Trump tariffs, affordability crisis and striking workers: What you need to know about Labour Day in Hamilton

Trump tariffs, affordability crisis and striking workers: What you need to know about Labour Day in Hamilton

Thousands walk the Labour Day Parade every year, according to Anthony Marco

Labour Day, this year, is on Sept. 7 and, in Hamilton, it will be marked the same way it has been for the past 131 years: with a big parade.

But some things feel different this year, with industries in Hamilton being "hammered" by a trade war, and Canada's affordability crisis getting "worse and worse," according to Hamilton & District Labour Council president Anthony Marco.

Highlights in Canadian labour history

He said the parade is an important opportunity for workers to get together and realize "you're not living in a bubble."

"There is a broader labour community out there who are there to support each other, and I think this is one of those days on Labour Day where you get that visual representation," said Marco.

The parade, starting at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, usually involves five to ten thousand people marching, he said. Onlookers are encouraged to watch throughout the route.

"Oftentimes we have the end of the parade still going once the front of the parade is almost halfway through because it's quite a long lineup," said Marco.

The parade will be followed by a picnic at Bayfront Park starting at 11:30 a.m. The picnic will have food and drinks on sale, live music, family activities and more.

1,200 workers on strike at National Steel Car

Marco said having a parade marching through a city's downtown represents a "show of strength," of unionized labour during a trade war, especially in a manufacturing city like Hamilton.

Last week, trade negotiations between Canada and the US fell through and ended with the US imposing 50 per cent tariffs on almost $30 billion of Canadian goods.

Marco said the steel industry is "suffering" because of tariffs, which end up trickling down to workers, like it did for the 1,200 workers at National Steel Car in Hamilton who have been on strike on Aug. 12. Workers there say they are asking for higher wages and for the union to have a say in an incentive program which they have described as dangerous.

He said Labour Day is for "workers who are who are going through the same kinds of things that you are on the job."

What we know about how the Canada-U.S. trade talks fell apart

1,200 National Steel Car workers in Hamilton on strike after rejecting contract offer

Labour Day has been marked in Canada since 1894 when Prime Minister John Thompson declared the day a national holiday. Union activity was a criminal act until parliament passed the Trade Unions Act on June 14, 1872.

In Hamilton, the parades started in 1895, Marco said.

Hamilton's parade on Monday starts at Bay Street N. and Stuart Street and will walk from there to York Boulevard, then to James Street N. and then to Bayfront Park through Strachan Street W.

Marco said the parade and picnic are not just for unionized workers but all working-class folks in the city to connect with each other.

"If you want to come out ... and learn about maybe how you can make things better in your workplace, the conversations with the with the thousands of people in the park are good conversations to have," he said.

Aura Carreño Rosas is a reporter at CBC Hamilton. She's originally from Venezuela. She has extensive experience in covering stories about immigrants and migrant workers as well as interesting people with diverse journeys. You can contact her at aura.carreno.rosas@cbc.ca