Paul Price Honored with the 2026 Mark Rogovin Working Class Heroes Award

On May Day 2026, community members gathered to honor Paul Price as the recipient of the Mark Rogovin: Working Class Heroes Award. Local residents of Forest Park, along with Paul’s family and many of his fellow workers from the Laborers Union, came together to celebrate his achievements and the legacy of Mark Rogovin. Mark lived in Forest Park for 50 years and was deeply dedicated to the Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument, labor history, and anti war activism. This annual award is given in his name to honor those who continue that work.

Paul Price’s career reflects decades of labor organizing and advocacy. He began organizing workers at a grocery store in Utah and was later fired and blacklisted after leading a union drive at a mouse pad factory. He went on to help pass a living wage ordinance in Bloomington, Indiana, and played a key role in a campaign that helped janitors across three Midwestern cities nearly double their wages and secure family health insurance after four years. He also helped residential construction workers in the Southwest recover $500,000 in stolen wages.

Today, Paul works with the Laborers Union in Chicago, defending construction workers from predatory developers and contractors. His work reflects the spirit of the award and the legacy it was created to honor.