July 4th, 2018 -Brandon Lape

The Local 1537 Next Generation Committee participated, for the first time, in the City of Latrobe's fourth of July parade. 35 USW members and our families marched proudly through the streets of Latrobe. All dressed in USW shirts handing out candy and throwing frisbees, we waved and shook hands with everyone lining the streets.

Bobby "Mac" McAuliffe, our USW District 10 Director, led us through the streets beside our president, Kevin Caruso and Recording Secretary, Jason Hendrick. The float followed behind, featuring a giant USW hardhat on the roof of the truck, driven by Chance Drylie. The truck pulled a trailer with a usw "billboard" and American flags flying high. But, what completed the float, were the union workers and their families walking along side! What surprised us the most, was the crowds response! There were coworkers and their families cheering for us when they seen us. However, people young and old, were yelling "go union!" when they seen the USW banners. I'm not sure if they were from other unions in the area? Or had family in the USW? The lesson I took from this was that, being in this union doesn't just affect me. The union fights for my rights and benefits that I am able to take home and share with my whole family.

Next Gen spent all of June preparing for this event. Many members were meeting for the first time because of their participation towards this common goal. We learned a lot about each other. Each member had a pivotal role in the completion of this event. One person could not have done this alone. Not one person is any more responsible for the success of the float than another. We discovered what a small group of this union, when working together, can achieve.

Imagine what we could accomplish with the entire membership participating towards a common goal....