Dear friends and allies,

As we celebrate Labor Day on Monday by paying tribute to the contributions and achievements of workers, we must especially honor the hard work and commitment of frontline workers during the coronavirus pandemic. In caring for the sick, educating students, and helping put food on our tables, they have continuously risked their lives and livelihoods to uplift others.

Labor Day is usually celebrated in cities and towns nationwide with picnics, parades, sports, and other public gatherings. In Massachusetts, the Greater Boston Labor Council hosts its annual Labor Day Breakfast. It’s a time for us to celebrate the victories of workers, and although COVID-19 has forced us to alter those traditions, it's more important than ever to honor those traditions and continue the fight for working families and our communities. This year, we will be joining the Boston labor movement for a drive-in rally to demand a #JustRecovery for all. 

By joining together, often across race and gender lines, for centuries, workers have been organizing strikes and rallies to protest poor conditions and force employers to renegotiate the hours they worked and the pay they received. But in recent years, we have been challenged by hostile politicians and greedy bosses eager to roll back our hard-fought victories. And President Donald Trump has gone after the U.S. Postal Service, killed regulations that extended overtime protections to millions of workers, and wants to make it harder for workers to sue employers if they get COVID-19 on the job. 

Along with our partners, we have been on the frontlines of the effort to combat the spread of COVID-19, supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, and ongoing efforts to empower community-based organizations and labor unions to build strategic campaigns that protect and promote the interests of low- and middle-income working families in the Greater Boston Area. 

So as we celebrate Labor Day, we urge you to stay safe and to vote in the upcoming elections, either in-person or by mail-in ballot, and to contact their elected officials to demand that they stand with working families.

Please help us continue the fight and share our Facebook posts and follow and retweet us on Twitter. You can also receive regular updates from CLU by signing up on our website.

This Labor Day, the Greater Boston Labor Council, Western Mass. Jobs with Justice, Pioneer Valley Labor Assembly, and the Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council are organizing drive-in celebrations and rallies across Massachusetts! Workers throughout the Commonwealth will speak with one voice to demand a #JustRecovery for all. 

At each drive-in, we will rally safely from our cars; enjoy a program featuring the premiere of a short film highlighting the Massachusetts labor movement; listen to music; and more. 

All are welcome, and registration is now open. There is no cost to enter, but you must register to reserve your spot. Space is limited.

Greater Boston Labor Council
Monday, Sept. 7, 11 a.m.
Boston Convention & Exhibit Center Parking Lot
Learn more and RSVP here

Western Mass. Jobs with Justice and Pioneer Valley Labor Assembly
Monday, Sept. 7, 11 a.m.
Outside Springfield City Hall, 26 Court St, Springfield, MA
Learn more and RSVP here

Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council
Monday, Sept. 7, 10 a.m.
230 Hathaway Blvd., New Bedford, MA
Learn more and RSVP here

BTU Community Forum

Yesterday, the Boston Teachers Union hosted an online community forum with parents, students, educators and community members to hear concerns about reopening. During the forum, BTU also provided information to the community about the fight for a safe, equitable restart of school. We stand in solidarity with the teachers union in its campaign to demand a safe reopening of schools. 

You can read BTU's Aspirations, Proposals, and Priorities for Safe Restart here.

Thank you for reading!

In Solidarity,
Community Labor United