Thousands nationwide — and in Philly — to rally for workers rights on May Day
All across the county on Friday, working people, union members and social justice groups will hold rallies in support of rights for the working class and immigrants.
And, Philly is no different.
The rallies will all be part of ongoing May Day — or International Workers Day — celebrations intended to highlight support for workers’ rights, calls to lift up the country’s working class and protect those who have immigrated to this country.
In Philadelphia on Friday, residents should be aware of traffic and parking impacts as there will be a gathering at 10 a.m. at City Hall and, later in the day, a “Workers Over Billionaires May Day Rally” at 4 p.m.
In the morning event, union leaders from throughout the city are expected to unveil, what organizers called, “The Working People’s Vision for Philadelphia.”
“For far too long, working people across the United States and here in Philadelphia have been crushed by systems intentionally rigged against them and in favor of the billionaire elite. As we approach the United States’ 250th anniversary, Philadelphia union workers have come together to create a bold new vision for our city,” reads a statement from organizers of the morning event.
Organizers said the new “vision” was put together through a coalition of labor unions, community organizations, and immigrant justice groups who have collaborated to “envision a Philadelphia organized and rooted in the values of the working class.”
This vision will then be presented for ratification by Philadelphia workers during the Workers Over Billionaires May Day Rally outside City Hall at 4 p.m.
Organizers are expecting thousands of workers to attend the day’s events at City Hall before they hold an afternoon march through Center City to visit “some of the institutions and corporations taking from Philly workers” — though, organizers did not immediately specify which corporations and institutions these may be.
Last year, Vermont Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders attended a Workers Over Billionaires May Day Rally in Philadelphia that saw 70 protestors arrested.
But, Philly will not be alone in its May Day celebrations as there will be events across the country.
Here’s a few events expected to be held nationwide:
- In Washington, D.C., thousands are expected to mobilize in one of the largest May Day events in the country. They will gather with morning events and a noon rally at the Washington Monument.
- In Chicago, dozens of events are planned in the city where the school district and the Chicago Teachers Union reached an agreement to declare an official day of civic action.
- In New Jersey, more than 500 actions are planned for Friday, with larger coalition actions in Newark, Hawthorne, Jersey City, Camden, Franklin, Somerset, Newton, Bridgeton, Piscataway, Paterson, and Princeton.
- In Raleigh, North Carolina, educators are taking part in “Kids Over Corporations” statewide rally to pressure legislators to invest in education.
- In Minneapolis, UNITE HERE hotel workers will turning pickets into one-day strikes, joining rolling pickets, a historic strike vote at Target Field, the launch of the Minnesota Truth Council’s efforts to catalog federal crimes, multiple marches, and a community celebration of Minnesota’s resilience along the Lake Street Corridor.
- In Los Angeles, a large coalition announced its plans for a march and rally in MacArthur Park, the same location where dozens of federal agents swarmed in July to retaliate against the June 2025 Los Angeles protests.
To learn more about the Workers Over Billionaires National Day of Action, or to find events that will be taking place throughout the day Friday, click here.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated with new information as events unfold throughout the day.
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