GREEN BAY (NBC26) — The Greater Green Bay Labor Council, part of the Wisconsin state American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), hosted a Labor Day picnic Monday at Bay Beach Amusement Park.
- This marked the 33rd annual Labor Council picnic, which organizers say honored workers of all professions
- Guests of honor spoke from a 119-year-old podium, symbolizing the longevity of labor unions in greater Green Bay
- Video shows the special guests and families enjoying the barbecue
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, with additional details added for web)
Couldn't have asked for a better day for it — we're at Bay Beach Amusement Park, where local labor organizations hosted a picnic to celebrate Labor Day on Monday.
It was a celebration fit for a summer weekend: burgers and brats, train rides, and ceremonial music.
Green Bay mayor Eric Genrich, congressional candidate Dr. Kristin Lyerly and State Rep. Kristina Shelton (D-District 90) were among the guests of honor, thanking workers from all industries for their contributions to our neighborhoods.
The president of the Greater Green Bay Labor Council, Steve McFarlane, says the organization has held this picnic for more than 30 years, and been around for more than 115 — and it's the one day people should stop and appreciate the working class of northeast Wisconsin.
"Labor has built this country, built Brown County, built the City of Green Bay," McFarlane said. "Everything you look around at — it's built by labor."
McFarlane added that everyone from construction workers to housewives deserves this day of celebration.
"Everyone from the bottom to the top provide this country, a great country, with that labor," he said. "We honor them, we want to honor them, and hopefully they will have a good day because of that."
This marked the 33rd Labor Day celebration hosted by local AFL-CIO leaders, and McFarlane says the organization will continue working for higher wages and better benefits for workers.
