Labor Day celebrates and honors all that workers and unions have done for their communities and overall economy.
The Great New York State Fair recognizes the holiday each year with a parade and rally.
“It makes me happy, I love coming here just to see everybody all together,” said Ann Marie Talierco, president of the Central New York Area Labor Foundation.
Taliercio represents 200 unions and more than 100,000 workers. She says Labor Day is not only about celebrating workers, but celebrating what they do for the community.
“Without them, we wouldn’t have a community,” she said.
Just as laborers work for the community, the unions work for the laborer.
“They fight for our right to fight for what we deserve in this country,” Denny Matos Diaz said, a maintenance representative for Centro.
Unions have been instrumental in raising the standard of living and ensuring workers are able to thrive. Matos Diaz says that still rings true today.
“Benefits, wages, stuff that, you know, the companies tend to kind of hold back on because I know it’s tough on all ends, and the unions are there just to make sure that we at least get our hold, our share of the bargain,” Matos Diaz explained.
Something union representatives say is made even more challenging by an affordability crisis.
“The gap between those who have and have not is just growing exponentially,” said Mark Spadafore, president of the Greater Syracuse Labor Council. “The middle class and a lot of people who are here are getting squeezed really hard.”
Spadafore says workers’ wages aren’t keeping up with the cost of living, which is another reason why unions are so crucial.
“We need to make sure that we have, you know, the fruits of our labor, that what we’re producing is enough so that we can have housing and food and everything we have to have to have a life,” Spadafore said.
It’s a fight that’s been ongoing and evolving for decades, and on days like Labor Day, workers and unions alike are reinvigorated and ready to keep fighting for their rights.