CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There are a number of Labor Day celebrations happening across West Virginia this weekend as the nation recognizes the working men and women of America.
“It is an opportunity for us to recognize what labor has done for this country and that is built the greatest country on this planet,” said West Virginia AFL-CIO President Josh Sword.
Among the celebrations this weekend will be a tailgate party Saturday afternoon at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Charleston followed by a Charleston Dirty Birds baseball game. Sunday will feature a labor picnic in Mannington in Marion County. Labor Day Monday will include large and traditional parades in Marmet and Paden City. Monday will also features the traditional UMWA Labor Day picnic at Racine in Boone County.
Sword said he’s been encouraged by recent surveys on the attitude toward organized labor.
“Fifty percent believe unions help non-union workers and a rising tide lifts all ships. I totally agree with that,” he said.
He furthermore was encouraged by a figure which found 9 out of 10 people under the age of 30 had a favorable view or organized labor.
“That tells me the future of the labor movement is strong,” he said.
Sword said he also believed there is a change coming in the attitude toward skilled labor. For many years, education leaders pushed the idea of a four-year college degree and discouraged training in the skilled trades. The result has been a shortage of those with the ability to do a lot of skilled work like carpentry, electricians, welders, plumbers, and pipe fitters.
“When you look at the apprenticeship programs our affiliates have, especially in building and construction trades, you can get in there and within three to five years you can become a master craftsman and it provides real opportunities for you to provide for you and your family,” Sword explained.
He believed those opportunities will be attractive to teenagers in the future making decisions about their career and predicted it would be especially beneficial in West Virginia where a lot of work is in the pipeline for the future with recent economic development announcements for the Mountain State.
The following are Labor Day events taking place this weekend:
Marion County AFL-CIO, Marion County Democrats & UMWA Labor Day Celebration and Picnic
Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023, noon to 4 p.m.
Hough Park, Mannington WV
Special Guest: UMWA Secretary-Treasurer Brian Sanson
Contact: Mark Dorsey, 304-777-7642, markdorseyumwa@live.com
Celebration of Labor 2023 at GoMart Park
Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023, 4:05 p.m., gates open at 3:30 – Double Header
601 Morris St., Charleston WV
Free tickets for union members and their families
A tailgate/cookout will be held from 1-3 p.m., 600 Leon Sullivan Way for union members & families
United Mine Workers of America 84th Annual Labor Day Celebration & Picnic
Monday, Sept. 4, 2023, at 11 a.m.
John Slack Memorial Park, Racine, WV
Contact: Brian Lacy, 304-541-3948, brianlacy74@gmail.com
Paden City Labor Day Parade – Marshall-Wetzel-Tyler, AFL-CIO, a participant
Monday, Sept. 4, 2023, 1 p.m. (noon lineup at South End of town)
Free Jimmy Fortune Concert, 7:30 p.m. (a former member of the Statler Brothers, brought to you by the unions of the Marshall-Wetzel-Tyler Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and Gold, Khourey & Turak, Attorneys at Law)
Contact: BB Smith, 304-545-7781, bbsmith667@hotmail.com
*Note: Additional entertainment will be provided Saturday through Sunday starting at 2 p.m. at Paden City Park.
Marmet City Labor Day Parade – Kanawha Valley Labor Council, AFL-CIO, a participant
Monday, Sept. 4, 2023, at 10 a.m. Meet 9 a.m. at Marmet Elementary School
Wear your union apparel and bring your union banners
Contact: Elaine Harris, 304-541-7293, eharris@cwa-union.org
*Note: Marmet will host four days of music and speakers beginning 4 p.m. Friday. UMWA President Cecil Roberts will speak at 1:45 p.m. Saturday, followed by a presentation on the UMWA Mine Wars/Mother Jones.