NEGAUNEE, Mich. (WZMQ) – With a veritable alphabet soup of union acronyms, Negaunee’s labor day parade honored all of them, from A to Z. With a rich history of organized labor, Negaunee continues to pay tribute to the workers who built “Irontown USA” the Negaunee parade and picnic are always well attended, and this year was no exception.
“Right here in the city of Negaunee, we’re a labor town. We have strong steel workers unions, two of them. This has been a great turnout. We’ve always had more union members show up for our parade than throughout the U.P.. We’re very strong. We support our working class,” said Marquette County Commissioner, Dana Lalonde.
With an uncertain future for labor unions during the current presidential administration, labor leaders stress the importance of remaining United while affecting positive change locally.
“It is an uphill battle, especially for some of our federally funded projects, solar farms and whatnot. But you know, we have other work, and we’re going to continue to perform that work,” said Curtis Monroe, Business Manager for IBEW local 906.
In many ways, unions are like a family, and on this Labor Day, it’s important to remember that.
“Today is a time for me to be around all my brothers and sisters, and it’s a day of celebration and family. I get to see all their little ones growing up, and I bounce around to different events every other year. This is my favorite,” said Monroe.
The day ended prematurely with heavy rain as the cause, but rain or shine, the resolve of organized labor in the UP remains strong.
