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Labor Day activities locally include rallies and a parade

Randy Gorbman
/
WXXI News

Labor Day isn’t just another day off for a number of organizations who are trying to bring attention to issues involving employment.

The best known and likely best attended of the events Monday will be Rochester’s annual Labor Day Parade. It is traditionally one of the largest Labor Day parades in New York State outside of New York City.

As has also been the case in past years, labor groups will hold a news conference prior to the parade to highlight employment issues, and the Rochester Labor Council says the focus of this year’s parade is to celebrate the impact organized labor has had on all working families. A number of politicians will be there as well, again, a tradition of the local Labor Day event.

The parade kicks off at 11:00 am near East Avenue and Alexander Street. It moves west down Main St. ending up at Plymouth Ave. There are some streets closed during the parade. You can get more information here.

Also before the parade, workers from McDonald’s, Burger King and other restaurants will walk off the job, joining strikes by fast food workers across the country. The local employees say they are demanding not just the $15 an hour that will impact fast food workers upstate by 2021 but they are also pushing for other union rights as well. The local rally at 9:00 a.m. is on Monroe Avenue near a McDonald’s.

And then at 2:00 p.m. restaurant workers will rally near Village Gate to launch a city-wide campaign against sexual harassment in the workplace.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.