A labor official gives a speech during the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Labor Coalition’s 46th annual Solidarity Parade and Picnic Rally Sept. 1 in Wilmington. The event was one of many held throughout Los Angeles County for Labor Day.
Courtesy photo
Wave Wire services
LOS ANGELES — Rallies were held throughout Los Angeles County Sept. 1 as part of the nationwide Labor Day effort billed by organizers as “stop the billionaire takeover,” while the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Labor Coalition 46th annual Solidarity Parade and Picnic Rally was taking place in Wilmington.
The Solidarity Parade and Picnic Rally had the theme “Labor Unions Fighting for a Better Tomorrow.” What organizers bill as one of the nation’s largest Labor Day parades stepped off at the intersection of Broad Avenue and E Street, then headed west on E Street to Avalon Boulevard, north on Avalon Boulevard to M Street, and concluded at Banning Park, where a picnic and rally were held with labor guest speakers and an introduction of elected officials.
The park also hosted a kids’ zone with face painting, popcorn, cotton candy, a puppet show and book giveaway, along with 40 vendor booths of various unions and labor organizations. The picnic also included music and dancing on the main stage.
Organizers expected “a couple thousand participants,” Kristal Romero, the press secretary of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, told City News Service. Participants included former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is running for governor.
Elected officials and candidates are not allowed to campaign, give speeches or distribute campaign materials at the parade or rally, according to the Harbor Labor Coalition, which organizes the parade and rally.
Other rallies were organized by May Day Strong, a partnership of various labor, political and environmental organizations that bills itself as “working people rising up to stop the billionaire takeover — not just through the ballot box or the courts, but through building a bigger and stronger movement.”
May Day Strong was calling for protecting and defending “Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs for working people;” fully funded schools, and health care and housing for all; stopping the attacks on immigrants, Black, indigenous, trans people, and all our communities; and investing in people not wars.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told City News Service that “no one has done more for working men and women than President Trump. President Trump believes that American workers are the heart and soul of our economy, which is why he’s championed an agenda that always puts them first — from signing the largest middle-class tax cuts in history to securing nearly $10 trillion in new investments to create high-paying jobs across our country.”
“Under President Trump’s leadership, Republicans are once again the proud party of the American worker,” Rogers said.
Labor Day events also included the People’s Block Party, “a high-energy, community-centered event that’s equal parts festival and movement” in Elysian Park. The party included amplified sound, celebrity guests, live DJs, local artists, public servant speakers, mutual aid, local food, healing, joy, resistance and rhythm.”
Workers over Billionaires rallies were planned for Claremont, Culver City, Echo Park, Lakewood, Long Beach, Montebello, Northridge, Pasadena, San Pedro, Torrance, West Covina, Westchester and Whittier.
In his Labor Day proclamation, President Donald Trump wrote, “From the earliest days of our American story, our nation’s future has been molded by the skill, determination, and unwavering resilience of the American worker.
“From the earliest settlers, who laid the foundations of a new nation to the innovators who built our railroads, steel mills and skyscrapers, America’s greatness has always rested in the strength of its workforce. This Labor Day, we honor the proud legacy of America’s workforce — and we pay tribute to the unbreakable spirit that keeps it strong nearly 250 years later.”
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.
