Samuel Gompers, historic labor leader and campaigner for a national Labor Day holiday, received tribute from the state’s top labor leaders, local elected officials, community activists and union members at a ceremony Monday to unveil a life-sized statue of his likeness.

Since 1929, the city of Chicago has designated the park on Pulaski and Foster on the northwest side as Gompers Park.  But until now, no likeness of the labor pioneer and former cigar maker was present.

Presiding over the ceremony were Alderman Margaret Laurino (39th Ward), State Representative John D’Amico (D-15th), and Dennis Gannon, President of the Chicago Federation of Labor, who teamed up to organize community support and raise money for the statue.

Ald. Laurino, whose ward includes Gompers Park, worked closely with the North Mayfair Improvement Association as well as the Chicago Park District to get approval for the statue’s installation.

“It is a fitting tribute that we unveil this statue of Samuel Gompers on Labor Day,” said Ald. Laurino.  “Because on this day, we not only honor the brothers and sisters who keep the spirit of Samuel Gompers alive, we salute all those who have dedicated themselves to improving the quality of life for everyone.”

The statue, the only one of any labor leader in the city, was made possible by donations from and the Edward M. Marx Foundation and almost 40 different labor unions from the Chicago area. 

“Samuel Gompers is responsible in many ways for shaping the modern labor movement,” said Gannon.  “Because of his vision and leadership, organized labor has been able to do the things it’s done to protect the rights of working men and women over the last 120 years.”

Gompers was the first president of the American Federation of Labor and one of the most influential labor leaders of his time (1850-1924).  He worked his way up through the ranks of the cigar makers union, eventually becoming president, and helped found the American Federation of Labor (AFL). 

Under Gompers’ direction, the AFL became the strongest and most influential labor federation in the world, growing from an association of 50,000 in 1886 to nearly 3 million in 1924.  The AFL merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in 1955 to form the AFL-CIO.

“Erecting this monument for all to see is another visible and constant reminder of Labor’s historic impact on the city of Chicago and the entire nation,” said Michael Carrigan, President of the Illinois AFL-CIO.  “We are, in effect, rededicating ourselves to this never-ending struggle to raise up low-wage workers and to protect all workers rights.”

Gompers campaigned to have a Labor Day recognized as a national holiday.  First celebrated in 1882, President Grover Cleveland eventually made Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894.

“Samuel Gompers is arguably the most important figure in the development in the American labor movement,” said Larry Spivack, President of the Illinois Labor History Society.  “His legacy will live on as long as workers enjoy the right to organize and bargain collectively for wages and benefits.”

The statue was sculpted by Susan Clinard, who has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally.  She taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Palette and Chisel AcademyNew Haven, Connecticut recently.  

The bronze statue stands 5’6” tall and weighs 700 pounds.  It sits atop a 4’ granite base weighing 6,000 pounds.