A diehard group of a few thousand building trades workers and their families braved the wet weather on Sept. 1 and celebrated Labor Day - with umbrellas and ponchos joining hard hats and union shirts as the fashion of the day.

"Aw this is nothing," said a sodden Keith Brown of Boilermakers Local 169 of the steady rain in downtown Detroit "We work in this stuff all the time. I'm happy to be here and represent my trade."

Added Local 58 electrician Kim Koebel, "We're the diehards. I've been coming here rain or shine, no matter what, since the parade started."

Attendance was way down from drier years, but those who did march in the parade had an opportunity to check out the new Labor Legacy monument near Hart Plaza. (See the article below.)

"I hope you will take this opportunity to walk around the grounds, and appreciate the meaning of the monument," Greater Detroit Building Trades Council Secretary-Treasurer Patrick Devlin told the crowd. "Because it was built by you, and it was built for you. It's a beautiful piece of work, isn't it?"

Traditionally, Labor Day is as much a day for talking politics as it is celebrating organized labor, and Sept. 1 was no different.

Congressmen John Dingell and Sander Levin were on hand to offer a few very brief remarks to the crowd. Noting that President Bush is finishing his month-long stay at his home in Texas, Dingell suggested that organized labor "help turn it into a permanent vacation next year by voting Bush out of office."

THE BUILDING TRADES in Detroit wished the rain tap could have been turned off during the Sept. 1 parade, but there was no stopping Mother Nature. Here the Laborers, celebrating 100 years as a union, led the march.