ROANOKE, Va. – A Labor Day weekend parade is back after being paused for two-years with the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Unions from across the area joined together for a march down Campbell St. downtown to celebrate the everyday American working man and woman.
Chuck Simpson, Vice President for Western Virginia Labor Unions, says it’s nice to see everyone back for a parade that’s happened since 2011.
“It’s invigorating. When you bring this crew together and they all sit around and talk…you realize who knows who,” Simpson said.
Labor Day has been a national holiday since 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed the law that Congress passed designating the first Monday in September a holiday for workers.
“Labor Day means exactly what it was intended for…started to be recognized as a holiday for workers,” Simpson said.
Several unions marched down handing out candy, pins and flyers to people alongside the street.
“We’re coming out here just to make sure the public knows that organized labor is alive and well. Also they need to be educated on what unions exist around the area and what it takes to become a part of a union as well,” Simpson said.