Labor Day Picnic Celebrations

Today is Labor Day, a national holiday that commemorates the American Labor Movement and how they fought to create more safe and just conditions for laborers as early as the 1800s. The Labor movement has continued since then to constantly shift and respond to the current context and perseveres to present day as we see a rise in organizing among workers in hospitality, food service, retail, education, and more.

And today in Duluth, the annual Labor Day picnic was held from noon to 4 p.m. in Bayfront Festival Park. The event is sponsored by the Duluth AFL-CIO Central Labor Body, which represents 60 affiliated unions and more than 13,000 union members in the region. The event featured free food, drink, music and kids’ activities.

“If the postal workers aren’t available to do what they’re doing, our whole system would break down. Public employees are absolutely necessary to keep our company, our country, going in a positive direction to help and support every human being that lives on our planet,” says Caroline Pelzel a retired county social worker.

The picnic also brought out some very well-known faces in local Duluth Politics. Council-person at large, Terese Tomanek, came out to enjoy the festivities as well.

“This is a great celebration where all of our labor unions come together to support each other and just have a grand time. It’s one of the highlights of the summer, kind of the end of the summer. But it’s so good now. We’re supporting the nurses and we’re supporting all the labor unions. It’s really important for our city to understand that they build our economic base,” says Council-person Tomanek.

At its roots, Labor Day is set aside to salute the hard-working individuals who have helped build this country. It is a day to celebrate what we spend a good chunk of our lives doing.