The annual Pittsburgh Labor Day Parade steps off today. Here's what you need to know
Pittsburgh's Labor Day Parade, one of the nation's largest, returned on Monday to honor and recognize the American labor movement.
The day began with the traditional Labor Day Mass at 8 a.m. at St. Benedict the Moor Church. After the Mass, local unions gathered in the parking lots around PPG Paints Arena and began lining up for the parade.
Honoring the Clairton plant explosion victims
At 10 a.m., following ceremonial sirens from the Pittsburgh firefighters, parade-goers observed a moment of silence in honor of those who were killed in the U.S. Steel Clairton plant explosion in mid-August.
Two were killed and at least 10 were injured in the explosion earlier this month. The explosions sent black smoke billowing into the air that could be seen for miles.
Where is the Pittsburgh Labor Day Parade going to be?
Following the moment of silence, the parade began on Centre Avenue, headed to Grant Street, then turned onto the Boulevard of the Allies before ending at Stanwix Street by the United Steelworkers Building.
Formation began earlier, with groups assembling on Centre Avenue.
Magee-Womens Hospital nurses and advanced practitioners led the parade on Monday. These workers are celebrating their recent vote to unionize and join SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, which is being called the largest nurse union election in recent Pennsylvania history.
Notable parade attendees this year included Gov. Josh Shapiro, Laborers' International Union of North America General President Brent Booker, United Steelworkers General President David McCall, USW Vice President Roxanne Brown, and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees National Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride, along with other Pittsburgh-area elected officials and union leaders.
Transit delays during the parade
As the labor community and families head to downtown Pittsburgh for the annual parade, that means there will be some delays in public transit, specifically Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus routes.
For early morning riders, a list of detours can be found here.
Meanwhile, once the parade kicks off and proceeds through the route downtown, detours will be in place from 7:30 a.m. until the early evening, and the affected routes can be found at this link.