GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — At Garfield Park, burgers were on the grill and the meaning of Labor Day was on the mind as Grand Rapids area union members gathered to celebrate the holiday and remember its history.
"We're still here and we're still fighting for our rights," said Tom Nieboer, an organizer.
"It’s somber at the same time as it's a celebration," Nieboer said. "A lot of people died to get the right to the weekend, to the eight-hour workday, to Labor Day."
An employee of the Ottawa County Health Department, Nieboer and his coworkers unionized three years ago. Now, he's the secretary for the Grand Rapids chapter of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and a member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
"It's great," he said. "There aren't very many people in the world that have more in common with you than the people you work with every day."
Additional unions took their places in row of tents at the park, including the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the Grand Rapids Federation of Musicians and the Grand Rapids Education Association.
"I think the West Michigan workforce is strong," said Paul Austin, the secretary and treasurer for the Grand Rapids Federation of Musicians.
"For an event like today, we're all coming together," he said. "We have the stagehands, we have the teachers, we have the musicians."
As president of the Grand Rapids Education Association, which is part of the National Education Association — "one of the strongest, most numerous labor unions in the country" — Jayne Niemann says there's value in solidarity.
"When you have a labor organization that stands up for you and protects your rights, you tend to have a better experience in your profession," Niemann said.
"That's what we're celebrating today, who actually built this country," she said. "It's the labor of those American workers."
