BOSTON — Labor Day in Boston usually means burgers on the grill, a Sox game on the radio, and families enjoying the last long weekend of summer. But this year, Mayor Michelle Wu has other plans: she’s turning it into a political spectacle.

On Monday, Boston will see its first-ever “Workers Over Billionaires” parade — banners, bands, and speeches galore. Officially, it’s organized by the Greater Boston Labor Council. In practice, it lands just eight days before the September 9 preliminary election and doubles neatly as a campaign rally for Wu. She gets the headlines. Taxpayers get the bill.

Riling up the rank-and-file

Ironworkers, hotel staff, service crews — they keep the city running. Most just want decent pay and job security. But Wu is more than happy to march them out as props, stoking chants about “billionaires” that don’t hold up to scrutiny.

The skyscrapers downtown? Bankrolled by billionaire developers. The Seaport hotels? Billionaire-owned chains. Stadium shifts at Fenway and Gillette? Paid for by billionaire sports moguls. Even the Amazon orders waiting on porches after the parade — courtesy of another billionaire.

If the rhetoric matched reality, the marchers would boycott the hotels, ditch the stadium shifts, and stop cashing billionaire checks. Instead, they’ll march, cheer, and head home — mission accomplished for Wu’s campaign optics.

Union members may think they’re marching for workers, but make no mistake: this is Wu’s Hate Parade, staged just days before voters head to the polls.

The Kraft contrast

Wu’s target couldn’t be clearer. Josh Kraft isn’t some Wall Street fat cat. His record is service. He led the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, opening branches in Chelsea, South Boston, and Dorchester. He later ran the Kraft Family Foundation and the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. His life’s work is nonprofits — not politics.

Meanwhile, his family gave New England six Super Bowls. The Patriots dynasty brought Boston pride, jobs, and championships. But Wu ignores all of that, preferring to paint Kraft as a villain because it fits her campaign script.

Wu’s own résumé tells another story: Harvard College, Harvard Law, summers abroad, and a straight shot into City Hall. She has never held a real job outside the ivory tower. Yet now she struts down Beacon Street pretending to speak for the working class.

The taxpayer tab

And who pays for the spectacle? Boston does. Holiday overtime for police. Streets closed. Sanitation crews on double shifts. Even a city-supplied water truck to keep marchers cool. Wu cashes in the political points while taxpayers pick up the costs.

Billionaire blind spots

And then there are the omissions. Wu rails against billionaires, but some never seem to make her hit list. Red Sox owner John Henry and his wife Linda Pizzuti Henry — who runs the Boston Globe and plays a major role in the White Stadium project — somehow escape the outrage. The Globe, of course, produces puff-piece coverage of Wu while ignoring the contradictions.

If Wu were serious, she’d tell her allies to boycott Fenway, cut ties with developers, and stop cashing billionaire paychecks. She won’t — because the parade is about headlines, not honesty.

A tale of two cities

San Francisco has seen this script before. Last year, Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie toppled progressive mayor London Breed. He didn’t pretend to be working class. He leaned on his philanthropic record and voters rewarded competence over slogans.

Josh Kraft is cut from the same cloth. His last name may be Kraft, but his career has been philanthropy and neighborhood service. Wu, by contrast, is running on resentment.

The scoreboard

Josh Kraft built nonprofits serving Boston kids and families. His family brought championships and jobs to the city. Michelle Wu? She’s staging a taxpayer-funded Hate Parade to divide Boston and smear her opponent.

This Labor Day isn’t about unity or work. It’s about Wu’s campaign — with a marching band.