Red River Valley Union Members 'Float' Working Family Issues

The Employee Free Choice Act and Health Care reform are getting a lot more visibility in the Red River Valley these days thanks to two dedicated union members. Steve Walsh, vice president of the Northern Valley Labor Council, IBEW and BCTGM member along with Heather Murch, IAM Local 2525 member crafted and executed a large float that is making its way from town hall meetings on health care reform to parades in North Dakota and Minnesota this summer.

It's no small deal. Measuring 18 feet long by 8 feet wide, and 4 feet tall, the float parades working families' issues loud and clear. The long sides have alternating signs that read Health Care for America Now! and Employee Free Choice Act Now! while the shorter sides read Northern Valley Labor Council and Northern Plains Labor Council.

The idea for the float hatched in January at the Labor Temple whenaffiliates wanted to do something big that would gather the public's support. Created entirely of volunteer resources and donated time, Steve Walsh constructed the solid design and Heather Murch used a computer and projector to created the templates and painted each sign by hand. In all, over 160 hours were put into what Heather describes as a "labor of love."

Heather adds,"Lots of people were enthused about the idea. I could have never done it without the support of my mother, Irish Lawrence, my husband and family, and Alexandra Townsend from AFSCME."

To date the float has made it from health care town hall meetings in Casselton, ND and Mayville, ND and also made a stop at AFSCME's Highway to Health Care event in Fargo, ND last week. Heather's vision for working families includes claiming victories on health care reform and Employee Free Choice legislation. On the road to get there, she envisions the float "packed full of union members whooping it up on these issues during parades."

Top Photo:Steve Walsh and Heather Murch, float engineers
Second Photo: Tony St. Michael and Mark Froemke, labor leaders and float planning group members