American workers and an ever-growing immigrant workforce gathered to “promote solidarity” and cultural connections during the 35th annual Labor Day parade in Wilmington Monday morning.
The parade featured classic cars, marching bands, and several American and Mexican flags as the call for diversity in the workforce took center stage on Avalon Boulevard.
"We are like in the 1800s, when the immigrants were European. When they were German and Italian and Irish,” said Maria Elena Durazo of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. “Today, they're from all parts of the world.”
Latinos are making a large impact on today’s workforce, particularly in Southern California, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
"There's a lot of Latinos, the voter registration is a lot bigger than it used to be," said Val Macedo of the Laborers’ International Union.
Still, workers said along the parade route that their struggles are the same as they have always been.
"Right now too many people work too hard for too little. And that's why we're engaged in raising the minimum wage," Durazo said.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Monday a plan to raise the minimum wage to $13.25 by 2017.
