This slideshow requires JavaScript.

By MIKE LEE

The muggy heat didn’t stop thousands of union members, families, and allies from marching in the 2023 NYC Labor Day Parade. Under this year’s theme of “We Organize, We Rise,” New York City’s unions claimed midtown Manhattan as theirs, led by Grand Marshal Nancy Hagans, President of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), and other union leaders and elected officials.

An annual tradition in union solidarity, DC 37 gathered as a powerful family to celebrate this year’s hard-won victories. This includes wins in the State and City budgets, significant progress in organizing campaigns in the public and private sectors, and successfully negotiating and ratifying one of the best economic agreements in recent history. The new contract reflects the fighting spirit of DC 37’s membership.

DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido was impressed with the turnout and the enthusiasm.

“This is a day where we celebrate our victories: a new contract, growth in numbers, and participation. But on Monday, we continue the fight,” Garrido said.

Olivia Duong, President of NYPD Technical Professional Employees Local 3778, which proudly sees 100% membership, joined the parade alongside several of her members.

“My membership is about 300-strong, and the majority of us are 40 and under, myself included. Many of us didn’t know about unions and their history when we joined the workforce, at a time when union membership was low nationwide,” Duong said. “The more we learn and share, the more we see that being in a union is a unique privilege and power.”