At City Park ceremony, union and elected leaders push to bring back Reading's Labor Day parade

More than a decade since Reading's annual Labor Day parade went by the wayside, labor leaders and elected officials said Monday that it's time to bring the tradition back. That call for revival echoed repeatedly through City Park during the inaugural Labor Day flag‑raising ceremony — an event created to fill the void left since the parade's cancellation in 2015. The United Labor Council of Reading and Berks County organized the gathering with Mayor Eddie Moran, drawing dozens of union members from AFSCME, IBEW, SEIU, the building trades and other locals. The rally‑style event also honored three longtime union leaders preparing to retire: William Dorward, president of the Berks County Building and Construction Trades Council; Mark Pinkasavage, business manager of IBEW Local 743; and Marcia Castner, a 43‑year Berks County employee and president of AFSCME Local 462. Moran opened the ceremony by noting the turnout was the largest he had seen for any flag raising at City Park. 'I'm really taken by the fact that there's so many brothers and sisters here to celebrate this occasion,' he said, adding that raising a Labor Day flag for the first time was fitting for a city shaped by organized labor. He hinted at the parade's possible return, telling the crowd, 'Listen, I hear there used to be some awesome parades… I'm just saying.' Castner's decades of service were highlighted by United Labor Council Vice President Joe Scoboria, who recalled meeting her in high school in 1979 and watching her rise through AFSCME Local 462. 'Local 462, very much because of Marcia's leadership, has been one of the best for a long period — one of the best organized, one of the most productive,' he said. State Rep. Jacklyn Rusnock, a Muhlenberg Township Democrat, presented a House citation to Pinkasavage, praising his 37 years in the electrical workers union and his commitment to training apprentices. Pinkasavage, who also received the Labor Council's Person of the Year award, used his impromptu remarks to urge the crowd to rebuild the parade. 'I started my (career) down the street at Eight and Penn for the parade,' he said. 'I urge this group every year — build on this event and get that parade back.' State Sen. Judy Schwank, a Wyomissing Democrat, reflected on Reading's long labor history, including the 1877 railroad massacre marked on Penn Street, and the decades when Teamsters and other unions marched to FirstEnergy Stadium for a community picnic. While acknowledging rising costs and changing times, she said seeing union members gather again to celebrate the people that built this country 'is a deal.' Schwank also warned of modern challenges, including artificial intelligence and data‑center expansion, saying workers must protect the working conditions for people who are going to be impacted. State Rep. Johanny Cepeda‑Freytiz, a Reading Democrat, energized the crowd with call‑and‑response chants — 'When I say union, you say strong!' — before honoring Dorward, whom she credited with supporting her first run for office and standing by her through personal hardships. 'When Bill is with you, he's with you,' she said. 'He shows up, he stands his ground and he doesn't forget the people that he's fighting for.' Dorward delivered the event's keynote, a forceful defense of solidarity and the labor movement's legacy. 'Labor Day is the day that belongs to us, working people,' he said. 'It was born from the blood, the sweat, the sacrifice… of working men and women who stood together and said we deserve better.' He urged unions to recommit to organizing, training apprentices and raising standards for all workers. 'When labor wins, working people win,' he said. 'And when working people win, America wins.' Berks County Commissioner Dante Santoni, a former state representative, recalled how unions backed his first run for office and stressed the need to defend hard‑won labor protections. He, too, endorsed bringing back the parade, calling it a cherished community tradition. City Councilman Jaime Baez Jr., flanked by Council President Donna Reed and Councilmen O. Christopher Miller and Raymond Baker, capped the ceremony by reading proclamation honoring the labor organizations.