For many of us Labor Day is a time to spend at a barbeque, picnic or other community events, but, it’s important to remember that it is the ONLY national holiday that officially recognizes the contributions of American working men and women.
Manitowoc Fire Department Lieutenant, Jeremy Wagner, is Vice-President of Union Local-368 of the Manitowoc Professional Firefighters’ Association. Wagner remembers when he was younger, he looked at Labor Day as just a three day weekend. After he entered the workforce, “you really do realize you need everything. You need the farmers, the construction workers, the guys that work at the foundries. If we didn’t have that, we wouldn’t prosper.”
Lt. Wagner said some in this country have a negative view of unions in general. “Being a union member isn’t always a bad thing. Our local, we are responsible for the city, the citizens and the fire department, so we aren’t just looking out for ourselves.”
The 1997 graduate of Manitowoc Lutheran High School said Local-368 is the donating sponsor for Splash Time for special needs children two Saturdays in the summer at the Manitowoc Family Aquatic Center. Wagner said their union also adopts-a-family in need around Christmastime and helps raise funds for Special Olympics through softball & basketball games.
