Harrison’s Labor Day 2025: Honoring the Past, Protecting the Future

As summer 2025 comes to a close, Harrison residents prepare once again to celebrate Labor Day—a holiday that has always held special meaning in this town shaped by industry, hard work, and community spirit.

Labor Day, first marked in 1882 by labor leader Peter J. McGuire, was created to honor the contributions of America’s working class. In Harrison—once known as the Beehive of Industry—its significance runs deep. The town’s factories, foundries, and industrial plants were powered by generations of workers who fought for better wages, safer workplaces through union membership. Their legacy is still felt today. A group of people can bring positive change to workplaces and their community.

From Beehive of Industry to a New Vision

Harrison’s southern half once played a critical role in winning World War II, with the Crucible Steel Factory and other plants producing around the clock. What was once an industrial hub has since transformed into a vibrant residential district with modern luxury housing. Names like Steelworks and The Cobalt Lofts are more than just marketing—they are tributes to the steel that once defined the community. (Cobalt, after all, is used to harden steel.)

Vermella Harrison and Wyldes Harrison join Steelworks and The Cobalt Lofts apartment buildings in the Riverbend District..  There are other planned luxury apartment buildings for the immediate neighborhood.  Two city blocks away are other apartment buildings, including the following modern luxury apartment buildings: Urby buildings, Harrison Commons,  Bergen & Dey, Water’s Edge Apartments, One Harrison, and The Eddy.

This transformation is no accident. More than 26 years ago, the late Mayor Raymond J. McDonough and the then Town Council envisioned a future where Harrison would no longer be defined by smokestacks and abandoned contaminated land but by homes, parks, and thriving neighborhoods to be enjoyed by the community, Harrisonians. That vision is now reality, with a vibrant community in the southern half of town. The redevelopment brought life to what was once abandoned industrial property.  It has also brought 16 million dollars in PILOTS (Payments In Lieu of Property Taxes), which matches the amount raised by the northern section of Harrison. Plans for a Toxic Sludge and Debris Plant put at risk all that has been accomplished and is continuing to be developed.

Wyldes Harrison Apartment Building

Labor Day Traditions: Then and Now

Harrison was once home to vibrant Labor Day parades, with unions, trades, and local groups marching proudly through town. The parades celebrated not just the holiday but also the solidarity of a working-class community.

Today, only a handful of Harrison’s many parades remain—such as the United Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the Peruvian Parade. The beloved Harrison Fest Grand Parade (and Street Fair) was discontinued in 2018 when Harrison Mayor James Fife abruptly ended a September tradition that once brought the community together because then Councilman Anselmo Millan chose to exercise his constitutional right to run for the office of Mayor of Harrison. While the parades may no longer step off,  Labor Day continues to remind residents of the importance of community and labor groups organizing to improve safety and fairness in the workplace as well as in their communities.

Protecting Harrison’s Future

Proposed EPA Toxic Sludge Plant & PSE&G Property Harrison, NJ

As Harrison honors its labor history, the town must also safeguard the progress it has made. The PSE&G property, once contaminated, was remediated with the promise of becoming a park, a community center, and a PATH turnaround to reduce traffic congestion.

Yet federal agencies (EPA) and Harrison’s local leaders (Mayor Fife & Councilman/PVSC Commissioner James Doran) want to return the site to an industrial use—specifically, as a toxic sludge and debris processing facility tied to the Passaic River cleanup. Dioxin, a byproduct of Agent Orange production, will be brought on land by a dredge (bucket with a claw) to be mixed with Portland Cement on the PSE&G site. Residents argue this would undo decades of progress and betray the vision set forth by the late Mayor McDonough.

Harrison cannot go backwards. The southern half of town has become a modern residential community. Families, not factories, now define its character. To allow toxic sludge to return would not only threaten public health but also erase the progress made over more than two decades of redevelopment.

A Holiday of Reflection and Responsibility

On Labor Day 2025, Harrison residents will gather for barbecues, family outings, and the final taste of summer. But the holiday is also a time for reflection: to honor the workers who built our community, to remember the struggles that secured fair wages and safe conditions, and to recommit to civic engagement.

That engagement matters now more than ever. Decisions about the future of the PSE&G site—and Harrison itself—are being made in council chambers and public meetings. Residents are encouraged to attend the next Harrison Mayor & Council meeting on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at 6:15 p.m., to ensure their voices are heard.

Looking Ahead

Labor Day in Harrison is about more than the past. It is about protecting the present and securing a healthier, brighter future for generations to come. Whether or not the Labor Day Parade ever returns, or the Harrison Fest Parade & Street Fair, one thing is clear: what should never return is toxic sludge on land that was promised for a park, community center, and drop off zone, and a U-Turn for the Harrison PATH station.

This Labor Day, Harrison celebrates not just the contributions of America’s workers, but also the vision of a town determined to move forward—not backward.

Learn More:

EPA Must Scrap Flawed Passaic River Cleanup & Protect Public Health

Concealment, The Truth & Lies About EPA's Toxic Sludge Plant in Harrison NJ

Harrison Redevelopment Agency: What Is Fife Hiding?

Twenty-Six Years: Mayor McDonough's Redevelopment Vision Realized

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