By Adam Allington, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Members of the Service Employees International Union held a rally in St. Louis on Friday to kick off a four-state bus tour ending at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.
SEIU represents over 2-million workers in 100 occupations.
The union has formally endorsed Barack Obama for president but SEIU Secretary Anna Burger says Republicans need to hear their message too.
"I didn't pick Labor Day as the first day of the Republican Convention, it wasn't my choice, it was their choice," says Burger.
"They probably didn't even realize it was Labor Day when they picked it, but since the world is going to have a spotlight on the Republicans, we want the spotlight to be shared with us and our values and our work."
Together with other unions, SEIU is pushing for the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for employees to unionize.
The caravan will culminate on Monday at the Take Back Labor Day Festival , occurring just across the Mississippi River from the RNC.