expected to partake in the march today. (Thinkstock)
Labor Day will be marked in the Los Angeles area today by a march, rally and barbecue in Wilmington, a concert in the Conga Room at LA Live and a speech in Pacoima about raising the minimum wage.
The theme of the 35th annual Labor Day March, Rally and BBQ is “Stop the War on Workers.”
“Our basic rights are being eroded at an alarming rate by corporate and political special interests while striking fear and uncertainty into workers and their families,” said Louie Diaz, chairman of the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Labor Coalition, the event’s organizer.
Thousands of union members, their families, supporters and friends, are expected to march along Avalon Boulevard, from the corners of Broad and E streets, beginning at 10 a.m., to Banning Park, where a rally and barbecue will kick off at noon.
Sheila E, Eric Benet and the Irvin Mayfield Quartet will perform at Nightshift ’14, a concert in the Conga Room at L.A. Live “to celebrate our victories and discuss plans for Labor Day ’15, our hope to create the largest Labor Day celebration ever in Los Angeles,” according to organizers.
Doors open at 4 p.m. A reception will begin at 4:15 p.m. and the opening act at 5 p.m.
General admission tickets are $99, with seating in the buffet lounge and reserved seating is $125. The ticket price includes dinner. Tickets can be purchased by email at todd@thetoddgroup.net or calling (213) 300-9342.
The Valley Interfaith Council’s Annual Labor Day Program will feature a speech by Rachel Torres, the lead community organizer for the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, on Raise LA, an effort to increase the minimum wage to $15.37 for workers in the city’s tourism industry.
The program will begin at 5 p.m. at the Greater Community Missionary Baptist Church, 11066 Norris Ave. in Pacoima.
In his Labor Day proclamation, Gov. Jerry Brown wrote, “As we enjoy traditions ranging from beach outings and barbecues to an annual change in the rules of high fashion, we should remember how much progress has allowed us to celebrate this Labor Day.
“I urge all Californians to take this opportunity to appreciate not only the vast contribution of labor to our economy, but also the privilege of living under a fair and well-regulated system of industrial relations.”
Brown’s Republican opponent in the November election Neel Kashkari called Labor Day “a chance to recognize America’s belief in the value of hard work.”
Labor Day, a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of the nation, was first celebrated in the U.S. on Sept. 5, 1882 in New York City.
In 1887, Oregon became the first state to formally recognize Labor Day. By 1894, 31 of the then 44 states had made Labor Day a holiday when Congress passed a bill designating the first Monday in September a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and territories.
