Reuben Soderstrom Plaza in Streator gets sprucing from Laborers Local 393

The Reuben Soderstrom Plaza in Streator, featuring a statue of the Illinois labor leader, is more than a decade old and the bricks are starting to weather.

Volunteers from Laborers Local 393 in Marseilles donated time Friday, and likely will spend a couple more days, replacing broken bricks, tuckpointing, caulking, installing new lights and power washing the plaza, said David Raikes, retired business manager.

Sarah Lagow, of Streator; David Pierce, of Ottawa; and Mike Matuszewski, of Morris, helped Raikes at the plaza Friday.

Raikes said the maintenance work will be important in limiting the damage Illinois winters can do and preserving the plaza in top shape. The plaza is built with thousands of bricks, giving it local character, from Streator’s brick industry history.

The statue and plaza was dedicated Sept. 2, 2012.

Soderstrom presided over the Illinois American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations for 40 years, at a time when several key labor laws were created that set the framework for the modern work day and benefits. He also served as a state representative. Soderstrom grew up and lived in Streator, utilizing the public library to educate himself. The Soderstrom Foundation donated funds in September 2021 to refurbish a room at the Streator Public Library in the labor leader’s honor that now serves as the library’s multi-purpose community room.

“Forty Gavels,” a three-volume biography of R.G. Soderstrom, tells his story, including the influence of Streator on his life.

Two other statues have been dedicated to Soderstrom – one at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Springfield and the other at the School of Labor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Streator’s plaza includes several plaques telling Soderstrom’s story.