Tens of Thousands March Up Fifth Avenue in the Nation’s Largest Labor Day Parade

New York, NY – Tens of thousands of union members and their families representing more than 200 unions and constituency groups are filling Fifth Avenue today for the 2025 New York City Labor Day Parade & March, the nation’s oldest and largest celebration of working people.

Marching under the banner Power in Unity, this year’s Parade is led by Co-Grand Marshals Rich Maroko, President of the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO, and Terri Carmichael Jackson, Executive Director of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association. Fred Redmond, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, is in attendance as an Honored Guest, joining the leadership of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and elected officials from across the City and State.

The Parade is a celebration of the people who built New York City and continue to keep it running every day. By marching we honor the generations of working people who came before us and recommit ourselves to the values that have always guided the Labor Movement: solidarity and dignity for all who work, even as we face ongoing attacks from hostile forces in Washington. Across the five boroughs, workers are organizing new shops, negotiating contracts that raise standards, and showing that collective action can create a better future.

“Today, working people from every corner of our City are standing shoulder to shoulder to celebrate the contributions of the Labor Movement and to recommit ourselves to building a fairer, more just New York,” said Brendan Griffith, President of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO. “The strength and diversity of our movement are on full display, and our message is clear: together, we are united in the fight for dignity, respect, and opportunity for all workers. Seven in ten Americans now say they support unions. That energy is visible here in New York as workers across every industry organize, strike, and raise their voices for justice. No matter who you are or what work you do in this City, every worker deserves to be valued and respected.”

“Women have always been builders of labor’s backbone: educating, organizing, leading, and pushing forward society, even when history tried to leave us out,” said Terri Carmichael Jackson, Executive Director of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association. “Women carry the weight and demand better not just for ourselves, but for everyone who works. Across generations and industries, women have done the hard work to improve their lives and challenge the norms that held them back. That spirit lives on in the women of the WNBPA — athletes, yes, AND also organizers, advocates, and workers.

“Their fight reflects the strength of every woman who has refused to wait her turn, stay silent, or accept less than she has earned. We are not waiting. We are building the reality we deserve. And as a Grand Marshal leading this year’s NYC Labor Day Parade, I know that women are no longer asking for a seat at the table. We are building the whole damn room. We don’t march for nostalgia. We march because we know: when women lead, labor doesn’t just grow, it transforms!”

“Next summer, the eyes of the world will be on New York,” said Rich Maroko, President of the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO. “Between the finals for the FIFA World Cup and the United States’ 250th anniversary, our region will host millions of travelers. I am proud to represent the 40,000 hotel workers – front desk agents, bell and door staff, room attendants, engineers, servers and kitchen employees – who will make their stays possible and power New York’s tourism industry.

“Next summer, our union's master contract expires, after 14 years. Union hotel workers will be fighting for wages, benefits and rights that will define the lives of hospitality workers in our city for the next decade. As we gear up for those negotiations and ready ourselves for a fight – much like when we march up 5th Avenue each September – we do it with the solidarity and support of our brothers and sisters in NYC’s labor movement. As New Yorkers, as union members, we stand up for each other. It's an honor to celebrate with you this Labor Day and an even bigger honor to know that NYC's labor movement is in our corner.”

This year’s Parade features classic cars, floats, motorcycles, construction equipment, bands, dancers, and the AFL-CIO’s “Better in a Union” bus, bringing color and energy to Fifth Avenue as union members and their families march proudly past the Reviewing Stand at 64th Street.

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