Labor of Pride: The Union Workers Who Make the St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast Possible
Each year, the St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast fills the Ironworkers Union Hall in South Boston with elected officials, community leaders, and guests gathered to celebrate one of the city’s most recognizable traditions. Behind the scenes, preparing the hall for that moment requires an enormous amount of work.
Hundreds of meals must be prepared and served, the room must be arranged with tables, chairs, and staging, and the lighting, sound, and broadcast infrastructure must be installed so the program can reach audiences across television, radio, and online platforms.
None of that happens without the union workforce that builds, supports, and operates the event from start to finish.
Union members begin preparing the Ironworkers Union Hall well before the first guest arrives. Crews assemble the event space, coordinate logistics, and prepare the hall to host a full morning of programming. Broadcast teams rig lighting, sound, and stage equipment to ensure the event can be carried live on television, radio, and online.
“Boston has a long and proud history of union labor, and that tradition is deeply connected to the St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast,” said Senator Collins. “The union members who help make this breakfast possible do it with pride and professionalism. Their craft is part of what makes this event special and allows it to happen year after year, and we would not have it any other way. The union way.”
Members of UNITE HERE Local 26 prepare and serve the breakfast itself and ensure every guest is taken care of throughout
the morning.
“We are proud to work with the leadership of UNITE HERE Local 26 to identify a union caterer in Seasons Catering,” Senator
Collins added. “They have been a pleasure to work with and have brought the quality and professionalism that we know comes
with union servers and bartenders who earn good wages and benefits because of the union’s representation and exercising their
rights to collectively bargain.”
Members of UNITE HERE Local 26 gather following last year’s St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast after preparing and serving
hundreds of meals for guests at the annual South Boston tradition.
Iron Workers Local 7, which hosts the event at its South Boston hall, plays a central role in making the Breakfast possible each
year. Beyond providing the venue that has become synonymous with the event, Local 7 members help prepare the hall and take
great pride in hosting a tradition that has become a fixture of South Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
“Ironworkers Local 7 is proud to play a role in hosting the St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast each year,” said Vincent Coyle Jr.,
business manager for Union Ironworkers Local 7. “This event has become a storied South Boston tradition, and it is an honor
for our union hall to serve as the home for it. Our members take great pride in helping make it happen, and we always look
forward to seeing the community come together and the great show that is put on every year.”
Behind the scenes, members of IATSE Local 11 handle the technical production that brings the Breakfast to life and to
audiences far beyond South Boston. Their crews rig lighting, install and operate sound systems, and coordinate the staging and
broadcast elements that allow the program to air live across multiple television networks, radio stations, and online platforms.
The Breakfast is also sponsored by labor unions, whose partnership helps make the event possible each year. Support from the
Boston Carmen’s Union, the Firefighters Unions, and partners across the Boston Building Trades Unions reflect the deep
connection between organized labor and this longstanding tradition.
Together, the collaboration between union trades, hospitality workers, broadcast professionals, and union partners ensures the
St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast continues to run smoothly year after year while maintaining a tradition that reflects both the spirit of
South Boston and the city’s deep ties to organized labor.
Members of IATSE Local 11 rig lighting inside the Ironworkers Union Hall, helping bring the St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast
to life for attendees and broadcast audiences alike.
