What do you get when you combine a several gallons of paint, plywood and power tools, a salvaged toilet and a group of multi-talented individuals? A St. Patrick’s Day parade float, handmade by members of the Peoria, Ill., unit of the United Media Guild.

The unit represents 77 news and circulation workers at the Peoria Journal Star. In bargaining since last fall, the union has been fighting the Gatehouse-owned paper’s attempt to outsource jobs and cut wages.

Gatehouse, meanwhile, has been giving executives big bonuses. See story.

Go to the unit’s website, www.peoriawatchdog.com, for a gallery of photos of the finished float and parade, and scroll down for photos of the float’s assembly