Thousands Expected To Attend May Day Protests Across US
Friday marks International Workers’ Day, or as it’s more commonly known, May Day. Building on the consistent No Kings Protests that have occurred throughout President Donald Trump’s second term, Friday’s May Day protests are set to take place across the U.S., with thousands expected to attend.
NPR reports that “May Day Strong” protests are set for Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York City, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., Albuquerque, and several other cities. According to CBS News, Philadelphia has closed off several streets in anticipation of the city’s May Day rally turnout. In addition to the public demonstrations, organizers of the May Day Strong protests are also calling on people to participate in an economic blackout. “No school, no work, no shopping” is the call to action for the May Day Strong protests.
Leah Greenberg of Indivisible, one of the No Kings movement’s core organizers, told The Guardian that the economic blackout serves as a “structure test” for the movement.
“We are asking people to take a step into further exerting their power in all aspects of their lives – as workers, as students, as members of local organizing hubs,” Greenberg told The Guardian. “It’s important as it builds muscles towards greater non-cooperation.”
The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the U.S. with 3 million members. The NEA is one of the core organizers of this year’s “May Day Strong” protests. NEA President Becky Pringle told NPR that this year’s protests are about amplifying the message that the U.S. government should be “focusing on workers over billionaires.”
“We know there are bus drivers in New York and teachers in Idaho and nurses in Louisiana who are feeling the impact of a system that has decided … to put billionaires ahead of everyone else,” Pringle said, while “cutting services like public education that this country has made to our kids and impact our future.”
If President Donald Trump’s abysmal polling hasn’t driven home this administration’s deep unpopularity, the consistent protests against his administration should. There have been several “No Kings” protests held over the last year and a half, with much of the ire focused on Trump’s draconian mass deportation campaign. A No Kings protest held on March 28 in the wake of Alex Pretti and Renee Good’s fatal shootings by federal officers was one of the largest protests in American history.
Neidi Dominguez, an executive team member of May Day Strong, told The Guardian that she expects the number of May Day events to double the amount from last year. It should come as no surprise that the May Day protests feel a bit supercharged this year. Especially as the U.S. job market has been abysmal for the last several years. Mass layoffs have become incredibly common in recent years, and Americans are losing confidence in their ability to find a new job.
Exacerbating the issue is that we currently have an administration that’s chosen to tell us “there is no war in Ba Sing Se,” instead of taking any kind of action to address the problems facing workers.
As if the situation wasn’t bad enough, the Trump administration decided to launch a misguided war against Iran that has dramatically increased prices across the board. Those who voted for Trump in 2024 said the economy was the biggest issue for them, yet he’s spent more time complaining about Jimmy Kimmel than doing anything to solve the cost-of-living crisis.
Even if you can’t take work off to attend the protests, you can still engage by participating in the economic blackout. If you absolutely have to go shopping, consider supporting a local business. The ruling class doesn’t care how their actions affect our wallets, so the best way to fight back is to impact their bottom line.
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