ROANOKE, Va. – Downtown Roanoke was the site for the annual Labor Day Parade to honor the city’s labor unions and workers.
Multiple labor unions, ranging from the Roanoke City Democratic Committee to the Coalition of Labor Union Women to the Steelworker Organization of Active Retirees, paraded down Campbell Avenue to spread their message to dozens of people who lined the streets.
“It’s a great opportunity. We get to see the youth of Roanoke, we get to see people from walks of all lives come here,” said Clifton Kahila of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400. “Different labor unions, different trades, different professions, just working people.”
Many attendees held signs promoting labor unions and workers’ rights with the intention of raising awareness, prompting union involvement, and protecting the rights to fair and livable wages.
“We need to support our unions and make sure that the ability to work at a decent wage is maintained and protected in our country,” Reverend Susan Worrell of Lexington said.
Another major reason the parade is held is to help educate the masses on what a labor union does, and how they protect workers and their rights.
“Trade unionism is a very complex and large body and you have to try and make things come together for people,” Chuck Simpson, President of the Western Virginia Labor Federation, said. “It’s always a continuous education program.”