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Hundreds of central New York union workers paraded through the grounds of the Great New York State Fair Monday morning as part of the Greater Syracuse Labor Council’s annual Labor Day Parade and Rally.

Attendees met outside the Fair’s Exposition Center before parading through the grounds. The rally included representatives from over 20 local unions, including Syracuse Employees International Union Local 200United and the TCGplayer’s workers union TCGunion-CWA and multiple United University Professions chapters, among other groups. Throughout the event, union leaders emphasized the importance of supporting union goals.

Wearing a shirt with the phrase, “Syracuse: A Union City,” GSLC President Mark Spadafore led this year’s proceedings. Throughout his remarks, Spadafore reflected on the history of unionization efforts in Syracuse in celebration of the GSLC’s 125th anniversary.

“Each one of you is part of a tradition, this tradition that goes back 125 years, of people fighting every day … making sure that you have the opportunity to have a good life,” Spadafore said, addressing the crowd. “That doesn’t happen because a boss granted it to us; it was fought for.”

Spadafore also called for cross-union solidarity amid changes in the local and national political landscape, such as the impending arrival of a Micron Technology semiconductor manufacturing facility in nearby Clay and the 2024 United States general elections.

Union attendees gathered outside the Broadway entrance of Exposition Center at 10 a.m., representing their unions with t-shirts and accessories. They used noisemakers and held signs that read “union family,” “labor votes,” “it’s better in a union” and “we are one,” among other slogans.

Thirty minutes later, the union members began to parade through the streets of the Fair, led by a local band and followed by a group of around 40 motorcyclists. As the ralliers passed through the grounds, community onlookers and fair vendors cheered and chanted along with the parade.

“We’re not a quiet labor movement. We want to make a lot of noise,” Spadafore yelled. “Who is the union?”

“We are the union,” participants responded in unison.

After circling a section of the fairgrounds, attendees returned to the front of the Exposition Center. Spadafore then introduced Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh – wearing a “Syracuse: A Union City” shirt he has worn in support of local unions since 2002, he said – along with multiple other local leaders.

“I’ve worn it proudly every year since. It has been my pleasure and my honor to serve you all,” Walsh said. “(I’ve got) less than a year-and-a-half left but, as long as I have this position, as long as I have any position, I will always have laborers’ back.”

Solange Jain | Asst. Photo Editor

Mayor Ben Walsh addresses several hundred attendees at the Monday morning rally while wearing a shirt that reads “Syracuse: A Union City.” The rally consisted of a procession around the fairgrounds, followed by a series of speakers.

Speakers included Bill Spreter, the president of the central New York chapter of the New York Alliance for Retired Americans, Jamila Sherman, a member of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East CNY, and Richard Vallejo, representing TCGunion-CWA.

Spreter, the first speaker, reflected on historical attempts to destabilize union efforts locally and across the country. With the approaching election season, Spreter also said he believes bipartisan public support for unionization is crucial for protecting workers’ rights.

He highlighted that voters in the upcoming election should be aware of how Project 2025 — a self-described conservative “presidential transition project” — may impact American laborers if adopted by political leaders.

Multiple speakers raised similar concerns about Project 2025, including its plans to abolish the U.S. Department of Education and limits on who can qualify for Medicare and Medicaid. Former president Donald Trump has previously stated he has “nothing to do” with Project 2025.

The second speaker, Sherman, discussed her struggles providing for her family and paying rent as an employee at Crouse Hospital. She said that when she started working at the hospital in 2011, she felt alone in her struggles, which eventually inspired her to begin advocating for workers with shared experiences.

“Your cry is worth it. Who you are and what you are going through, the fact that you can’t see out of a situation,” Sherman said. “I’m here to connect you to your future.”

Vallejo provided updates on negotiation efforts between TCGunion-CWA workers and eBay in the final speech of the march. TCGplayer, an eBay subsidiary, operates an online marketplace for trading cards and other collectible products. On Aug. 11, 2023, TCGplayer and eBay formally recognized TCGunion-CWA, the first group of eBay workers in the U.S. to reach union representation.

Vallejo said eBay has continuously delayed negotiation discussions with the union. Although the group first unionized in March 2023, current workers feel as though the company does not care about their goals, he said, claiming eBay is not bargaining in good faith.

One attendee, David Salerius, an assistant radiation safety officer at SUNY Upstate Medical University and a member of United University Professions, said he went to represent his union and to show support for his son, Ethan Salerius, who is part of TCGunion-CWA. Though he himself has been a member of United University Professions, David said he decided to come to the parade to support his son while his union continues to bargain with eBay.

“eBay has been stalling (TCGunion-CWA) for 18 months to get a contract, and it’s despicable,” Salerius said. “They need to know that it’s unacceptable and that they should work with the union to get a contract as soon as possible.”

The Salerius’ are both from the Liverpool suburb of Salina, New York. The father-and-son pair said they wanted to emphasize support for unions in general as well as their respective unions’ goals.

Ethan, a 2017 graduate of SUNY Oswego, said he hopes young people will continue to get involved with and support unionization efforts – a statement Spadafore also highlighted in his speech. College-aged workers have recently spearheaded unionization efforts across the country, including graduate employees and other on-campus workers at Syracuse University.

“A lot of us are under 35, and one of my key takeaways from today is that young people need to show up to fight for their rights and fight for their future to be a part of the greater labor movement,” Ethan said.

Published on September 2, 2024 at 11:25 pm

Contact Julia: jmboehni@syr.edu