Longtime railroader, labor leader and Lincoln native to lead nation’s oldest continuous Labor Day parade Sept. 7

SMART Transportation Division Illinois State Director Bob Guy, whose more than three decades in organized labor have been devoted to protecting railroad workers and strengthening the voice of working families, 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 annually brings together union members, families, marching bands and community organizations.

For Guy, who has joined Galesburg SMART-TD members at the parade for more than a decade, the honor carries special meaning.

“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.”

Guy’s connection to railroading began long before he became one of Illinois’ leading labor advocates. Raised in Lincoln, Illinois, Guy followed the advice of his grandfather and hired out as a brakeman for Southern Pacific in 1994, working the former St. Louis segment of the historic Chicago & Alton Railroad main line connecting Chicago, Joliet, Bloomington-Normal, Springfield and St. Louis. He found the career every bit as rewarding as his grandfather had predicted.

His union leadership followed quickly. Guy was elected UTU Local 234 Legislative Representative in 1996 and later Alternate State Director. By 2004, he was assisting then-State Director Joe Szabo and Assistant Director John Burner in Springfield, representing railroad workers and their families. He became Assistant Legislative Director and, in 2009, State Legislative Director after Szabo was confirmed as administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration.

Over those years, Guy helped lead successful efforts to expand state-supported Amtrak service and enact major workplace protections, including the Railroad Employees Medical Treatment Act and Safe Walkways Act. He has also served as an Illinois AFL-CIO vice president since 2009 and was involved in organized labor’s successful effort to enact the Illinois Workers’ Rights Amendment.

Guy’s transportation leadership has extended beyond SMART-TD. He served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Northern Illinois Public Transit Task Force and as Illinois’ private-sector appointee to the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission, where he was reelected chair in 2019.

Today, Guy continues advocating for rail safety and workers’ rights in Springfield and Washington. He is also leading SMART-TD Illinois’ efforts to raise concerns about CSX Transportation cutbacks at Barr Yard in Chicago and their potential implications for experienced railroad employees, freight service and the broader Chicago rail network.

Behind that public advocacy is a lifelong Illinois story. Guy has lived in Springfield since 1999 with his wife, Cindy, his wife of 27 years. They have two children, Taylor and Bobby, and Guy is a proud grandfather to Bralynn and Blaine.

Those family ties reinforce what Guy says organized labor ultimately represents: protecting working people throughout their careers and helping them earn a secure retirement.

“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.”

SMART-TD’s Galesburg members have helped carry that same message through years of participation in the Labor Day parade. Guy’s selection as Grand Marshal brings together the parade’s celebration of organized labor with a career spent demonstrating what that movement can accomplish for workers, their families and their communities.

***Courtesy of Ryan Keith, RK PR Solutions***