The Owensboro Central Labor Council held its 34th annual picnic on Monday at English Park. While the event largely draws and celebrates union workers, council president Andy Meserve said they celebrate all forms of labor.
“It’s a picnic to celebrate all labor, not just union labor,” Meserve said. “All labor is precious, from the janitor to the CEO. We just want to celebrate that and give people a chance to have a meal.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “In 2022, union members accounted for 7.9 percent of wage and salary workers in Kentucky, compared with 7.2 percent in 2021. … The union membership rate for the state was at its peak with an average of 14.8 percent in 1989, the first year state data became available, and at its low point in 2021 at 7.2 percent.”
Kentucky had 141,000 union members in 2022, while another 44,000 wage and salary workers statewide were represented by a union on their main job or covered by an employee association or contract while not union members themselves, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“It’s definitely important that we bring people together and just appreciate our labor,” Meserve said. “All labor is important, and you should appreciate your importance in it. During the COVID, we learned that essential workers are essential and needed, and everybody’s playing a key part in the economy. It takes all of us, and everybody needs to be appreciated.”
The meal at the Owensboro picnic is free, but the council asks for donations that will be given to a local charity closer to Christmas. Nearly 200 people attended this year.
The featured speaker of the event was Mayfield’s Barry Craig, a member of the Kentucky State AFL-CIO’s executive board. He is a former reporter for the Paducah Sun newspaper, which is owned by Paxton Media Group, the company that owns several other newspapers in the area including the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer.
Craig largely spoke on the history of unions and their importance in the workplace. Other speakers included a few local and current political candidates, who shared general messages about supporting laborers.
