TUCSON, Ariz. - To a lot of people Labor Day marks a relaxing end of summer KGUN9 went to a Labor Day gathering -- that remembers the original goal of the day -- to honor working men and women.
When you go to a Labor Day Picnic actually hosted by organized labor it's about much more than hot dogs. There's a lot of discussion about where labor unions stand in the workplace and there's a lot of politics too because politicians really value organized labor support because it helps propel their campaigns.
A long list of Democratic candidates spoke to the crowd gathered at Tucson’s Reid Park, led off by retired astronaut Mark Kelly, running for U.S. Senate.
"Thank you for being here today. Thank you for supporting your unions and I so appreciate your interest in the election in November 2020. I'm going to need your vote and your support so thank you in advance for that and have a great labor day."
Independent candidate for Tucson Mayor Ed Ackerley dropped in on the picnic.
“Well, it's wonderful to interact with the voters in Tucson and over here, a lot of them workers, obviously, who have a lot of time and effort into being here today. It's been a great experience to go around and talk with everybody about their jobs and what they see for the future of Tucson."
Democratic Mayor Candidate Regina Romero says organized labor offers a big boost to a campaign organization.
"Unions know exactly what they need to do. Right. So they know that the ground game and canvassing is one of the most important things we can do. They were right there with me. Through the primary election, they have been there for many, many other progressive candidates that stand up for unions.>"
And Romero says she's grateful to unions for helping her win the Democratic nomination for Mayor.
