A coalition of labor, immigrant rights, and community groups is pushing to get New Yorkers to come out for a May Day Strong rally and march on May 1.
The May Day Strong coalition — with the backing of more than 500 labor unions, in addition to Indivisible, one of the lead organizers of the “No Kings” protests — is calling for people to take part in actions nationwide under the slogan “No Work, No School, No Shopping.”
New York City’s May Day actions are set to begin at 4 p.m., starting with a gathering near the Garibaldi statue in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park. The march, hosted by the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and New York Immigration Coalition, will travel along Broadway toward Foley Square in Lower Manhattan and end by 6:30 p.m. Organizers say they expect a large turnout because the focus will be on ensuring the long-term viability of the working class.
May Day Strong walkouts and actions will point to the economic pressures workers are facing. “We are organizing for a country that puts workers over billionaires,” said Neidi Dominguez, executive director of Organized Power in Numbers. “We want our tax dollars going to good jobs, schools, and housing, not to sending federal agents into our cities to attack our neighbors.” Under the banner “Workers Over Billionaires,” organizers say the mobilization is a response to what they call an “authoritarian billionaire takeover of government.”
This attempt at a nationwide protest is inspired by the “ICE Out of Minnesota Day of Truth” march held in Minnesota on January 23, when temperatures plunged to -10 to -20 degrees, yet activists and labor unions got thousands to take part in a march and an economic blackout, and many businesses and schools supported it by shutting down for the day.
The Minnesota march led activists to believe that a general strike on May 1 — the traditional International Workers’ Day — could work. “May Day has its roots in the fight for fair wages, safe workplaces, and a better life — and a reminder that real change happens when working people act together,” said American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten. “That includes attacks on immigrant workers who are an essential part of our workplaces and communities. That’s why May Day isn’t just about showing up in the streets. It’s about using our power in every way it counts.”