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This Monday, Labor Day September 4 will see the largest Labor Day parade in memory, Greater St. Louis Labor Council President Pat White announced today, inviting the public to bring their family, lawn chairs and sun visors to what will be an exciting, fun-filled two hours.

More than 5,000 marchers from 30 unions with miles of equipment, trucks, floats, marching bands, drill teams and other units will step off at 9 a.m. from 15th and Olive, go east to Tucker Blvd., south to Market and west on Market to the parade stand at 15th and Market where it will end. Following the parade numerous unions will have picnics in the park between Chestnut and Market.

Parade Marshalls are St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger. The parade’s theme, “Together We Win,” highlights and displays the skills and services union members in all walks of life provide as well as celebrating the importance of ALL working men and women who have indeed made, and continue to make, America great, White said.

Leading the parade will be several unions celebrating anniversaries, St. Louis Musicians Local 2-197 band and the Roosevelt High School Marine Corps Junior ROTC Color Guard. Also marching will be the United States Navy Great Lakes Band and six other St. Louis marching units from area high schools.

And there will be lots of candy for the kids being distributed from the many floats, trucks and cars and the thousands of union marchers. “Before it’s all over, there will be at least a ton of candy given out. The kids love it. It’s better than Halloween!” added White.

Spaced throughout the parade will be the electrifying Wichita Dynamic Steppers Drill Team and Drum Line from Wichita, Kansas, the Hazelwood Central Marching Band (sponsored by Electrical Workers Local 1), the McClure South High School Marching Band, the Spirits of New Northside Drill Team (from the Northside Family Life Center), the St. Louis Marching Cobras and Musicians Local 2-197.

PRIOR TO THE ST. LOUIS PARADE

Preceding the parade will be a three-stage “Save the Wage” Rally:

• 6 a.m. protest at the McDonald’s on 1119 N. Tucker to protest cutting back the current $10 an hour wage to $7.65 more than 30,000 workers;
• 7 a.m. – march from McDonalds to a public rally.
• 8 a.m.- rally at 18th and Olive to urge more St. Louis’ businesses to maintain the $10 an hour wage that been already agreed to by over 100 firms.

ILLINOIS EVENTS

Additionally, there will be Labor Day parades and festivities in:

• Granite City – Parade will begin at 10 a.m. downtown and proceed one mile north to Wilson Park for a picnic with live music, speeches, food, refreshments and kids’ activities.
• Belleville – Parade will step off at 10 a.m. in the fourth block of South 1st Street, ending at Hough Park with the annual picnic, where the first $500 worth of rides will be free. Music, drinks and food will be available.

Monday, September 5, 2016 is the Labor Day Parade festivities. Below is a letter from President Pat White with details of the event for participating unions.

Parade Info Letter

Lineup Map Info

By Mark Esters and Pat White

Originally seen on St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The labor movement has been fighting for decades to maintain the recognition of all working families by advocating for all who seek a better life. It is the principle under which we have been advocating for real improvements like an increase in the minimum wage, paid sick days and other ways that enable families to prosper. We fight for the rights of working people, civil rights, voting rights, and laws and policies that protect our nation and all its people.

The labor movement today finds itself facing concerted attacks by the far right, attacks funded by billionaires who have a narrow and greed-driven agenda that would roll back many of the life-improving achievements that working people have won in years gone by. These include attacks on collective bargaining rights like a so-called “right to work” law, a repeal of prevailing wage laws, and the elimination of worker protections that safeguard our health, our dignity and our ability to sustain a family. Working people are standing up and fighting these attacks, and here in America, the power and dignity of working people will always win — as long as we stay united.

The question of unity brings up a hard subject: the subject of race in America and what that means for our communities, our movement and our nation. We must face this subject with courage and with a genuine willingness to listen to each other. In doing so, we can get about the business of addressing some of the economic and social problems that underlie the very real issue of inequality in America.

Acknowledging the staggering racial disparity that exists in our society is an important first step in this undertaking. Minority unemployment is twice that of whites in the St. Louis region. Minorities are likely to earn significantly less than their white counterparts. Huge disparities exist in health care, education and the quality of our neighborhoods. The labor movement was made to address problems such as these and can and will do so in the years and decades to come. But it will be anything but easy.

The labor movement can use its collective voice and organizing capability to help reduce the employment gap. Incorporating the voices of low-wage workers and young people will be an essential part of this work to bring about tangible results in the lives of all who work for a living. In our fight for education equality, the working men and women of our movement have sought to preserve a strong system of public education as our number one tool to provide all people with a pathway toward a better life.

There are very recent examples of how this can and should be conducted. Indeed, this August, a minimum wage increase was approved in the city of St. Louis — a very important improvement in the lives of countless working people who deserve to be paid for the work they do. The labor movement has been a driving force behind this and a number of other wage-raising initiatives in Missouri and around the country. Organizing more minority and low-wage workers will empower working people and further enable our efforts to combat inequality across the board.

Some may question what the appropriate role for labor should be as we, as a nation, grapple with the complex and important struggles with regard to race relations today. When National AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka came to Missouri last year to deliver a powerful and inspirational speech on the subject, he asked “How can we not be involved?” While discussing the Michael Brown tragedy, he said: “Union members’ lives have been profoundly damaged in ways that cannot be fixed. Lesley McSpadden, Michael Brown’s mother who works in a grocery store, is our sister, an AFL-CIO union member. And Darren Wilson, the officer who killed Michael Brown, is a union member too and he is our brother,” he said. “Our brother killed our sister’s son, and we do not have to wait for the judgment of prosecutors or courts to tell us how terrible this is.”

President Trumka hit the nail on the head. We find ourselves at a critical juncture on very important matters of inequality that impact us all. Issues of civil rights and workers’ rights can and will be addressed by a unified movement of working men and women, white and black, union and nonunion. This pursuit necessitates that our movement be as inclusive as possible, founded on the principles of fairness, justice and family that will guide our way toward economic stability for all. Joined together as a movement, working people are empowered to fight back against well-funded and concerted attacks from the far right. We can only do so if we stand tall, stand proud and stand together in speaking up for each other as we continue this long, united journey.

Mark Esters is president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unions St. Louis Metro Region. Pat White is president of the Greater St. Louis Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

By SHERI GASSAWAY
Correspondent (Article published in Labor Tribune)

A push to raise minimum wage in the City of St. Louis is fueling excitement among community leaders, workers and even business owners.

On Friday, June 5, the St. Louis Board of Alderman introduced a bill that would increase the minimum wage for workers in the city to $15 an hour by 2020. If approved, the minimum wage would immediately jump from $7.65 to $10 an hour, and rate increases would be phased in each year beginning in 2017.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay discussed the critical need for the increase during a news conference June 4 at City Hall. About 150 people attended the event, including representatives from St. Louis Jobs with Justice (JwJ) and Progress Missouri.

“Make no mistake about it – we are going to raise minimum wage in St. Louis,” Mayor Slay said. “It will help thousands of St. Louisans build a better future for themselves, and it will help build an economy that works for everyone.”

CURRENT WAGE ‘NOT ENOUGH’

Twenty-fifth Ward Alderman Shane Cohn, the bill’s sponsor, said anyone who works full-time shouldn’t have to struggle with the basics of housing, food, childcare and education, let alone trying to save any money.

“The current wage of $7.65 is not enough to survive and provides for a substandard quality of life,” Cohn said. “We have to take care of the people who are willing to take care of themselves.”

Ruth Ehresman, co-chair of St. Louis (JwJ) Workers’ Rights Board, thanked Slay and Cohn for their leadership in standing up for workers.

“Jobs with Justice is very excited to be taking these meaningful steps toward raising the minimum wage in St. Louis,” she said.

‘WE STRUGGLE’

Workers and a business owner at the news conference shared personal experiences and views on the importance of raising the minimum wage in St. Louis.

Latasha Chapple, a 33-year-old mother of three who works at Wendy’s in St. Louis, said the current minimum wage is not enough to pay the bills and feed her three children even with food stamp assistance.

“Sometimes I have to ask my 16-year-old who also works in the fast food industry to help pay the bills so we can eat,” she said. “We struggle in life.”

Mikey Carrasco, co-owner of Taco Circus, a new business that opened about three months ago in South City. He has four employees and says he pays them in line with what the city is proposing.

“I’m totally cool with the city’s proposed minimum wage increase,” he said. “If I pay my employees more money, then they have more money to spend which helps the overall economy.”

ABOUT THE BILL

The bill would set the minimum wage for employees who work 20 hours a week at $10 as soon as it becomes law. The minimum wage would be increased to $11.25 an hour in 2017, $12.50 an hour in 2018, $13.75 an hour in 2019 and $15 an hour in 2020. The wage increase would apply to all business in the City of St. Louis except those with revenues less than $500,0000 or 15 or fewer employees.

The Missouri legislature recently passed House Bill 722, which prohibits cities from raising the minimum wage above the state level. The bill would go into effect Aug. 28 if Gov. Jay Nixon’s signs it.

Slay said he believes the aldermen will have sufficient time to debate the matter and come to a resolution prior to Aug. 28 even if they have to hold extra meetings.