PITTSBURGH — Thousands of union members, workers and their families gathered in Downtown Pittsburgh on Monday for the 42nd annual Allegheny-Fayette County Labor Council Labor Day parade, continuing one of the nation’s largest and oldest Labor Day marches.
Marchers gathered near Centre Avenue before the parade stepped off at 10 a.m.
The route traveled toward Grant Street and ended along the Boulevard of the Allies in front of the United Steelworkers Building.
The annual parade celebrates Pittsburgh’s deep labor history and serves as a show of solidarity among unions and workers across the region.
“It’s a proud moment in Pittsburgh,” said Tom Bender of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.
The parade brought together labor leaders, union members, elected officials and community members.
Among the groups marching this year was Worker Speak Out, whose members are calling on Allegheny County Council to pass a proposed paid parental leave measure.
The proposal would require most employers across Allegheny County to provide up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave. The measure has faced opposition from some businesses.
“It’s really important for our mothers to have that time to rest and recover postpartum,” AHN Nurse Marchel Robinson said. “It isn’t a perfect process. Anyone who’s had a child knows that.”
“Being able to spend that time with your family and your newborn baby is gigantic, building that bond without the stresses of getting work too soon and having your finances taken care of,” AHN Nurse Lacey Mathews said.
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato shared her support for the proposal.
“It’s about every person who is going to welcome a child and build a family throughout Allegheny County,” Innamorato said. “We have the power to do this right here in Allegheny County here and now, and we’re not gonna stop until it’s done.”
Alongside the group “Worker Speak Out for Parental Leave,” other labor unions rallied together. Some said this year, the cost of living has been one of their biggest challenges.
“Right now, it’s probably the cost of materials and inflation,” Bender said. “Money just doesn’t go where it used to go. Wages are the same.”
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