Labor Day Parade (New York, NY, 2024)

On September 07th, 2024, members of almost 100 New York labor unions and pro-labor groups marched for twenty blocks in midtown up Fifth Avenue in the annual Labor Day Parade organized yearly by the New York City Central Labor Council (NYCCLC) to provide support and visibility to different labor unions and groups.


Grand Marshal John J. Murphy noted that as the Presidential election drew near, unions marched alongside each other. ”This is what we need to see, the strength and solidarity of the labor movement,” he said.

Union members marched in support of union values and fundamental worker rights and protections. Members of Iron Workers Local 361 said their primary concern revolves around safety. They build skyscrapers, bridges, and other tall structures in Queens, Long Island, and Manhattan. Belonging to the union provides better protection, especially in this line of work.

“When they were building the Empire State Building, there were hundreds of deaths”, said Connor Smith. The union, he said, seeks to protect workers from injury and death, “(we need to protect) our bodies, our lives, we wanna go home every night.”


Before unions were created, workers were more likely to face unjust conditions related to their jobs. Unions came to support a notion of responsibility and protection for employees. Elemental things such as a sustainable wage, benefits, and a pension plan were in the conversation. Today, workers still fight for those fundamental issues.