A showing of unity

The merits of unions is a major theme at a Tampa event celebrating the U.S. worker.

By AMBER MOBLEY, Times Staff Writer
Published September 4, 2007

Lou Cole enjoys the swings during the Labor Day Celebration at the Florida State Fairgrounds. West Central Florida Federation of Labor put on the event, which was open to anyone. "We're just here to have a good time," Cole said.
	[Times photo: Chris Zuppa]

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Chris Zuppa] Richard Trumka, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, gives a Labor Day welcome before starting his speech for the Labor Day Celebration at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

TAMPA - Forgoing sales at the local mall, backyard barbecues and sleeping late, more than 1,000 people gathered at the Florida State Fairgrounds on Monday to celebrate the true meaning of Labor Day: the American worker.

Local elected officials joined Tampa Bay-area union members and their families for the second annual Labor Day celebration sponsored by the West Central Florida Federation of Labor AFL-CIO Central Labor Council.

Along with a car and motorcycle show, carnival food and amusement park rides, the event featured speakers who urged patrons to push for affordable health care, fair wages and new political leadership in the 2008 election.

Ashley Gray brought her sister-in-law and a friend to the festival, hoping they would learn more about the benefits of unions.

"There are a lot of positives to being in a union. For one, you can retire, with money," said Gray, a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 925 of Tampa.

Stacy Parrish, 41, of Lakeland said she came to show respect for the labor movement.

"I don't think people really realize how much work has gone into making labor the way it is now. Basically, we're spoiled," Parrish said of the average American worker. "Of course, now it's getting harder to find decent work for decent wages."

Parrish is an unemployed insurance worker.

"The only reason it's hard now," Gray said, "is because of this president Bush. He's against anything having to do with the working man."

State union rank low

Echoing Gray's sentiments was the event's keynote speaker, secretary-treasurer of the national AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka.

Emphasizing the importance of union political pressure, Trumka told the audience that it's time to "take back the country we built."

"In 2008, let's strengthen our majority in Congress and elect a president who puts working men and women ahead of corporate profits," Trumka said.

Along with universal health care, Trumka said the organization is also focused on legislation that he said would restore workers' freedom to choose whether or not to join a union, called the Employee Free Choice Act.

Florida is a right-to-work state, which means that workers cannot be required to join a union. With only 5.2 percent of Florida workers unionized, Florida ranks 45th in the country for unionization rates, according to a report released Sunday by the Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy at Florida International University.

"That's why it's important for unions to be in a state like this," said Wanda Gray, 57, of Lakeland, who is unemployed.

Scouts there to learn

The event drew more than workers. Youth groups, including Boy Scouts of America Troop and Scout Pack No. 320 of Pinellas Park, turned out for the educational aspects.

Pack leader Chris Hurley said his Scouts can earn a merit badge for learning about unions and the American labor movement.

A member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 824 of Tampa, Hurley was there to receive a merit award himself. He received the George Meany Award for making significant contributions to youth in the community.

Amber Mobley can be reached at amobley@sptimes.com or (813) 269-5311.

The origins of Labor Day

A by-product of the labor movement that began in the late 1800s to improve working conditions and pay for the common worker, Labor Day was created to celebrate the achievements and contributions of the American worker.

- Labor Day is thought to have started with a parade of 10,000 workers in New York on Sept. 5, 1882.

- By the next year, more than half the states had their own Labor Day, and in 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a bill making it a federal holiday.

Sources: Department of Labor, World Book

[Last modified September 3, 2007, 22:25:46]