Who We Are

Activities

Scholarship Awards:  The GMCFL awards the John Broyer / Jack Greer Memorial Scholarship to graduating high school seniors who are sons and daughters of parents or guardians that are members of affiliated local unions, lodges and other affiliates.  John was a union professor at Southern IL University and Jack was a pipefitter at Granite City Steel.  The two men saw the need to encourage our children to aspire to higher education and to learn about the struggles workers have had to earn a fair wage and respect on the job.

The original award went to one student in the amount of $1000.  The awardees are determined by a blind essay contest on one of three topics related to organized labor.  They are judged by area teachers. The award has recently been increased to two students in the amount of $1500 each due to generous underwriting by area businesses.

Worker Memorial Day:  The GMCFL has created a memorial site at Gordon F. Moore Park in Alton, IL.  The site remembers the union sisters and brothers of affiliated organizations that have died on the job or later as a result of their job.  The site was primarily constructed with donated materials and labor.  Every year, on April 28, union members, allies, friends and families gather at the site to remember those that we have lost.

Community Service:  The United Way and organized labor have long been partners in helping the less fortunate in our communities.  The Greater St. Louis Region is a rarity in that we are blessed with having five Labor Liaison positions within the United Way.  Two based in St. Louis, one in St. Clair County, one in Granite City, and one in Wood River.  These liaisons work to raise United Way contributions within organized labor and they provide dedicated assistance to union members and families in times of need.

Every year the GMCFL conducts blood drives in conjunction with the Red Cross.  They sponsor benefit fund-raisers for food pantries (Battle of the Badges in Glen Carbon), and the Phoenix Crisis Center in Granite City (a shelter for abused women).  This year they will also sponsor a golf tourney, poker night and trap shoot event to benefit charities.

Labor Parades and Picnics:  Every year, two Saturdays before Labor Day, the Alton / Wood River area has their Labor Parade and Picnic at Gordon F. Moore Park.  Labor organizations and friends gather to enjoy a day of solidarity and friendship, and nourish themselves on thousands of hot dogs, sno-cones, soda and beer.  The three day long James Stanley Memorial Softball Tournament is the climax of the weekend.  Teams from affiliated unions vie for the right to donate the cash prize to their favorite charity.

The Granite City Labor Day Parade is the largest and most popular parade of the year in Madison County.  The procession starts at the corner of Niedringhaus Ave. and Edison St. and ends on 29^th St. between Niedringhaus School and Wilson Park.  Children and parents line the route by the hundreds.  The labor groups thrill the kids with gifts of candy, pencils, rulers and other items.

County and City elected officials join the parade for this once-a-year opportunity to meet their constituents in a relaxed atmosphere of fun.  At the end of the route, the crowd gets to enjoy more thousands of hot dogs and gallons of cold refreshments.  There is always a live band playing a broad spectrum of music and a petting zoo and face painters for the kids.

Labor Awards Dinner:  Every year in the month of June, the GMCFL holds its annual Labor Awards Dinner.  Labor sits down with friends and allies to celebrate the successes of the last year and to honor the Labor Leader and Friend of Labor of the Year.  Also honored that night are the scholarship recipients, the winner of the George Meany Boy Scouting Award, and two Community Service awards (the Odell Fox Award from northeastern Madison County and the Karen Brown Heart of the Community Award from southwestern Madison County).

Allies

Besides the normal affiliated labor organizations, the GMCFL maintains close associations with a variety of other organizations with common goals and philosophies.

Jobs with Justice:  Jobs with Justice engages workers and allies in campaigns to win justice in workplaces and in communities where working families live. JwJ was founded in 1987 with the vision of lifting up workers’ rights struggles as part of a larger campaign for economic and social justice.

United Congregations of Metro East:  UCM is an alliance of about 30 churches of all denominations in the IL metro area.  Among their goals are:  Safer, healthier neighborhoods, strong education and youth programs, adequate and affordable housing, Decent jobs with equitable pay and work conditions, Improve healthy outcomes for children through establishing strong after school programs, and increase educational opportunities for children most in need, through seeking equitable funding for schools.

Retiree Groups:  Retirees are one of the greatest resources of organized labor and the community.  In Madison County, the International Association of Machinists (IAM), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and United Steelworkers (Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees – SOAR) are very active in local political activity and protecting the rights of our elder population.