With a federal election just weeks away, unionized in Windsor workers are calling for change this Labour Day.
Thousands braved the intense heat and took part in the annual parade down Walker Rd. to the Fogolar Furlan Club where speaker after speaker called for a new government in Ottawa.
Workers gave their loudest applause to retiring Windsor-Tecumseh MP Joe Comartin who recounted his father's days as a general labourer during the Depression as he called for on the labour movement to support workers struggling with precarious employment.
"That was 50, 60 years ago, and now we're going through it again," says Comartin. "We have so many people, young people in particular, young families working one part-time job, two or three jobs."
Comartin also thanked the labour movement for its support over his 15 years as MP.
"You were there every single time I needed that help. It made me a much better MP, and it gave us the opportunity to get our voice heard at the national level."
For the first time, the parade featured a new union local representing buskers and panhandlers in downtown Windsor. Andrew Nellis, a member of the Street Labourers of Windsor says the local hopes to open its union hall soon. He says the Street Labourers are members of the Industrial Workers of the World, an organization that dates back to 1905.
