PITTSBURGH \u2014 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\u2019s largest and oldest Labor Day marches.<\/p>\n
Marchers gathered near Centre Avenue before the parade stepped off at 10 a.m. <\/p>\n
The route traveled toward Grant Street and ended along the Boulevard of the Allies in front of the United Steelworkers Building.<\/p>\n
The annual parade celebrates Pittsburgh\u2019s deep labor history and serves as a show of solidarity among unions and workers across the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a proud moment in Pittsburgh,\u201d said Tom Bender of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. <\/p>\n
The parade brought together labor leaders, union members, elected officials and community members. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really important for our mothers to have that time to rest and recover postpartum,\u201d AHN Nurse Marchel Robinson said. \u201cIt isn\u2019t a perfect process. Anyone who\u2019s had a child knows that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing 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,\u201d AHN Nurse Lacey Mathews said. <\/p>\n
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato shared her support for the proposal. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about every person who is going to welcome a child and build a family throughout Allegheny County,\u201d Innamorato said. \u201cWe have the power to do this right here in Allegheny County here and now, and we\u2019re not gonna stop until it\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alongside the group \u201cWorker Speak Out for Parental Leave,\u201d other labor unions rallied together. Some said this year, the cost of living has been one of their biggest challenges. <\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, it\u2019s probably the cost of materials and inflation,\u201d Bender said. \u201cMoney just doesn\u2019t go where it used to go. Wages are the same.\u201d <\/p>\n
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