TELL ME ABOUT IT: Laboring for labor

1. Can you explain your background in terms of where you worked as well as being a union leader?

I started my actual union involvement right out of high school. I went to work the summer of graduation, 1963, at Triplett Corp. meter works, over in Bluffton. We organized over there and I just had a small part in that. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. ... I eventually went to Ford Motor Co. in the early '70s and worked with [United Auto Workers union] Local 1219. ... My term [as president] was up in June of this year. I had retired from Ford in summer of 2006. I kept the president's job until my full term was up.

2. So how did you end up being chosen as the grand marshal for the Labor Day Parade?

There's so many different diversified unions in Lima, western Ohio and northwestern Ohio area represented by the Allied Labor Council. Some years back, I was fortunate enough to be elected chairman of the Allied Labor Council. The leadership that made up that base, every year, they would meet and elected someone in a voting process, for grand marshal. This year they chose me to do that.

3. When did you find out you were picked to be grand marshal?

I think it was late July.

4. What does this mean to you?

It's really hard to put into words what it means. It's unreal to me that they would think enough of me to think I could represent them in that fashion. ... Naturally that feels good and it makes you reflect on a lot of things, I guess from poverty to jobs leaving the United States, just so many things that we've faced over the years. Looking back, how good things were and jobs were just, you could just go anywhere and get a job, to how that's evolved.

5. What plans do they have for you? Are you going to be on a float?

They have a car for me. Someone will be driving that. There will probably be a sign on the door and they will announce it when you come through.

6. Is Labor Day becoming increasingly more important given the state of the country and the economy?

It is more important because we can't take anything for granted anymore. Organized labor certainly has become less and less of a big hitter. ... When you see the work leaving going to Mexico, and even that isn't good enough, they're leaving the United States and Mexico going to China, and it's almost like slave labor. ... I think it's probably more emphasis on Labor Day now and what it means than ever before.

7. What should people take from the celebration of Labor Day other than a day off work?

To reflect on years and years ago, prior to me and even my memory, that the folks that really started the groundswell in unionism because they really needed to. To give respect to folks that work, to get the 40-hour workweek, the eight-hour workday, the weekends, we got the weekends because of labor union. ... But we need, most of all, to think about, not just what happened yesterday, but where we're going to go tomorrow. I think that's probably where most of our thoughts should be on Labor Day.