The importance of unions in fighting against what labor organizers call a ‘rigged system’ was one of the themes at the annual Labor Day Parade in Rochester.
Dan Maloney, who is president of the Rochester-Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation, says they feel a renewed urgency to get the message out about collective bargaining, and how important it is to maintain the middle class.
Maloney says he’s very concerned about what he hears coming out of Washington and elsewhere in terms of the way labor is treated.
“We’re more polarized as a nation than we’ve been in decades; it’s the union movement that is bringing people together, giving them that collective voice to go up against the power of money, Wall Street, the corporate elites, the one percent.”
Flo Tripi is western region president for the CSEA. She says it's more important than ever for members of various union locals to get on the same page when it comes to promoting the importance of organized labor.
“This labor movement has got to stand together, I know we have our differences within our affiliates , but goddarn it, those differences have got to be put aside and we have to stand together and make sure labor gets this country back.”
The annual parade, one of the largest Labor Day gatherings in the state, included not only union members but a lot of politicians representing various political parties, declaring that they will stand by working men and women.
The parade often brings out local politicians as a prelude to the upcoming fall elections.
