Where Labor and Civil Rights Meet: Over 500 People At 33rd Annual Labor Day Picnic in Ithaca: List of Awards

Over 500 people attended the Tompkins County Workers’ Center and Midstate Central Labor Council’s 33rd Annual Labor Day Picnic @ Ithaca’s Stewart Park on Monday, September 5th. The Picnic organizers focused on the theme: Labor Rights are Civil Rights highlighting the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement locally. The Guest Speaker was Professor Russell Rickford of Cornell University,and also a leader in the Black Lives Matter Ithaca movement. Incredible music was provided by Colleen Kattau and Mike Brant (Gringa Grooves from the Heart), as well as Ithaca-based rap artist, Sammus also a leader in the Black Lives Matter Ithaca movement.

Professor Rickford talking about how "a rebellion is beginning to take hold in the laboring class as workers begin to fight for a living wage, from farm workers in Afghanistan to laborers in India. Where this intersects with movements like Black Lives Matter, Rickford said, is in the intrinsic motivations of why activists are pushing for their stances."
Professor Rickford talking about how “a rebellion is beginning to take hold in the laboring class as workers begin to fight for a living wage, from farm workers in Afghanistan to laborers in India. Where this intersects with movements like Black Lives Matter, Rickford said, is in the intrinsic motivations of why activists are pushing for their stances.” (Photo: Alex Fox)

JOE HILL AWARDS: Named after legendary labor activist, Joe Hill (1879-1915). [Hill  was a songwriter, itinerant laborer, and union organizer, Joe Hill became famous around the world after a Utah court convicted him of murder and was executed.]

The three Joe Hill Awards were given to the following organizations:

WJCNY Farm
Members of the Worker Justice Center of NY and the Workers’ Center of Central NY alongside Members of the Tompkins Workers’ Center and the Midstate Council on Occupational Safety and Health after receiving the Joe Hill Award.

MOTHER JONES AWARDS: Named after legendary labor activist, Mother Jones (1837-1930), who once said: “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living. “Forced to support herself, when her husband and children all died, she became involved in the labor movement and helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or “Wobblies”), in 1905.]

The two Mother Jones Awards were given to the following organizations:

The Friend of Labor Award

The Friend of Labor Award was given posthumously to a member of the Tompkins Workers’ Center’s Minimum Wage as Living Wage Organizing Committee, Paula Burke, who passed away in late June of 2016 at the age of 36. Paula was instrumental in our campaign and worked tirelessly to ensure that EVERYONE who worked in Tompkins County was paid a Living Wage (which is presently $14.34/hour).

Paula Burke speaking at the 2015 Labor Day Picnic on the absolute need for EVERYONE to be paid a Living Wage. (Photo courtesy of 14850.com)

The Goat of Labor Awards were given to:

Cayuga Medical Center who clashed with nurses earlier this year over the nurses’ right to form a union amid claims that under-staffing was leading to safety issues.

The second “Goat” award went to Syracuse based Hayner-Hoyt construction, who engaged in conduct designed to exploit contracting opportunities reserved for service-disabled veterans.