The 45th annual Solidarity Parade and Picnic Rally by the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Labor Coalition was held Monday in Wilmington.
The parade marked Labor Day with the theme “Fighting for the Future of Labor” and an emphasis on passing Measure A on the Los Angeles County ballot.
Members from Workers from unions including AFSCME, SAG-AFTRA, the Teamsters and the carpenter’s union, joined the early morning parade at the intersection of Broad Avenue and E Street, KNX News reported.
Coalition Chairman Larry Barragan said the parade was planned to accommodate 40 vendor booths of various unions and labor organizations to distribute free informational materials. Concluding at Banning Park, the parade also included a kids’ zone and picnic with dance and music events.
“For the L.A. County Federation, this parade and picnic is a cherished tradition of the labor movement and is an opportunity to come together and celebrate the camaraderie our movement has formed,” Kristal Romero, the press secretary of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, told City News Service.
“It’s an opportunity to celebrate the contract wins workers have fought for in the last year, like hotel workers, Hollywood crew members and more. But also to highlight the fights occurring now, like the SAG-AFTRA video game workers, Smart & Final warehouse, Amazon fight and issues affecting our communities like the poverty and homelessness crisis.
“Union members make life in L.A. County possible, and Labor Day is the day for us to display our pride loudly, uplift our members and recommit ourselves to the work remaining.”
Measure A, the initiative officially known as “The Affordable Housing, Homelessness Solutions and Prevention Now Measure,” would repeal the county’s quarter-cent sales tax for homelessness prevention measures which is set to expire in 2027 and replace it with a permanent half-cent sales tax to be used for the same purpose.
“Only by passing Measure A will we be able to provide the affordable housing that is needed across the county, offer people with severe mental health and addiction issues the treatment they need, prevent more people from becoming unhoused, generate pathways to good union jobs, and ensure that the workforce serving our most vulnerable communities have the wages, benefits, protections and representation they need to do their essential jobs successfully,” Yvonne Wheeler, president of the L.A. County Federation of Labor, said in a statement.
Tracy Hernandez, the founding CEO of BizFed, said in a statement there is no “hard evidence” that “doubling and extending our sales tax for homelessness … will solve the behavioral health crisis on our streets.”
“Los Angeles County’s homelessness population grew 43% between 2018 and 2023. We call on our county’s elected leaders to show improvement before demanding more taxpayer dollars. Business leaders support homelessness solutions that deliver humane results.”
BizFed bills itself as a massive grassroots alliance that unites chambers of commerce, trade associations, minority business groups, economic development organizations, business improvement districts and other business groups to advocate for policies and projects that strengthen the regional economy.
In his Labor Day proclamation, President Joe Biden wrote, “Labor unions have done so much for our nation — giving workers a voice at the workplace, raising standards on the job, and fighting for better benefits and wages for us all.
“Today, we honor the pioneers who fought for the rights of working people, pay tribute to the dedication of our American workforce, and honor the enduring movement that powers our economy and strengthens our nation.”
Around 7,000 union members and their families marched in last year’s parade and a bigger number was estimated for today in what organizers bill as one of the nation’s largest Labor Day parades.
Labor Day, the yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the nation’s strength, prosperity and well-being, was first celebrated on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City.
In 1887, Oregon became the first state to formally recognize Labor Day. By 1894, 31 of the then-44 states had made Labor Day a holiday when Congress passed a bill designating the first Monday in September a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and territories.
