Politics dominate summer’s last hurrah on Labor Day

Labor Day is a holiday to honor the American worker, but it also has a political bent too.

Across the country gatherings and parades invite politicians to march and speak on the day that also marks a final hurrah for summer.

Here’s a look at how the United States celebrated its Labor Day.

Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

The most interesting Labor Day political appearance was in Ohio, where tabloid TV star Jerry Springer was at a parade in Cleveland.

There was no crazy love triangle or confrontation that made Springer famous on syndication. Instead, the 73-year-old had low-key conversations, calling for workers to join unions so they can get back a bigger piece of the pie from their bosses.

“We have to fight back! Working-class America is under attack. Keep up the fight,” Springer said at a Monday morning rally.

Springer has not officially announced a run for Ohio governor in 2018. Before he became a TV star, he bounced back from a prostitution scandal in the 1970s to win election to a term as Cincinnati mayor and failed in a run for governor in 1982.

Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders made several speeches in the Northeast on Monday, saying Donald Trump’s presidency is accelerating a trend to make America a country for the rich and not for everyone.

Sanders on Monday deviated from a typical Labor Day message, using “ugly” and “cruel” to describe Trump’s reported decision to end a program that grants temporary legal status to people who were brought to the United States illegally as children

Sanders told the union members he spoke to at the New Hampshire AFLCIO in Manchester that they needed to stand together to fight for immigrants, just like they need to keep fighting for government-run health care for all Americans and other policy changes he said would stop the economic backsliding for the middle class.

“We’re taking on the insurance companies. We’re taking on Wall Street. But ultimately we will win this struggle,” Sanders said.

The american worker

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a report on Labor Day saying President Donald Trump is failing to keep his campaign promises to create more jobs and increase wages.

Instead of protecting workers, the report from the Massachusetts Democrat said the president is putting people in the Labor Department who are anti-union and want to revoke regulations they say are anti-business, but labor groups say protect worker safety.

Trump has touted his economic policies he said have created more than 1 million jobs since he took office.

CHARLIE NEIBERGALL — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE FILE- In this file photo, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at a rally for Omaha Democratic mayoral candidate Heath Mello in Omaha, Neb. Sanders is holding rallies to focus attention on worker’s rights and the minimum wage on Labor day.