The Massachusetts AFL-CIO is taking a page out of the sports marketing playbook used by major corporations.

The labor organization is unleashing a radio ad campaign in the run-up to Labor Day, with a flurry of spots tied to Red Sox [team stats] games broadcast on WRKO-AM (680).

The ad blitz will culminate on Labor Day, when Robert Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, throws out the ceremonial first pitch before Monday night’s Sox game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park [map].

The aim of the “Take Back Labor Day” campaign by the union is to remind the public about the holiday’s true meaning and the labor movement’s role in creating it.

“There are few things more purely American than baseball and the labor movement, and what a great venue to remind people of the important contributions that labor has made to our society,” said Haynes in a statement.

Along with throwing out the first pitch, Haynes will do a live studio interview with Red Sox announcers during the second or third inning of the game to discuss the day’s significance.

The Labor Day campaign comes amid a full season’s advertising by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO on radio broadcasts of Sox games.

“They are light years ahead of us,” Tim Sullivan, spokesman for the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, said of the corporate world’s use of sports as a marketing tool. “We are slowly pushing into the realm.”