By Steve Morabito
In today’s society, Labor Day has come to represent many things: the end of summer, kids returning to school, coming together with friends and family at cookouts, and the end of long summer nights. These things are all important parts of who we are as a society, but it is important that we never forget the origins of Labor Day and what it is all about: honoring and recognizing the labor movement that has been instrumental in providing for generations of Revere residents.
This struggle is personal to me and to my family. My parents both emigrated to the United States from Italy. Revere welcomed them with open arms. Through hard work and a belief that if you worked hard and played by the rules, you could give your children a better life, my parents achieved the American Dream.
My mother worked in a textile factory and later worked multiple jobs as a hairdresser and at Burger King. My father was a barber (and worked many jobs as well). This story is typical in the hard-working community of Revere.
Their perseverance and values gave me the foundation necessary to go from Revere High School and work my way through college to get my business degree.
As City Councilor, I have been a champion for working families and retirees. I have always supported the rights of workers to collectively bargain, have stood with workers in lockouts and strikes, and support project labor agreements to ensure major projects are being done with local union labor. I have stood with the building trades and nurses, public safety workers, teachers, City workers, and everyone in between to support fair wages, safe working conditions, and to ensure that workers are treated with dignity and respect.
One of our greatest challenges as a community is addressing the skyrocketing cost of living that is forcing seniors and long-term residents out of their homes. This same affordability crisis is preventing families from affording childcare and being able to raise children in this wonderful community.
I will be a pro-Labor, pro-working people Mayor, because I know that working people are the foundation of Revere. We must ensure that the services we provide as a City and our policies reflect these values.Steven Morabito is a City Councillor-at-Large, as well as a candidate for mayor in the upcoming election.
