Central Coast Labor Council Kicks Off Holiday Weekend At Pioneer Park
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - The Central Coast Labor Council is kicking off the long holiday weekend with its annual Labor Day Picnic.
The event has grown over the years into a significant community networking hub bringing workers, representatives, educators, and their families together for a large barbecue.
“We have been doing this Labor Day picnic with the unions that participate in Santa Maria Valley for, I’m guessing like 15, 16 years at this point,” says Jeremy Goldberg, Central Coast Labor Council spokesperson. “We are here in Pioneer Park. It has grown every single year we've done it.”
Family entertainment included bounce houses and games for kids, and live performances.
“It's a reminder as to what people that came before them went through,” says Courtney Cazenave, Recording Secretary for District 5 of United Domestic Workers. “You know, there were horrible working conditions, and people fought and marched and, rallied for better hours, better working conditions. It didn't just automatically happen.”
Elected leaders and candidates running for local offices showed up as well.
“Especially in an election year, we talk about democracy a lot, right?” says Goldberg. “Candidates are out. The signs are about to pop up in neighborhoods, on sidewalks and front yards. And unions are democracy in action every day.”
This weekend is the 142nd National Labor Day holiday, celebrating the adoption of the 40 hour workweek we now consider standard.
“Now we're in a time where we can look around and see how expensive everything is,” says Goldberg. “It is a time and a moment where we have to fight to raise wages for everybody.”
The Labor Day Picnic at Pioneer Park serves as a gathering for all 75 affiliate unions comprising the Central Coast Labor Council across San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.
“Better working conditions, happier families, keeping everything together, getting the right people in office. You know, we're all striving for the same thing,” says Cazenave. “So it's good that we all can get together casually.”
The Latest Breaking News, Weather Alerts, Sports and More Anytime On Our Mobile Apps. Keep Up With The Latest Articles by Signing Up for the News Channel 3-12 Newsletter.
