023)

It is a reminder of what was for retired union worker Jeff Latinovich.

"I come down here, and I see it shrinking every year," Latinovich said. "I think the prevalence of corporate greed is filtering down."

Milwaukee's annual Laborfest draws a crowd. The president of Milwaukee Labor Council insists, demand for union jobs has not cooled.

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"We're calling this summer ‘hot strike summer’ because there are so many collective actions that are going on that are really getting the goods, teamsters with UPS just got a record contract," said Pam Fendt, Milwaukee Labor Council President.

A recent Gallop poll found Americans approve of unions more now than they have since 1965. The fight for better pay, hours, and jobs pushed Briggs & Stratton union worker Travis Clark into politics.

Laborfest, Milwaukee (2023)

"I’m actually running as a Republican," Clark said. "We need to create U.S. jobs and make sure those U.S. jobs stay in America. This is the foundation."

Officials with Milwaukee Labor Council say their organization represents 24,000 workers in metro Milwaukee. Many of those labor groups took their message to the street this holiday.

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"In the gazebo this morning, we have coffee by the Colectivo Collective, a group of workers who formed a union. So it's not just, we think of the trades or the manufacturing as the bastion of organized labor and that's still true. But really, any place where people work can be a union and can ban together for better conditions," Fendt said.

Laborfest, Milwaukee (2023)

Union leaders also point to the high-profile strikes impacting Hollywood – the actor and writer strikes – as pushing union work into the national conversation. Writers have been on strike since May.

For more information on the Laborfest celebration, you are invited to visit the Milwaukee County website.