TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – Monday, Local workers efforts were honored at a Labor Day banquet at Idle Creek Banquet Center.
The president of the Wabash Valley chapter of the Southern Indiana Regional Labor Council says the work that union workers perform is usually thankless.
“A lot of people here go on as unknown soldiers and they’re out there doing the things to help the community, to make it better,” said Bill Treash, president of Wabash Valley chapter of the Southern Indiana Regional Labor Council.
To show these workers some appreciation, for the past 38 labor days, this council hosts a banquet where these workers are honored.
The event included a dinner, silent auctions, award ceremony, and guest speaker.
This year’s speaker was former Indiana state representative Clyde Kersey, who highlighted the progress that has been made for worker rights.
“We’ve come a long way in the last 100 years to the point where the middle class and the working people have a livable wage under safe conditions,” Kersey said.
As Kersey reflected on the present, he says it’s also important to look towards the future for workers.
“Many of the jobs we have today will be gone in the future because we have computers and robots, and artificial intelligence that will replace working men and women,” Kersey said.
Kersey says finding a solution to the issues that technology will cause for workers should happen sooner rather than later.
“Our future fight is not going to be with the owners of production of industry, in the future it’s going to be technology. So I think we need to look at now,” Kersey said.
Monday’s highest award, ‘the Pete Culver Award’ went to Scott Boone, a member of Iron Workers Local Number 22.
A total of seven people were honored with an award.
