Today, New York City will host a parade to honor the essential workers who kept the city operating during the pandemic and many unions have refused to participate. Unions that represent healthcare workers, utility workers, and other essential workers are saying that this parade is a slap in the face to these workers. The workers want their contracts to be negotiated in good faith and to be given compensation that reflects their hard work. A city councilman will also not attend the parade “out of respect for the EMS workers” and says that it is “time they get what they are owed.”
See "Unions decline participation in NYC’s essential worker parade", Mihir Zaveri, The New York Times, July 7, 2021