Labor Day Union Rally and March in Cambridge Hits Out at Local Employers

Cambridge, Mass. - Labor Day in Cambridge saw a union rally and march in the streets that took aim at local employers. Organized by the Service Employees International Union, around 300 members and supporters participated in the event; it hit out at Cambridge College and Harvard university over layoffs and the use of nonunion contractors. Yahya Bajinka told the crowd why he’s involved in union organizing while working for security firm G2 at Logan Airport and President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, Steven Tolman, drew attention to the ongoing campaign for a raise in the state’s minimum wage. Outside Cambridge College on Massachusetts Avenue, participants were critical of the school’s use of non-union Longwood Security. At Harvard Yard, Rogelio Rubio, spoke of the potential layoffs at a Harvard contractor American Cleaners, and Ida Bernstein, a medical school student, spoke of her support.