#mayday2025 — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #mayday2025, aggregated by home.social.
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And THIS is one of the reasons why I'm a #DemocraticSocialist!
#Unions and Community Unite for #MayDay: Lessons for the Fight Ahead
Posted by #ToddChretien | Jun 16, 2025 |
This article is reprinted from the Socialist Forum, a publication of #DSA. It was authored by Todd Chretien, who serves both on DSA’s Editorial Board as well as Pine & Roses’ Editorial Collective. It was originally published on May 30, 2025.
What happened?
"Hundreds of thousands of workers marched and rallied on May Day, making it the largest International Workers Day since 2006 when two million immigrant workers left work and marched to demand their rights. Protests were organized in 1300 locations, large and small; no doubt the first May Day protest in many places. Broadly speaking, there were three different levels of mobilization. First, as in 2006, Chicago stood out with some 30,000 marching, organized by a mass coalition of labor and immigrant rights organizations. Second, cities like Philly, New York, Baltimore, San Francisco, Oakland, Burlington, and #PortlandME mobilized between two and fifteen thousand. Third, hundreds of cities and towns turned out crowds from a couple dozen to hundreds, including smaller cities like Davis, California. This ranking is not intended as a judgement on the organizers. In fact, some of the smaller rallies included higher percentages of the population than the largest. For instance, in the town of #WayneME — population 1,000 — seventy-five people turned out for both morning and evening rallies.
"It’s worth noting that the crowds were not as large as the #April5 day of protest initiated by #Indivisible; however, participants were noticeably more #multiracial, younger, and #radical with widespread support for #TransgenderRights and opposition to the genocide of #Palestinians in #Gaza. Though an important step in the process of building working-class unity against the billionaires and capitalist class, these efforts have a long way to go. For instance, although multiracial, at the national level, the marches did not entirely reflect working-class diversity. And if immigrant rights organizations were critical in many cities, Trump’s reign of terror against immigrant workers suppressed turnout from this community in many places.
[...]
New York City
"On the day, NYC-DSA turned out some 500 members, many of whom marched with their unions. They did so while keeping up with other work—DSA member #ZohranMamdani is running for mayor—with #NYCDSA labor organizers having advanced a month-long Build to May Day campaign. Organizers called on committees and working groups across the chapter to make May Day a priority, turning out members and volunteer marshalls. The chapter is now in a stronger position to discuss next steps with the broader coalition and consolidate a layer of new members and allies. There’s more pain ahead, but May Day helped gather working-class forces together for action and to take the temperature of the most active and militant layer of trade unionists and community activists. As NYC-DSA Labor Working Group member David Duhalde suggests, 'The New York City May Day rally and march from Foley Square to the iconic Wall Street Bull statue was a microcosm of the shift in energy in labor during Trump’s second term.' How far that shift goes can only be tested in practice.
[...]
Portland, Maine
"Maine DSA’s Labor Rising working group decided to focus on May Day in December, laying the basis to help initiate an organizing meeting open to all community groups and unions. Maine AFL-CIO leaders and UAW graduate students participated in a preliminary meeting to brainstorm ideas, and more than 70 people attended an April 12 meeting in the South Portland Teamsters’ Hall, where the group democratically planned Portland’s May Day. Working groups took up all aspects of the action, and we took all important decisions back to the coalition for votes. Running a long a related track, Maine Education Association and Maine AFL-CIO leaders called for actions across the state, amplifying the Chicago May Day Strong call and dramatically broadening what the Portland coalition could organize.
"Nearly 2,000 people turned out in Portland, starting with a rally at the University of Southern Maine to back UAW graduate students’ demands for a first contract and then marching to the Post Office to hear from postal workers. Members of the Portland Education Association and a trans student poet headlined the stop at Portland High School and a librarian union rep spoke in Monument Square before the final rally that heard from the president of the Metal Trades Council at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, a rep from the Maine State Nurses Association, members of the #MaineCoalitionForPalestine, an organizer from #LGTBQ+ community group #PortlandOutright, a local immigrant rights group called Presente! Maine, and others. It was a great demonstration and showed the thirst for a broader coalition. Twenty-five other towns held actions, bringing the total number of Maine participants to over 5,000, the largest Maine May Day anyone can remember.
"It would be shortsighted to overstate the power and stability of this fledgling coalition. Large doses of patience and understanding will be necessary to foster bonds of trust. Sectarian pressures to draw 'red lines' that exclude workers new to political activity and organizations who have various programs and interests represent one danger. A narrow focus on the midterm elections represents another. Fortunately, there’s a lot of room for creativity between those two extremes.
Long road ahead
"May Day was the first test of strength for the left and working class against #Trump, #MAGA, and forty-plus years of #neoliberal rot. We face a long, complex problem where political pressures to return to passivity will be strong, but May Day 2025 constitutes a small step towards healing deep wounds in the American working class, the divide between organized and unorganized, immigrant and US born, etc. If brother Fain’s call for 2028 is to grow strong, then 2026 and 2027 must be practice runs. If 2026 and 2027 are to be real demonstrations of strength, they must grow out of tighter bonds between labor, community, and the left, more active membership participation in all of those forces, and a combination of defensive struggles we are forced to fight and battles we pick on our own terms. As Sarah Hurd, co-chair of DSA’s National Labor Commission, spells out, 'This year’s May Day actions showed the power of what we can accomplish just by setting a date and inviting people to take action together. It has also highlighted what work we need to do to scale up our level of organization in the next three years.'
"What did May Day teach us? Fittingly, the last word goes to Kirsten Roberts, a rank-and-file Chicago teacher, 'The most important element of #MayDay2025 is the explicit entry of organized and unorganized labor into #resistance to Trump. Trump’s attacks are aimed directly at dividing the working class and turning ordinary people against one another while the billionaires rob and plunder us all. An agenda for working class unity can be built when we stand up for those most victimized and vilified by the right-wing bigots AND when we stand together to fight for the things that the billionaire class has denied us—the fight for healthcare, education, housing, and good-paying jobs for starters. For decades, we’ve been told by both parties that funding war, incarceration, and border militarization are their priorities. May Day showed that working people have another agenda. Now let’s organize to win it.”
https://pineandroses.org/reports/unions-and-community-unite-for-may-day-lessons-for-the-fight-ahead/
#MaineResists #NYCResists #ResistTrump #ResistFascism #Socialism #CapitalismKills #MaineDSA #PinesAndRoses #DemocraticSocialistsOfAmerica
-
And THIS is one of the reasons why I'm a #DemocraticSocialist!
#Unions and Community Unite for #MayDay: Lessons for the Fight Ahead
Posted by #ToddChretien | Jun 16, 2025 |
This article is reprinted from the Socialist Forum, a publication of #DSA. It was authored by Todd Chretien, who serves both on DSA’s Editorial Board as well as Pine & Roses’ Editorial Collective. It was originally published on May 30, 2025.
What happened?
"Hundreds of thousands of workers marched and rallied on May Day, making it the largest International Workers Day since 2006 when two million immigrant workers left work and marched to demand their rights. Protests were organized in 1300 locations, large and small; no doubt the first May Day protest in many places. Broadly speaking, there were three different levels of mobilization. First, as in 2006, Chicago stood out with some 30,000 marching, organized by a mass coalition of labor and immigrant rights organizations. Second, cities like Philly, New York, Baltimore, San Francisco, Oakland, Burlington, and #PortlandME mobilized between two and fifteen thousand. Third, hundreds of cities and towns turned out crowds from a couple dozen to hundreds, including smaller cities like Davis, California. This ranking is not intended as a judgement on the organizers. In fact, some of the smaller rallies included higher percentages of the population than the largest. For instance, in the town of #WayneME — population 1,000 — seventy-five people turned out for both morning and evening rallies.
"It’s worth noting that the crowds were not as large as the #April5 day of protest initiated by #Indivisible; however, participants were noticeably more #multiracial, younger, and #radical with widespread support for #TransgenderRights and opposition to the genocide of #Palestinians in #Gaza. Though an important step in the process of building working-class unity against the billionaires and capitalist class, these efforts have a long way to go. For instance, although multiracial, at the national level, the marches did not entirely reflect working-class diversity. And if immigrant rights organizations were critical in many cities, Trump’s reign of terror against immigrant workers suppressed turnout from this community in many places.
[...]
New York City
"On the day, NYC-DSA turned out some 500 members, many of whom marched with their unions. They did so while keeping up with other work—DSA member #ZohranMamdani is running for mayor—with #NYCDSA labor organizers having advanced a month-long Build to May Day campaign. Organizers called on committees and working groups across the chapter to make May Day a priority, turning out members and volunteer marshalls. The chapter is now in a stronger position to discuss next steps with the broader coalition and consolidate a layer of new members and allies. There’s more pain ahead, but May Day helped gather working-class forces together for action and to take the temperature of the most active and militant layer of trade unionists and community activists. As NYC-DSA Labor Working Group member David Duhalde suggests, 'The New York City May Day rally and march from Foley Square to the iconic Wall Street Bull statue was a microcosm of the shift in energy in labor during Trump’s second term.' How far that shift goes can only be tested in practice.
[...]
Portland, Maine
"Maine DSA’s Labor Rising working group decided to focus on May Day in December, laying the basis to help initiate an organizing meeting open to all community groups and unions. Maine AFL-CIO leaders and UAW graduate students participated in a preliminary meeting to brainstorm ideas, and more than 70 people attended an April 12 meeting in the South Portland Teamsters’ Hall, where the group democratically planned Portland’s May Day. Working groups took up all aspects of the action, and we took all important decisions back to the coalition for votes. Running a long a related track, Maine Education Association and Maine AFL-CIO leaders called for actions across the state, amplifying the Chicago May Day Strong call and dramatically broadening what the Portland coalition could organize.
"Nearly 2,000 people turned out in Portland, starting with a rally at the University of Southern Maine to back UAW graduate students’ demands for a first contract and then marching to the Post Office to hear from postal workers. Members of the Portland Education Association and a trans student poet headlined the stop at Portland High School and a librarian union rep spoke in Monument Square before the final rally that heard from the president of the Metal Trades Council at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, a rep from the Maine State Nurses Association, members of the #MaineCoalitionForPalestine, an organizer from #LGTBQ+ community group #PortlandOutright, a local immigrant rights group called Presente! Maine, and others. It was a great demonstration and showed the thirst for a broader coalition. Twenty-five other towns held actions, bringing the total number of Maine participants to over 5,000, the largest Maine May Day anyone can remember.
"It would be shortsighted to overstate the power and stability of this fledgling coalition. Large doses of patience and understanding will be necessary to foster bonds of trust. Sectarian pressures to draw 'red lines' that exclude workers new to political activity and organizations who have various programs and interests represent one danger. A narrow focus on the midterm elections represents another. Fortunately, there’s a lot of room for creativity between those two extremes.
Long road ahead
"May Day was the first test of strength for the left and working class against #Trump, #MAGA, and forty-plus years of #neoliberal rot. We face a long, complex problem where political pressures to return to passivity will be strong, but May Day 2025 constitutes a small step towards healing deep wounds in the American working class, the divide between organized and unorganized, immigrant and US born, etc. If brother Fain’s call for 2028 is to grow strong, then 2026 and 2027 must be practice runs. If 2026 and 2027 are to be real demonstrations of strength, they must grow out of tighter bonds between labor, community, and the left, more active membership participation in all of those forces, and a combination of defensive struggles we are forced to fight and battles we pick on our own terms. As Sarah Hurd, co-chair of DSA’s National Labor Commission, spells out, 'This year’s May Day actions showed the power of what we can accomplish just by setting a date and inviting people to take action together. It has also highlighted what work we need to do to scale up our level of organization in the next three years.'
"What did May Day teach us? Fittingly, the last word goes to Kirsten Roberts, a rank-and-file Chicago teacher, 'The most important element of #MayDay2025 is the explicit entry of organized and unorganized labor into #resistance to Trump. Trump’s attacks are aimed directly at dividing the working class and turning ordinary people against one another while the billionaires rob and plunder us all. An agenda for working class unity can be built when we stand up for those most victimized and vilified by the right-wing bigots AND when we stand together to fight for the things that the billionaire class has denied us—the fight for healthcare, education, housing, and good-paying jobs for starters. For decades, we’ve been told by both parties that funding war, incarceration, and border militarization are their priorities. May Day showed that working people have another agenda. Now let’s organize to win it.”
https://pineandroses.org/reports/unions-and-community-unite-for-may-day-lessons-for-the-fight-ahead/
#MaineResists #NYCResists #ResistTrump #ResistFascism #Socialism #CapitalismKills #MaineDSA #PinesAndRoses #DemocraticSocialistsOfAmerica
-
And THIS is one of the reasons why I'm a #DemocraticSocialist!
#Unions and Community Unite for #MayDay: Lessons for the Fight Ahead
Posted by #ToddChretien | Jun 16, 2025 |
This article is reprinted from the Socialist Forum, a publication of #DSA. It was authored by Todd Chretien, who serves both on DSA’s Editorial Board as well as Pine & Roses’ Editorial Collective. It was originally published on May 30, 2025.
What happened?
"Hundreds of thousands of workers marched and rallied on May Day, making it the largest International Workers Day since 2006 when two million immigrant workers left work and marched to demand their rights. Protests were organized in 1300 locations, large and small; no doubt the first May Day protest in many places. Broadly speaking, there were three different levels of mobilization. First, as in 2006, Chicago stood out with some 30,000 marching, organized by a mass coalition of labor and immigrant rights organizations. Second, cities like Philly, New York, Baltimore, San Francisco, Oakland, Burlington, and #PortlandME mobilized between two and fifteen thousand. Third, hundreds of cities and towns turned out crowds from a couple dozen to hundreds, including smaller cities like Davis, California. This ranking is not intended as a judgement on the organizers. In fact, some of the smaller rallies included higher percentages of the population than the largest. For instance, in the town of #WayneME — population 1,000 — seventy-five people turned out for both morning and evening rallies.
"It’s worth noting that the crowds were not as large as the #April5 day of protest initiated by #Indivisible; however, participants were noticeably more #multiracial, younger, and #radical with widespread support for #TransgenderRights and opposition to the genocide of #Palestinians in #Gaza. Though an important step in the process of building working-class unity against the billionaires and capitalist class, these efforts have a long way to go. For instance, although multiracial, at the national level, the marches did not entirely reflect working-class diversity. And if immigrant rights organizations were critical in many cities, Trump’s reign of terror against immigrant workers suppressed turnout from this community in many places.
[...]
New York City
"On the day, NYC-DSA turned out some 500 members, many of whom marched with their unions. They did so while keeping up with other work—DSA member #ZohranMamdani is running for mayor—with #NYCDSA labor organizers having advanced a month-long Build to May Day campaign. Organizers called on committees and working groups across the chapter to make May Day a priority, turning out members and volunteer marshalls. The chapter is now in a stronger position to discuss next steps with the broader coalition and consolidate a layer of new members and allies. There’s more pain ahead, but May Day helped gather working-class forces together for action and to take the temperature of the most active and militant layer of trade unionists and community activists. As NYC-DSA Labor Working Group member David Duhalde suggests, 'The New York City May Day rally and march from Foley Square to the iconic Wall Street Bull statue was a microcosm of the shift in energy in labor during Trump’s second term.' How far that shift goes can only be tested in practice.
[...]
Portland, Maine
"Maine DSA’s Labor Rising working group decided to focus on May Day in December, laying the basis to help initiate an organizing meeting open to all community groups and unions. Maine AFL-CIO leaders and UAW graduate students participated in a preliminary meeting to brainstorm ideas, and more than 70 people attended an April 12 meeting in the South Portland Teamsters’ Hall, where the group democratically planned Portland’s May Day. Working groups took up all aspects of the action, and we took all important decisions back to the coalition for votes. Running a long a related track, Maine Education Association and Maine AFL-CIO leaders called for actions across the state, amplifying the Chicago May Day Strong call and dramatically broadening what the Portland coalition could organize.
"Nearly 2,000 people turned out in Portland, starting with a rally at the University of Southern Maine to back UAW graduate students’ demands for a first contract and then marching to the Post Office to hear from postal workers. Members of the Portland Education Association and a trans student poet headlined the stop at Portland High School and a librarian union rep spoke in Monument Square before the final rally that heard from the president of the Metal Trades Council at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, a rep from the Maine State Nurses Association, members of the #MaineCoalitionForPalestine, an organizer from #LGTBQ+ community group #PortlandOutright, a local immigrant rights group called Presente! Maine, and others. It was a great demonstration and showed the thirst for a broader coalition. Twenty-five other towns held actions, bringing the total number of Maine participants to over 5,000, the largest Maine May Day anyone can remember.
"It would be shortsighted to overstate the power and stability of this fledgling coalition. Large doses of patience and understanding will be necessary to foster bonds of trust. Sectarian pressures to draw 'red lines' that exclude workers new to political activity and organizations who have various programs and interests represent one danger. A narrow focus on the midterm elections represents another. Fortunately, there’s a lot of room for creativity between those two extremes.
Long road ahead
"May Day was the first test of strength for the left and working class against #Trump, #MAGA, and forty-plus years of #neoliberal rot. We face a long, complex problem where political pressures to return to passivity will be strong, but May Day 2025 constitutes a small step towards healing deep wounds in the American working class, the divide between organized and unorganized, immigrant and US born, etc. If brother Fain’s call for 2028 is to grow strong, then 2026 and 2027 must be practice runs. If 2026 and 2027 are to be real demonstrations of strength, they must grow out of tighter bonds between labor, community, and the left, more active membership participation in all of those forces, and a combination of defensive struggles we are forced to fight and battles we pick on our own terms. As Sarah Hurd, co-chair of DSA’s National Labor Commission, spells out, 'This year’s May Day actions showed the power of what we can accomplish just by setting a date and inviting people to take action together. It has also highlighted what work we need to do to scale up our level of organization in the next three years.'
"What did May Day teach us? Fittingly, the last word goes to Kirsten Roberts, a rank-and-file Chicago teacher, 'The most important element of #MayDay2025 is the explicit entry of organized and unorganized labor into #resistance to Trump. Trump’s attacks are aimed directly at dividing the working class and turning ordinary people against one another while the billionaires rob and plunder us all. An agenda for working class unity can be built when we stand up for those most victimized and vilified by the right-wing bigots AND when we stand together to fight for the things that the billionaire class has denied us—the fight for healthcare, education, housing, and good-paying jobs for starters. For decades, we’ve been told by both parties that funding war, incarceration, and border militarization are their priorities. May Day showed that working people have another agenda. Now let’s organize to win it.”
https://pineandroses.org/reports/unions-and-community-unite-for-may-day-lessons-for-the-fight-ahead/
#MaineResists #NYCResists #ResistTrump #ResistFascism #Socialism #CapitalismKills #MaineDSA #PinesAndRoses #DemocraticSocialistsOfAmerica
-
And THIS is one of the reasons why I'm a #DemocraticSocialist!
#Unions and Community Unite for #MayDay: Lessons for the Fight Ahead
Posted by #ToddChretien | Jun 16, 2025 |
This article is reprinted from the Socialist Forum, a publication of #DSA. It was authored by Todd Chretien, who serves both on DSA’s Editorial Board as well as Pine & Roses’ Editorial Collective. It was originally published on May 30, 2025.
What happened?
"Hundreds of thousands of workers marched and rallied on May Day, making it the largest International Workers Day since 2006 when two million immigrant workers left work and marched to demand their rights. Protests were organized in 1300 locations, large and small; no doubt the first May Day protest in many places. Broadly speaking, there were three different levels of mobilization. First, as in 2006, Chicago stood out with some 30,000 marching, organized by a mass coalition of labor and immigrant rights organizations. Second, cities like Philly, New York, Baltimore, San Francisco, Oakland, Burlington, and #PortlandME mobilized between two and fifteen thousand. Third, hundreds of cities and towns turned out crowds from a couple dozen to hundreds, including smaller cities like Davis, California. This ranking is not intended as a judgement on the organizers. In fact, some of the smaller rallies included higher percentages of the population than the largest. For instance, in the town of #WayneME — population 1,000 — seventy-five people turned out for both morning and evening rallies.
"It’s worth noting that the crowds were not as large as the #April5 day of protest initiated by #Indivisible; however, participants were noticeably more #multiracial, younger, and #radical with widespread support for #TransgenderRights and opposition to the genocide of #Palestinians in #Gaza. Though an important step in the process of building working-class unity against the billionaires and capitalist class, these efforts have a long way to go. For instance, although multiracial, at the national level, the marches did not entirely reflect working-class diversity. And if immigrant rights organizations were critical in many cities, Trump’s reign of terror against immigrant workers suppressed turnout from this community in many places.
[...]
New York City
"On the day, NYC-DSA turned out some 500 members, many of whom marched with their unions. They did so while keeping up with other work—DSA member #ZohranMamdani is running for mayor—with #NYCDSA labor organizers having advanced a month-long Build to May Day campaign. Organizers called on committees and working groups across the chapter to make May Day a priority, turning out members and volunteer marshalls. The chapter is now in a stronger position to discuss next steps with the broader coalition and consolidate a layer of new members and allies. There’s more pain ahead, but May Day helped gather working-class forces together for action and to take the temperature of the most active and militant layer of trade unionists and community activists. As NYC-DSA Labor Working Group member David Duhalde suggests, 'The New York City May Day rally and march from Foley Square to the iconic Wall Street Bull statue was a microcosm of the shift in energy in labor during Trump’s second term.' How far that shift goes can only be tested in practice.
[...]
Portland, Maine
"Maine DSA’s Labor Rising working group decided to focus on May Day in December, laying the basis to help initiate an organizing meeting open to all community groups and unions. Maine AFL-CIO leaders and UAW graduate students participated in a preliminary meeting to brainstorm ideas, and more than 70 people attended an April 12 meeting in the South Portland Teamsters’ Hall, where the group democratically planned Portland’s May Day. Working groups took up all aspects of the action, and we took all important decisions back to the coalition for votes. Running a long a related track, Maine Education Association and Maine AFL-CIO leaders called for actions across the state, amplifying the Chicago May Day Strong call and dramatically broadening what the Portland coalition could organize.
"Nearly 2,000 people turned out in Portland, starting with a rally at the University of Southern Maine to back UAW graduate students’ demands for a first contract and then marching to the Post Office to hear from postal workers. Members of the Portland Education Association and a trans student poet headlined the stop at Portland High School and a librarian union rep spoke in Monument Square before the final rally that heard from the president of the Metal Trades Council at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, a rep from the Maine State Nurses Association, members of the #MaineCoalitionForPalestine, an organizer from #LGTBQ+ community group #PortlandOutright, a local immigrant rights group called Presente! Maine, and others. It was a great demonstration and showed the thirst for a broader coalition. Twenty-five other towns held actions, bringing the total number of Maine participants to over 5,000, the largest Maine May Day anyone can remember.
"It would be shortsighted to overstate the power and stability of this fledgling coalition. Large doses of patience and understanding will be necessary to foster bonds of trust. Sectarian pressures to draw 'red lines' that exclude workers new to political activity and organizations who have various programs and interests represent one danger. A narrow focus on the midterm elections represents another. Fortunately, there’s a lot of room for creativity between those two extremes.
Long road ahead
"May Day was the first test of strength for the left and working class against #Trump, #MAGA, and forty-plus years of #neoliberal rot. We face a long, complex problem where political pressures to return to passivity will be strong, but May Day 2025 constitutes a small step towards healing deep wounds in the American working class, the divide between organized and unorganized, immigrant and US born, etc. If brother Fain’s call for 2028 is to grow strong, then 2026 and 2027 must be practice runs. If 2026 and 2027 are to be real demonstrations of strength, they must grow out of tighter bonds between labor, community, and the left, more active membership participation in all of those forces, and a combination of defensive struggles we are forced to fight and battles we pick on our own terms. As Sarah Hurd, co-chair of DSA’s National Labor Commission, spells out, 'This year’s May Day actions showed the power of what we can accomplish just by setting a date and inviting people to take action together. It has also highlighted what work we need to do to scale up our level of organization in the next three years.'
"What did May Day teach us? Fittingly, the last word goes to Kirsten Roberts, a rank-and-file Chicago teacher, 'The most important element of #MayDay2025 is the explicit entry of organized and unorganized labor into #resistance to Trump. Trump’s attacks are aimed directly at dividing the working class and turning ordinary people against one another while the billionaires rob and plunder us all. An agenda for working class unity can be built when we stand up for those most victimized and vilified by the right-wing bigots AND when we stand together to fight for the things that the billionaire class has denied us—the fight for healthcare, education, housing, and good-paying jobs for starters. For decades, we’ve been told by both parties that funding war, incarceration, and border militarization are their priorities. May Day showed that working people have another agenda. Now let’s organize to win it.”
https://pineandroses.org/reports/unions-and-community-unite-for-may-day-lessons-for-the-fight-ahead/
#MaineResists #NYCResists #ResistTrump #ResistFascism #Socialism #CapitalismKills #MaineDSA #PinesAndRoses #DemocraticSocialistsOfAmerica
-
And THIS is one of the reasons why I'm a #DemocraticSocialist!
#Unions and Community Unite for #MayDay: Lessons for the Fight Ahead
Posted by #ToddChretien | Jun 16, 2025 |
This article is reprinted from the Socialist Forum, a publication of #DSA. It was authored by Todd Chretien, who serves both on DSA’s Editorial Board as well as Pine & Roses’ Editorial Collective. It was originally published on May 30, 2025.
What happened?
"Hundreds of thousands of workers marched and rallied on May Day, making it the largest International Workers Day since 2006 when two million immigrant workers left work and marched to demand their rights. Protests were organized in 1300 locations, large and small; no doubt the first May Day protest in many places. Broadly speaking, there were three different levels of mobilization. First, as in 2006, Chicago stood out with some 30,000 marching, organized by a mass coalition of labor and immigrant rights organizations. Second, cities like Philly, New York, Baltimore, San Francisco, Oakland, Burlington, and #PortlandME mobilized between two and fifteen thousand. Third, hundreds of cities and towns turned out crowds from a couple dozen to hundreds, including smaller cities like Davis, California. This ranking is not intended as a judgement on the organizers. In fact, some of the smaller rallies included higher percentages of the population than the largest. For instance, in the town of #WayneME — population 1,000 — seventy-five people turned out for both morning and evening rallies.
"It’s worth noting that the crowds were not as large as the #April5 day of protest initiated by #Indivisible; however, participants were noticeably more #multiracial, younger, and #radical with widespread support for #TransgenderRights and opposition to the genocide of #Palestinians in #Gaza. Though an important step in the process of building working-class unity against the billionaires and capitalist class, these efforts have a long way to go. For instance, although multiracial, at the national level, the marches did not entirely reflect working-class diversity. And if immigrant rights organizations were critical in many cities, Trump’s reign of terror against immigrant workers suppressed turnout from this community in many places.
[...]
New York City
"On the day, NYC-DSA turned out some 500 members, many of whom marched with their unions. They did so while keeping up with other work—DSA member #ZohranMamdani is running for mayor—with #NYCDSA labor organizers having advanced a month-long Build to May Day campaign. Organizers called on committees and working groups across the chapter to make May Day a priority, turning out members and volunteer marshalls. The chapter is now in a stronger position to discuss next steps with the broader coalition and consolidate a layer of new members and allies. There’s more pain ahead, but May Day helped gather working-class forces together for action and to take the temperature of the most active and militant layer of trade unionists and community activists. As NYC-DSA Labor Working Group member David Duhalde suggests, 'The New York City May Day rally and march from Foley Square to the iconic Wall Street Bull statue was a microcosm of the shift in energy in labor during Trump’s second term.' How far that shift goes can only be tested in practice.
[...]
Portland, Maine
"Maine DSA’s Labor Rising working group decided to focus on May Day in December, laying the basis to help initiate an organizing meeting open to all community groups and unions. Maine AFL-CIO leaders and UAW graduate students participated in a preliminary meeting to brainstorm ideas, and more than 70 people attended an April 12 meeting in the South Portland Teamsters’ Hall, where the group democratically planned Portland’s May Day. Working groups took up all aspects of the action, and we took all important decisions back to the coalition for votes. Running a long a related track, Maine Education Association and Maine AFL-CIO leaders called for actions across the state, amplifying the Chicago May Day Strong call and dramatically broadening what the Portland coalition could organize.
"Nearly 2,000 people turned out in Portland, starting with a rally at the University of Southern Maine to back UAW graduate students’ demands for a first contract and then marching to the Post Office to hear from postal workers. Members of the Portland Education Association and a trans student poet headlined the stop at Portland High School and a librarian union rep spoke in Monument Square before the final rally that heard from the president of the Metal Trades Council at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, a rep from the Maine State Nurses Association, members of the #MaineCoalitionForPalestine, an organizer from #LGTBQ+ community group #PortlandOutright, a local immigrant rights group called Presente! Maine, and others. It was a great demonstration and showed the thirst for a broader coalition. Twenty-five other towns held actions, bringing the total number of Maine participants to over 5,000, the largest Maine May Day anyone can remember.
"It would be shortsighted to overstate the power and stability of this fledgling coalition. Large doses of patience and understanding will be necessary to foster bonds of trust. Sectarian pressures to draw 'red lines' that exclude workers new to political activity and organizations who have various programs and interests represent one danger. A narrow focus on the midterm elections represents another. Fortunately, there’s a lot of room for creativity between those two extremes.
Long road ahead
"May Day was the first test of strength for the left and working class against #Trump, #MAGA, and forty-plus years of #neoliberal rot. We face a long, complex problem where political pressures to return to passivity will be strong, but May Day 2025 constitutes a small step towards healing deep wounds in the American working class, the divide between organized and unorganized, immigrant and US born, etc. If brother Fain’s call for 2028 is to grow strong, then 2026 and 2027 must be practice runs. If 2026 and 2027 are to be real demonstrations of strength, they must grow out of tighter bonds between labor, community, and the left, more active membership participation in all of those forces, and a combination of defensive struggles we are forced to fight and battles we pick on our own terms. As Sarah Hurd, co-chair of DSA’s National Labor Commission, spells out, 'This year’s May Day actions showed the power of what we can accomplish just by setting a date and inviting people to take action together. It has also highlighted what work we need to do to scale up our level of organization in the next three years.'
"What did May Day teach us? Fittingly, the last word goes to Kirsten Roberts, a rank-and-file Chicago teacher, 'The most important element of #MayDay2025 is the explicit entry of organized and unorganized labor into #resistance to Trump. Trump’s attacks are aimed directly at dividing the working class and turning ordinary people against one another while the billionaires rob and plunder us all. An agenda for working class unity can be built when we stand up for those most victimized and vilified by the right-wing bigots AND when we stand together to fight for the things that the billionaire class has denied us—the fight for healthcare, education, housing, and good-paying jobs for starters. For decades, we’ve been told by both parties that funding war, incarceration, and border militarization are their priorities. May Day showed that working people have another agenda. Now let’s organize to win it.”
https://pineandroses.org/reports/unions-and-community-unite-for-may-day-lessons-for-the-fight-ahead/
#MaineResists #NYCResists #ResistTrump #ResistFascism #Socialism #CapitalismKills #MaineDSA #PinesAndRoses #DemocraticSocialistsOfAmerica
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#^May Day: An A-Z list of how the media foregrounds business interests and erases labour concernsA list of issues to highlight what is at stake in the activity we all spend a lot of time doing: hard work.
#MayDay #MayDay2025 #labour #labourday #workers #workersolidarity #capitalism #media -
CW: Nottingham May Day march
Out by the Central Library listening to May Day March speeches.
Lots of Palestine flags, Nottingham Against Transphobia, banners from Unison, Royal College of Nursing. Also Stand Up to Racism, who in my book are still questionable due to their links with the SWP.
Apparently there's some current strike action about back pay for health workers, I only got the gist of it.
Also heard from Save Our Services, and just now it was Shuguftah Quddoos speaking on behalf of the Green Party. Last I heard, Shuguftah was Labour, but apparently not any more!
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Join us at the May Day rally
🕧 12:30pm, Saturday 3rd May
📍 Steps of St Anne’s Cathedral, BelfastBring your friends, your banners, and your passion.
Solidarity always. #MayDay2025
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Here's one article about statewide protests in #Alaska yesterday for #MayDay2025 well-written by Corrine Smith of the #AlaskaBeacon
https://alaskabeacon.com/2025/05/02/may-day-alaska-rallies-support-workers-and-protest-trump-threats-to-democracy/ -
#MayDay in Martinez, CA. We keep showing up. Our movement keeps growing. We will keep going! Join us tomorrow, May 3,at 11:30 am at the intersection of Ygnacio Valley and Civic Drive in Walnut Creek for a honk and wave protest! Photographer: SteveBonn #MayDay2025 #MayDayStrong #HandsOff #NoKings
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Scenes from #MayDay2025 events across Arizona. Arizona's workers say NO to attacks on labor! NO to higher education funding cuts! NO to restrictions on free speech! NO to billionaires funding the federal administration!
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@morgan yes, I saw that #mayday2025 was the preferred tag, too late.
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great crowds for #mayday2025 in #Oakland ! Pictures from Fruitvale and GrandLake. Feel the energy rising!
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#aoc had some good news to share at the #MayDay rally in #nyc about the impact of our #resistance 5/ #mayday2025 #maydaystrong
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We are visiting family in #NYC - it was great to be part of the #MayDay rally and march yesterday! Thank you for showing up for #workers, #immigrants, #bipoc, #Queer people, #activists, and everyone in this corrupt and unconstitutional administration’s crosshairs, NYC! #mayday2025 #maydaystrong 1/
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Photographer Alexandra Chan has published a gallery of photos from yesterday's #mayday2025 activities in New York City
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Global Flashpoints and Hidden Fires – Alvin’s Take | May 2, 2025 #geopolitics, #climatecrisis, #MarcoRubio, #IranTensions, #IsraelFires, #FatPipeIPO, #globalnews, #AlvinGreenground, #dailynews, #MayDay2025 Today’s world burns—sometimes in flames, sometimes in silence. From the https://t.co/AmQkrEoqck on https://twitter.com/AcerboLivio/status/1918224930463698945
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It was rainy, windy, and just nasty today, BUT our #MayDay rally and protest was a success! This photo was taken at the rally before the protest. Photo by yours truly! In total, I counted around 140 folks. #TogetherWeRise #MayDay2025 #WeThePeople
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No Masters. No Kings.
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In Rochester, NY, today's May 1st rally took place downtown from 5pm to 7pm. A large crowd gathered in Austin Steward Plaza, and listened to several speakers from 5pm to 6pm. Then we set out to march through downtown. It began to rain just as the march began, and a number of people left at that point. But still about half of the original crowd remained, and we marched about a mile in the rain, down Main Street and East Avenue to Gibbs Street, where we paused to listen to more speakers, and then continued on Main Street, to finish up at Parcel 5 at about 7pm.
I carried a two-sided sign, both sides shown in the the first photos attached. The other two photos show the intrepid folks who stayed throughout the rain.
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This is how we need to be showing up. #mayday2025
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It got crazy! The marchers took over Congress Street! (Pictures from the Portland Press Herald)
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[Thread] I was part of the "warm up" crew at Congress Square. Things were running a bit late because of all the speakers, but then things got crazy! GOOD!
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From #PortlandOregon to #PortlandMaine! #MayDayStrong!
Thousands gather peacefully for Portland May Day protests at PSU, Pioneer Courthouse Square
Thousands in Maine protest Trump during Portland 'May Day' march and rally
https://www.wmtw.com/article/portland-maine-may-day-protest-president-trump/64648271
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My intrepid, on-the-scene correspondent (my wife) has returned from the #mayday2025 rally in Foley Square with this brief report:
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I realize that it's a bit late in the day for this poster to figure in any #mayday2025 demonstrations or marches in which you have or are planning to participate... but it's message shouldn't be confined to one day in the year.
Autocrats don’t make anything! We make everything!
(A poster licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 and is free to print and use for any noncommercial purpose)
https://madeleinejubileesaito.net/autocrats-dont-make-anything-we-make-everything
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#MayDay protesters will rally nationwide against the 'war on working people'
Emma Bowman, April 30, 2025
"Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to take to the streets nationwide on Thursday in May Day rallies opposing the #Trump administration.
"May Day, celebrated by workers across the globe as #InternationalLaborDay, occurs on May 1 each year. This year, activists in the U.S. aim to build on the momentum of recent widespread grassroots protests against policies implemented by the Trump administration.
"#AntiTrump protesters have expressed a range of concerns regarding the administration's recent actions, including the elimination of thousands of federal #jobs, #immigration raids, and billionaire Elon #Musk's involvement in downsizing the U.S. government.
"A protest against the Trump administration's 'war on #WorkingPeople'
"On May Day, protesters are honing their message to decry what they say are attacks on the working class and immigrants. Organizers for the effort, called #MayDayStrong, say the administration and its billionaire allies pose a threat to labor rights, public services, and the safety of immigrants regardless of their legal status. Organizers have stated their opposition to violent forms of protest.
"' This is a war on working people,' organizers said on the May Day Strong events web page.
" 'They're defunding our schools, privatizing public services, attacking unions, and targeting immigrant families with fear and violence,' they added. 'We are reclaiming our power from corporate elites, and we will not be intimidated by Trump, Musk, or their billionaire backers. They've ruled for too long.'
"The White House did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment.
"The U.S. does not officially observe the labor holiday, due to what historians say is an enduring resistance to working-class unity. Despite that resistance, America's working class has found ways to commemorate May Day since the 19th century."
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CW: political
I'm going to the Union Square May Day rally. I made this sign last night. John Adams certainly had a way with words, and those words still apply today.
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#MayDay2025 Around the World!!!
From Tokyo to Turin to LA, Trump’s policies loom over May Day marches
By YURI KAGEYAMA and THOMAS ADAMSON, May 1, 2025
PARIS (AP) — "French union leaders condemned the “#Trumpization” of world politics, while in Italy, #MayDay protesters paraded a puppet of the American president through the streets of Turin.
"Across continents, tens of thousands turned out for Thursday’s rallies marking International Workers’ Day, many citing President Donald Trump’s agenda — from aggressive tariffs spurring fears of global economic turmoil to immigration crackdowns — as a central concern.
"In the United States, organizers said this year’s protests aimed to push back against efforts to roll back protections for immigrants, federal workers and diversity initiatives.
"In #Germany, union leaders warned that extended workdays and rising #AntiImmigrant sentiment were dismantling labor protections. And in Bern, #Switzerland, thousands marched behind banners denouncing #fascism and war — part of a wider backlash against the global surge of #HardRight politics.
"In #Taiwan, President Lai Ching-te referenced new U.S. tariffs under Trump as he promoted a proposed spending bill aimed at stabilizing the job market and supporting livelihoods. In the #Philippines, protest leader Mong Palatino warned that 'tariff wars and policies of Trump' threatened local industries.
"In #Japan, Trump’s image loomed over the day quite literally, as a truck in the Tokyo march carried a doll made to resemble him. There, participants’ demands ranged from higher wages and gender equality to health care, disaster relief, a ceasefire in #Gaza and an end to #Russia’s invasion of #Ukraine.
" 'For our children to be able to live with hope, the rights of #workers must be recognized,' said Junko Kuramochi, a member of a mothers’ group in Tokyo."
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#MayDay2025 Around the World!!!
From Tokyo to Turin to LA, Trump’s policies loom over May Day marches
By YURI KAGEYAMA and THOMAS ADAMSON, May 1, 2025
PARIS (AP) — "French union leaders condemned the “#Trumpization” of world politics, while in Italy, #MayDay protesters paraded a puppet of the American president through the streets of Turin.
"Across continents, tens of thousands turned out for Thursday’s rallies marking International Workers’ Day, many citing President Donald Trump’s agenda — from aggressive tariffs spurring fears of global economic turmoil to immigration crackdowns — as a central concern.
"In the United States, organizers said this year’s protests aimed to push back against efforts to roll back protections for immigrants, federal workers and diversity initiatives.
"In #Germany, union leaders warned that extended workdays and rising #AntiImmigrant sentiment were dismantling labor protections. And in Bern, #Switzerland, thousands marched behind banners denouncing #fascism and war — part of a wider backlash against the global surge of #HardRight politics.
"In #Taiwan, President Lai Ching-te referenced new U.S. tariffs under Trump as he promoted a proposed spending bill aimed at stabilizing the job market and supporting livelihoods. In the #Philippines, protest leader Mong Palatino warned that 'tariff wars and policies of Trump' threatened local industries.
"In #Japan, Trump’s image loomed over the day quite literally, as a truck in the Tokyo march carried a doll made to resemble him. There, participants’ demands ranged from higher wages and gender equality to health care, disaster relief, a ceasefire in #Gaza and an end to #Russia’s invasion of #Ukraine.
" 'For our children to be able to live with hope, the rights of #workers must be recognized,' said Junko Kuramochi, a member of a mothers’ group in Tokyo."
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#MayDay2025 Around the World!!!
From Tokyo to Turin to LA, Trump’s policies loom over May Day marches
By YURI KAGEYAMA and THOMAS ADAMSON, May 1, 2025
PARIS (AP) — "French union leaders condemned the “#Trumpization” of world politics, while in Italy, #MayDay protesters paraded a puppet of the American president through the streets of Turin.
"Across continents, tens of thousands turned out for Thursday’s rallies marking International Workers’ Day, many citing President Donald Trump’s agenda — from aggressive tariffs spurring fears of global economic turmoil to immigration crackdowns — as a central concern.
"In the United States, organizers said this year’s protests aimed to push back against efforts to roll back protections for immigrants, federal workers and diversity initiatives.
"In #Germany, union leaders warned that extended workdays and rising #AntiImmigrant sentiment were dismantling labor protections. And in Bern, #Switzerland, thousands marched behind banners denouncing #fascism and war — part of a wider backlash against the global surge of #HardRight politics.
"In #Taiwan, President Lai Ching-te referenced new U.S. tariffs under Trump as he promoted a proposed spending bill aimed at stabilizing the job market and supporting livelihoods. In the #Philippines, protest leader Mong Palatino warned that 'tariff wars and policies of Trump' threatened local industries.
"In #Japan, Trump’s image loomed over the day quite literally, as a truck in the Tokyo march carried a doll made to resemble him. There, participants’ demands ranged from higher wages and gender equality to health care, disaster relief, a ceasefire in #Gaza and an end to #Russia’s invasion of #Ukraine.
" 'For our children to be able to live with hope, the rights of #workers must be recognized,' said Junko Kuramochi, a member of a mothers’ group in Tokyo."
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#MayDay2025 Around the World!!!
From Tokyo to Turin to LA, Trump’s policies loom over May Day marches
By YURI KAGEYAMA and THOMAS ADAMSON, May 1, 2025
PARIS (AP) — "French union leaders condemned the “#Trumpization” of world politics, while in Italy, #MayDay protesters paraded a puppet of the American president through the streets of Turin.
"Across continents, tens of thousands turned out for Thursday’s rallies marking International Workers’ Day, many citing President Donald Trump’s agenda — from aggressive tariffs spurring fears of global economic turmoil to immigration crackdowns — as a central concern.
"In the United States, organizers said this year’s protests aimed to push back against efforts to roll back protections for immigrants, federal workers and diversity initiatives.
"In #Germany, union leaders warned that extended workdays and rising #AntiImmigrant sentiment were dismantling labor protections. And in Bern, #Switzerland, thousands marched behind banners denouncing #fascism and war — part of a wider backlash against the global surge of #HardRight politics.
"In #Taiwan, President Lai Ching-te referenced new U.S. tariffs under Trump as he promoted a proposed spending bill aimed at stabilizing the job market and supporting livelihoods. In the #Philippines, protest leader Mong Palatino warned that 'tariff wars and policies of Trump' threatened local industries.
"In #Japan, Trump’s image loomed over the day quite literally, as a truck in the Tokyo march carried a doll made to resemble him. There, participants’ demands ranged from higher wages and gender equality to health care, disaster relief, a ceasefire in #Gaza and an end to #Russia’s invasion of #Ukraine.
" 'For our children to be able to live with hope, the rights of #workers must be recognized,' said Junko Kuramochi, a member of a mothers’ group in Tokyo."
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#DJShaxx is not only doing a tribute to #MikePeters of #TheAlarm, he is promoting the #MayDay2025 rally in #PortlandME!
https://spinitron.com/WMPG/pl/20588249/Left-of-the-Dial
#Solidarity! #Resistance! #WMPG #CommunityRadio #LeftOfTheDial
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#DJShaxx is not only doing a tribute to #MikePeters of #TheAlarm, he is promoting the #MayDay2025 rally in #PortlandME!
https://spinitron.com/WMPG/pl/20588249/Left-of-the-Dial
#Solidarity! #Resistance! #WMPG #CommunityRadio #LeftOfTheDial
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#DJShaxx is not only doing a tribute to #MikePeters of #TheAlarm, he is promoting the #MayDay2025 rally in #PortlandME!
https://spinitron.com/WMPG/pl/20588249/Left-of-the-Dial
#Solidarity! #Resistance! #WMPG #CommunityRadio #LeftOfTheDial
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#DJShaxx is not only doing a tribute to #MikePeters of #TheAlarm, he is promoting the #MayDay2025 rally in #PortlandME!
https://spinitron.com/WMPG/pl/20588249/Left-of-the-Dial
#Solidarity! #Resistance! #WMPG #CommunityRadio #LeftOfTheDial
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#DJShaxx is not only doing a tribute to #MikePeters of #TheAlarm, he is promoting the #MayDay2025 rally in #PortlandME!
https://spinitron.com/WMPG/pl/20588249/Left-of-the-Dial
#Solidarity! #Resistance! #WMPG #CommunityRadio #LeftOfTheDial
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#SeattleWA - #MayDay Memorial BFF Event
Thursday, May 1
Beacon #FoodForest"Thursday May 1st for May Day around 5pm into sunset… bonfire, potluck, memorial for the day for workers and all those lost in the struggle for liberation for all people. Join us for gardening, bonfire, food and community altar."
via @CrimethInc
https://crimethinc.com/2025/04/08/may-day-means-resistance-a-call-to-take-action-on-may-first#MayDay2025 #MayDayProtests #MayDay #BadDOGE #ResistAuthoritarianism
#Resistance -
3/3 - #PineTreeActivism Calendar
Scheduled EventsDetails confirmed as of Sat, April 26th
MAY DAY EVENTS (alphabetical by location)
MAY 1, Thur 7-8:00AM & 5-6:00PM – #WayneME Main St, Wayne, Maine. #MayDayStrong: We are Many – Demand a country that puts families over fortunes, public schools over private profits, healthcare over hedge funds, housing over homelessness. mobilize.us/mobilize/event/781530/
MAY 1, Thur 6:00-8:00PM – #Westbrook / Cumberland County This event's address is private – sign up for more details Maine's Economy vs Trump: Facing the Fallout, Forging Solutions Presentation by Garrett Martin, Exec Director of Maine Center for Economic Policy. Register here: https://forms.gle/srJ7iBn4sTS3b6146
MAY 1, Thur 5-6:00PM – #YorkME, York Town Hall, 186 York St. #MayDayStrong: We are the Many https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/780343/
MAY 2, Fri 4-5:30PM (& every Fri) – #BiddefordME Mechanics Park, Main & Water St by the bridge, Biddeford, Maine Stop the Coup Protest at Mechanics Park – Indivisible/Biddeford Saco Bring a sign, bells, drums and a loud voice! Area #SURJ.org: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/773479/
May 2, Fri 4-5:00PM (& every Fri)– #SanfordME 920 Main St. in front of Central Park, Sanford, Maine Join in Weekly Peaceful Protest. Locally organized.
@AIF_Massachusetts @CrimethInc
#MayDay2025 #MayDayProtests #MayDay #MaineResists #MaineEvents
#BadDOGE #ResistAuthoritarianism
#Resistance
