Submitted By J. Andrew Bott
On April 28, 2018, Local Union 1010 (Orlando) members marched in the 2nd Annual Puerto Rican Parade in downtown Orlando. LU 1010 had a float decorated with the IUPAT logo and the “Fighting for Working People” slogan. This year was especially important, as approximately 300,000 Puerto Ricans have relocated from the island to Central Florida in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Local 1010 member Alex Vargas coordinated the 1010 contingent for the event. “I really wanted to show the Puerto Rican community that the IUPAT supports them,”said Brother Vargas. The title of this year’s parade was “New Beginnings,” in reference to the hundreds of thousands of Puerto Rican islanders that are starting over again in Central Florida.
