On Monday, President Joe Biden to celebrate Labor Day in Philadelphia and made his way to Philadelphia as part of his two scheduled trips to the region this week. His first stop was at the annual Tri-State Labor Day Parade and family fun festival, which was hosted by the local AFL-CIO chapter. Prior to this, the president also attended a rally at the Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 office off Columbus Boulevard. At the rally, President Biden emphasized the significance of unions in the United States and discussed the ongoing economic recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He addressed the crowd, stating, “This Labor Day, we’re celebrating jobs, good-paying jobs, jobs you can raise a family on, union jobs.”
Following the rally, union members and their families proceeded to march to Penn’s Landing, where the festival was set to take place. President Biden’s visit marked his seventh trip to the city this year, and he has consistently expressed his commitment to being the most pro-union president in U.S. history.
The timing of this Labor Day event, a holiday dedicated to honoring workers, coincided with positive job growth trends in the U.S. More people had started actively looking for work, marking the most significant increase since January. President Biden was eager to highlight these developments as he gears up for his potential reelection in 2024.
At the Tri-State Labor Day event in Philadelphia, hundreds of union workers, sporting shirts representing various local unions such as the Sheet Metal Workers, United Food and Commercial Workers, and Stagehands, eagerly awaited the president’s address. Many attendees expressed their support for the President and noted that unions have become more active, partly due to his policies. Lenny Nutter, a Philadelphia resident wearing a Laborers International Union shirt, mentioned that unions had seen growth in membership and more work opportunities for union workers.
For those navigating the area on Monday morning, rolling roadblocks were expected, especially along I-95 between Penn’s Landing and Columbus Boulevard. The 36th annual Tri-State Labor Day Parade and Family Celebration was hosted by the Philadelphia AFL-CIO, which comprises more than 100 local labor unions representing over 150,000 workers. President Biden also had plans to visit Montgomery County on Wednesday, although specific details about the visit had not been released by the White House.