New York City Labor Day Parade Canceled

Those staying in New York City this Labor Day weekend will notice the absence of one of the holiday's signature events. The Labor Day parade down Fifth Avenue, which is traditionally held on Saturday over Labor Day weekend, has been canceled this year.

The 2007 parade was canceled by the New York City Central Labor Council, which explained that the group had determined it was best "to remain focused on our organizational priorities and review the various observances of our Labor Day events as we consider how to march forward in the best way possible for workers." Instead of the parade, the Central Labor Council has decided to hold a "Labor Day Rally" on September 8th (the weekend after Labor Day) at Ground Zero to "support labor's efforts to address the long-term health needs, ongoing medical monitoring, treatment and compensation for first responders and other workers suffering from the long-term effects of 9/11."

New York City was the site of the nation's first Labor Day parade in 1882, and the parade has been a tradition in New York now for 125 years. The parade, however, has not run continuously. In 2002, the parade was replaced by a 9/11 rally/memorial service at Battery Park, and in 2004, it was replaced by a protest of the Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden.

Many, however, have expressed skepticism over the stated reasons for the cancellation of the parade this year. Some have hypothesized that the parade was in fact canceled due to declining attendance or in response to scandals that have marred the parade in the recent past. In 2006, shortly before the parade, it was announced that the then-head of the New York City Central Labor Council, Queens Assemblyman Brain McLaughlin, was being investigated for embezzlement, receiving bribes, fraud and money laundering. The parade went forward anyway, and some have speculated that the decision to cancel the parade this year was in part an effort to emphasize that there is now new leadership at the Central Labor Council. Spokeswoman for the Central Labor Council, Carolyn Daly, has dismissed these hypotheses, stating simply "The headlines aren't really accurate....It's not so much that it's canceled, it's that this year we're going to be doing a rally."

So what's there to do in New York this year now that there won't be a parade? The West Indian American Day Carnival is still scheduled to be held in Brooklyn over Labor Day weekend. This is a four-day event with a "Labor Day Carnival Parade" on Labor Day Saturday. Alternatively, some may take advantage of the absence of the parade and enjoy some window shopping on Fifth Avenue instead.

Sources:

For more information about New York City Central Labor Council events, including an informational flyer for the Labor Day Rally to be held on September 8, 2007, see: http://www.nycclc.org/.

For more information about the Central Labor Council's statements concerning the reasons for the parade's cancellation, see Sally Goldenberg, Labor Day Parade Organizers Defend 9/11 Rally Decision, available at http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/118741887962750.xml&coll=1

For more information about the investigation of and charges against Brian McLaughlin, see Anemona Hartocollis, Steven Greenhouse and Michael Cooper, Labor Leader Took Millions, U.S. Charges, N.Y. Times, October 18, 2006, at A1; Steven Greenhouse and William Rashbaum, F.B.I., in Bid-Rigging Inquiry, Raids Offices of Labor Leader, N.Y. Times, March 3, 2006, at B1.

For more information about the West Indian American Day Carnival, contact the West Indian American Day Carnival Association at 718-467-1797 or visit them on the web at

http://www.wiadca.com/