Members of the Coastal Bend Labor Council gathered this morning to continue a tradition that spans more than seven decades.

The organization held its 76th annual Labor Day breakfast at the Holiday Inn Airport, honoring blue-collar workers across the region.

Keynote speaker Gina Benavides, retired justice of the 13th Court of Appeals, told labor council members that workers have built America but continue to struggle for decent wages and safe working conditions.

"Workers are being attacked and have been ignored, and more so today, we need to pay special attention to them because without labor, without the middle class, America does not exist," Benavides said.

Labor Day traces its origins to the late 19th century, when trade unions and labor movements proposed setting aside a day to cele

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