Lincoln native and longtime railroad advocate selected as Grand Marshal for Sept. 7 celebration

GALESBURG, Ill. — A central Illinois native who has spent more than three decades fighting for railroad workers and working families will lead one of the nation’s longest-running celebrations of organized labor this Labor Day.

Bob Guy, a Lincoln native and Illinois State Director for the SMART Transportation Division, has been selected as Grand Marshal of the 2026 Galesburg Labor Day Parade.

The parade will step off at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 7, along Main Street in downtown Galesburg. Hosted by the Galesburg Trades & Labor Assembly, the event is recognized as the nation’s oldest continuous Labor Day parade and has become an annual tradition for union families throughout west-central Illinois.

For Guy, the honor also brings together two important parts of his life: his central Illinois roots and his longtime involvement in the labor movement.

Guy has joined SMART-TD members in Galesburg for the parade for more than a decade.

“Being recognized as Grand Marshal of the Galesburg Labor Day parade is truly humbling,” Guy said. “It’s always a highlight of mine to join them as they and other unions and organizations show off their pride in the work they do for their families and community alike.”

Raised in Lincoln, about 40 miles south of Peoria, Guy grew up with a family connection to railroading. Following his grandfather’s advice, he hired out as a brakeman for Southern Pacific in 1994.

Guy worked along the former St. Louis segment of the historic Chicago & Alton Railroad main line through central Illinois, beginning a career that would eventually take him from working on trains to representing railroad employees at the highest levels of state government.

His union leadership began early. Guy was elected legislative representative for UTU Local 234 in 1996 and later became Alternate State Director. By 2004, he was working in Springfield on behalf of railroad workers and their families. He became Illinois State Legislative Director in 2009.

Guy has since been involved in efforts to expand state-supported Amtrak service and enact protections for railroad employees, including the Railroad Employees Medical Treatment Act and Safe Walkways Act.

His work has also extended to the broader labor movement. Guy has served as an Illinois AFL-CIO vice president since 2009 and participated in organized labor’s campaign to pass the Illinois Workers’ Rights Amendment.

Passenger rail has been another focus. Guy served as Illinois’ private-sector representative to the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission and was reelected chairman in 2019, giving a central Illinois labor voice to discussions about improving rail connections across Illinois and the Midwest.

Today, he continues advocating for rail safety, workers’ rights and railroad employees in Springfield and Washington.

Guy has lived in Springfield since 1999 with his wife of 27 years, Cindy. They have two children, Taylor and Bobby, and two grandchildren, Bralynn and Blaine.

For Guy, Labor Day remains fundamentally about those families and the workers who support them.

“Being a union member and leader means being part of a larger effort that fights every day for the betterment and protection of its hard-working essential members,” Guy said, “and being part of an organization that is dedicated to supporting its members from their first day of work, to the very last.”

Guy will lead that celebration Monday in Galesburg, where generations of west-central Illinois workers have gathered each Labor Day to celebrate the contributions of organized labor to their communities.