This Year's Labor Day Parade in Pittsburgh is a 'March For Jobs'

Via Pennsylvania AFL-CIO spokesman Marty Marks:

UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS WILL LAUNCH LABOR DAY PARADE MARCH FOR JOBS WITH PRESS CONFERENCE

Before joining 70,000 union members and their families in this year’s Labor Day Parade March for Jobs, union and non-union unemployed and underemployed workers will speak for working families about critical need for action to create jobs Pittsburgh, Penn. (September 2, 2011) – Coming on the heels of the release of a report from the Keystone Research Center citing Pennsylvania’s unemployment and underemployment rate at more than 13% and a disastrous monthly jobs report showing virtually no growth in the private or public sectors, Jack Shea, President of the Allegheny County Labor Council is calling a press conference before the step-off of the Labor Day Parade to let jobless and underemployed workers speak for working families about the need for Congress and the Pennsylvania legislature to take action immediately to put America and Pennsylvania back to work.

"This year we are going to use the special attention the labor movement gets once a year to give voice to the workers hurt most by the failure of political leaders to take action on creating jobs," Mr. Shea said. "It is time for our elected leaders to stop listening to Wall Street bankers and corporate CEO’s and pay attention to workers who want and need jobs that pay family sustaining wages and spur the kind of economic growth that fuels the American dream," according to Mr. Shea.

Labor Day activities begin at 8 a.m. with a traditional Labor Day mass conducted by Bishop David Zubik at St. Benedict the Moor Church. Unemployed and underemployed workers who want to join the march for jobs are instructed to go to the intersection of Crawford and Bedford Streets prior to the 10 a.m. parade step-off at Center Avenue and Washington Place. The reviewing stand is on the Boulevard of the Allies at Stanwix Street. [Emphasis added]

The Huffington Post picked up on the story and adds the following:

About six Republican politicians were invited to march this year, along with a larger number of Democratic officials. Invited guests include U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy (R), U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D) and state Sen. John Pippe (R-Allegheny).

Two prominent GOP politicians who were not invited to march were U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey and Gov. Tom Corbett. When asked what the labor council would do if they said they wished to participate, Marks replied, "We would politely decline their participation."

In fact, the Allegheny County Labor Council has already turned down Joshua Wander, the sole GOP candidate for Pittsburgh City Council. Shea told Wander that the parade was invitation-only and the council had already endorsed his opponent, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Wander is running for Council in District 5 -- currently Doug Shields' seat. He's running against Corey O'Connor. Which of course means he has even less than a snowball's chance in hell of winning versus your average Republican running for a seat in Council.

Who: Union and non-union unemployed and underemployed workers; Frank Snyder, Secretary-Treasurer of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO; Jack Shea, President of the Allegheny County Labor Council; 70,000 working men and women and their families.
What: Labor Day Parade Press Conference
Where: Freedom Corner, Crawford St. and Center Ave. in Pittsburgh
When: Monday, September 5, 2011 at 9:30 a.m.