A Massive Display of Labor Power
Thousands turned out for an expansive parade through Hewitt Avenue to showcase the strength of Everett’s unionized workforce.
It is hard to find adjectives expressive enough to embellish an account of the Labor Day celebration in Everett. The morning parade was the highlight of the day. Everett has seen many street pageants, but never before anything like the procession that swung into Hewitt Avenue on the stroke of eleven and traversed the length of the avenue. It was an ocular demonstration of the strength of organized labor in this city that will not be soon forgotten. Leading were Grand Marshal Gibbs and his chief aide. An automobile followed containing the speaker of the day, Chas. Perry Taylor, his family and local people. Wagner's band led the Electrical Workers, the first union in line, and the following unions made up the first division: Machinists, Journeymen Blacksmiths, Railway Trainmen, Bridge Workers, Longshoremen, and Brewery Workers. The second division was made up of unions affiliated with the building trades council, led by Warnock's band of Seattle. The third division was composed of the Ladies' Label League, Retail Clerks, Laundry Workers, Laundry Drivers, Barbers, and Tailors.
“It was an ocular demonstration of the strength of organized labor in this city that will not be soon forgotten.”
Everett has a long history as a 'labor town,' a legacy rooted in these early 20th-century shows of strength. Today, while the specific unions have changed, the tension between organized labor and municipal leadership continues to define the city's political landscape.
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