BILLINGS — Labor unions nationwide and in Montana celebrated the holiday on Monday.
The annual celebration at Rose Park in Billings brought together union members and their families to recognize the sacrifices made to secure fundamental worker protections.
Watch union members talk about Labor Day:
“It's one time a year that we get to celebrate those that work hard, you know, to make our economy run,” Jim Soumas, secretary for Teamsters Union Local 190 said Monday.
Labor Day recognizes workers’ rights that shaped the modern workforce.
“We're here to celebrate them,” Soumas said.
Union members took a break from their typical workday to honor historic achievements that secured critical protections.
Dan DeBolt, business manager for IBEW Local 532, said there’s more work to be done.
“It's a fight that we're going to have to fight for a long, long time,” DeBolt said. “We work hard. We do ask for money. I mean, a lot of people think that unions
are expensive, and they are. I mean, we’re trained (to be) the best.”
Billings is seeing the struggle right now.
18 Boise Cascade workers have walked the picket line for five weeks for higher wages.
For DeBolt, being part of a union has given him the chance to fight for more.
“The benefits that come along with it are a very decent wage, the ability to retire with dignity, and health care benefits,” DeBolt said.
Soumas said they’ve been holding this picnic for several years as a way to give back to workers, it’s part of the tradition that started in 1906.
“I think the community needs to be able to appreciate who provides the labor and the groups that are represented,” Soumas said.
The picnic provides a chance for union families to feel the community support.
“When you look around and you see the smiling faces, you see the variety of people that are here. It just warms your heart,” Soumas said.
Soumas said that Montana was built on unions.
“Everywhere you turn in Montana, there's a union presence,” Soumas said.
