St. Patrick’s Day: A Tradition of Workers

In cities across the country, St. Patrick’s Day means more than celebration. It means tradition.

From Chicago to Boston, that tradition is rooted not just in those towns’ Irish heritage, but in the working-class spirit that helped build both the communities and the industries that sustain them.

This year marked the 48th consecutive Southside Irish Parade in Chicago, the longest continuously running St. Patrick’s Day parade in the country. For nearly five decades, it has honored the same values that define our union: hard work, solidarity, and pride.

At the same time, SMART representatives were in Boston attending the historic South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast hosted by State Senator Nick Collins. This event, with roots stretching back more than a century, has long been tied to both labor and public service.

SMART-TD members were proud to take part in both of these time-honored traditions. In Chicago, members participated in the parade for the third straight year, joined by SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson and SMART-TD Auxiliary President Kathryn Seegmiller.  

A Tradition Built on Working-Class Pride 

These two unique events have always stood apart. They aren’t about commercialization or spectacle. They’re about community: workers, families, tradition.

In cities like Chicago (one of America’s original rail hubs) and Boston (one of its oldest labor strongholds), the story of Irish Americans is inseparable from the rise of organized labor. 

Tracks and Tradition 

It’s well known that Irish immigrants helped build this country’s rail system under some of the toughest conditions imaginable. Irishmen came here in the 1800s and 1900s and found work laying track, working yards, and taking on dangerous jobs that others would not. They came looking for opportunity and found high risk at low pay.

Our organization was born out of those brutal conditions.

Irish American workers played a key role in the early American labor movement, helping shape the fight for fair wages, safer workplaces, and dignity on the job. These are the principles that still define SMART-TD and railroad unions today, from the tracks of Chicago to the union halls of Boston.  

Carrying It Forward 

SMART-TD’s inclusion in the Southside Parade over the past three years reflects the deep connection between the Irish American worker and the rise of rail unions.

As Local 445’s Secretary Treasurer, Martin Bobrowski put it, “When the South Side parade committee first reached out about including our union, they made it clear they wanted to recognize the role Irish American workers played in building the rail industry and the unions that still protect it today. That’s something we’re proud to stand behind.”

That same connection was reflected in Boston, where SMART representatives, including SMART-TD Safety and Legislative Director for New England, Dave Stevenson, and BTAPS Chairperson Cole Czub, attended the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast hosted by State Senator Nick Collins. Collins, who recently successfully sponsored a SMART-TD-endorsed transit assault bill in Massachusetts, made a point of recognizing the efforts of both SMART Sheet Metal and the Transportation Divisions at the event, alongside some of our labor partners and state leaders. 

In Solidarity

For generations, our country’s St. Patrick’s Day traditions have honored a way of life grounded in hard work and unity.

SMART-TD is proud to be part of that legacy. Today and every day, we represent the workers who keep the transportation industry moving.

We would like to thank our Illinois State Safety and Legislative Board along with members of locals #445 (Chicago/Galesburg, IL & Fort Madison, IA), 1534 (Chicago, IL), 1929 (East St. Louis, IL), 1973 (Chicago, IL), Local 1202 (Fort Wayne, IN) and the General Committee of GC-009 for representing our union well again this year in Chicago.

A special thank you also goes to our Vice Local Chairperson of Local 445, Brother Rocco Sodin, who has organized SMART-TD’s participation in the parade since 2024. His efforts continue to make us successful.

These Saint Patrick’s Day events, from Chicago to Boston, are a strong example of SMART-TD bringing our message of the dignity and value of work and organized labor to the public.

And in that tradition, we don’t just honor the past. We carry it forward.