Hundreds pay homage to unions at annual Labor Day picnic in Chehalis

Hundreds of people attended Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council’s annual Labor Day picnic Monday at Stan Hedwall Park in Chehalis.

“I just feel like this is such an American experience,” said Lisa Randlette of Olympia, an environmental planner with the state Department of Natural Resources and shop steward for Washington Federation of State Employees. “Fourth of July and Labor Day picnics — that’s what makes summer.”

The free event featured live music, bouncy houses, door prizes and plenty of traditional picnic foods such as hamburgers, potato salad, watermelon and ice cream.

“Today is about organized labor being able to give back to the community,” said Bob Guenther, president of the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council. He estimated that between 500 and 600 people attended the event.

Guenther said he believes organized labor is doing a better job reaching young people, and he noted that the push for a $15 minimum wage has helped grab the attention of the young.

“It’s going to be even more important for our future as we move along to make sure our youngsters have jobs,” said Guenther, who belongs to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Kathy Halsan of Centralia wore a “Fair Contract Now!” button to the picnic. She teaches in a special education preschool program in the Centralia School District, where teachers plan to return to work Tuesday (Sept. 8) under an expired contract.

“We are still in contract negotiations,” Halsan said.

She said that on Thursday members of the Centralia Education Association authorized the bargaining team to call for authorization of a strike vote if a deal isn’t reached soon. The district and union are scheduled to meet Sept. 16, Halsan said.

“We’re very hopeful that it will be settled,” she added.

But even if the union had a contract, Halsan said, she would have attended the event because Labor Day picnics have always been an important tradition for her family.

“I always think about my grandfathers who were early members of labor unions,” she said.

Both risked their lives to help organize unions, which made jobs safer and better for future generations of workers, she added.

This story was originally published September 7, 2015 at 4:48 PM with the headline "Hundreds pay homage to unions at annual Labor Day picnic in Chehalis."