(NIAGARA COUNTY) - More than 30 Union Members from several Niagara County Labor Organizations volunteered their time to help raise more than $2,300 for the Salvation Army during the recently-held Labor Day For The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Drive - a yearly event aimed at raising donations to assist those in need during the holiday season, Eastern Niagara United Way Labor Liaison Bill Jakobi tells WNYLaborToday.com.

"Organized Labor believes the Red Kettle event is a great way to help out people in need and it's another great example of Labor Unions and their members getting involved to help people in their own communities," Jakobi said.  "The Salvation Army does a good job with the Red Kettle event and the more than twenty-three-hundred dollars that was donated will go to purchase baskets of food and toys this Christmas and be distributed to the less fortunate."

For the 13th year in a row, more than Union Members and Labor representatives donated two hours of their time on November 21st to man red kettle donation locations that were set up in front of several Tops Markets in Lockport, Niagara Falls and Tonawanda. 

It wasn't hard to differentiate those Union representatives from other volunteers who took part in the Red Kettle Drive.  They wore their Union Colors to let the community know which Union they were members of.  Jakobi said volunteers from Ironworkers Local 6, IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) 966, CWA (Communication Workers of America) Local 1117, United Steel Workers Local 9434 and Gary St. Onge, a retired member of the United Food & Commercial Workers District 1, all participated in the event. 

"For the past ten to twelve years, Organized Labor - through the Niagara Orleans AFL-CIO Central Labor Council - picks a day and sends out its own to ring the bell and help raise some money.  As I said, it's another great example of Organized Labor giving back to the Niagara County community," Jakobi said.