Belleville, IL – Hundreds of parade watchers turned out to see the Southwestern Illinois Central Labor Council’s annual Labor Day parade Sept. 4 in downtown Belleville, with some 30 unions and locals participating and at least 1,200 members marching in the parade, said Labor Council President Scot Luchtefeld.
The 90-minute parade – one of the largest in the area – included floats, walking entries, marching bands and plenty of candy for the kids. Luchtefeld estimated as many people turned out to watch the parade as were marching, with the crowds several people deep all along the route.
This year’s parade celebrated unions, their members and passage of the Workers’ Rights Amendment, which Illinois voters approved last November, enshrining the right to organize and bargain collectively in the Illinois Constitution.
The parade wound through downtown Belleville and concluded at Hough Park, where an assortment of bounce houses for the kids, food vendors, cold beverages and live music awaited union members and their families at the annual Labor Day picnic.
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