Hundreds of Union Members to March in Inaugural Parade

by James Parks, Jan 14, 2009

For the first time in recent memory, hundreds of America’s working men and women will join representatives from across the country and our armed forces to participate in the official inaugural parade for Barack Obama. Some 265 union workers (15 on the float and 250 marchers) will include members from the AFL-CIO, Change to Win and the National Education Association.

Marchers will carry a banner, “America’s Workers: United for Change,” along with flags that represent the issues most important to working families: an Economy that Works for All, Great Public Schools, Good Jobs Green Jobs and Health Care for All. The overall theme of the labor float is “Honoring America’s Workers.”

Fred Mason, president of the Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO, who spearheaded the drive to include the workers’ contingent in the parade, says workers’ presence in the parade sends a message to the new administration:

It says to the new president and the incoming administration that union workers who mobilized to elect this president have his back, but we don’t want him to back down on issues that affect working people. We can’t wait for the White House to do something for workers, we have to demonstrate at every opportunity that we are able to come together and take the initiative to help working families.

Mason says nearly 1,500 groups applied to participate in the parade and only 100 were selected. The fact that the 265 workers will be in the parade is a real testament to the importance of working people and their issues to the well-being of the country, Mason adds.

The entire float was created by union carpenters, welders, sculptors and painters. Constructed of steel, wood and foam, it is more than 17 feet high and 24 feet long. Outlines of the diverse “faces of labor” will surround the float to salute the backbone of our country—the hardworking men and women who make our nation strong.

The workers’ contingent and float are just a few of the ways workers will show their union pride on Inauguration Day. You can let people know where you stand by wearing a commemorative AFL-CIO Obama T-shirt. The long-sleeve, union-designed and printed shirts say “Yes We Can” with the Inauguration Day date, January 20, 2009, under an image of President Obama on the front. The T-shirt sells with a suitable-for-framing commemorative poster for $30 from the The Union Shop Online.^TM Or pick up a set of Obama’s books, The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from My Father, for $32.95 here.

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