As Labor Day rallies took place across the US, the Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson sharply denounced the Trump administration’s threat to deploy federal troops to the city as part of an immigration crackdown.
“No federal troops in the city of Chicago,” said Johnson on Monday to a gathered crowd at the “Workers over Billionaires” demonstration in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood.
Johnson added: “We’re going to defend our democracy … we’re going to protect the humanity of every single person in the city of Chicago.”
Johnson later led the crowd in chants of “No troops in Chicago” and “Invest in Chicago”, the New York Times reported.
Protesters also met outside the Trump Tower in the city’s River North neighborhood, carrying anti-Trump posters and chanting “Lock him up”, according to footage posted to social media.
Monday’s rally in Chicago was one of hundreds of protests organized across the country as part of the national “Workers Over Billionaires” effort, a mass action calling for the protection of social safety nets such as Social Security; the funding of public schools, healthcare, and housing; amid other demands.
“Together we will demand a country that puts workers over billionaires,” said the May Day Strong group, a coalition to labor unions, in a statement about the event.
Demonstrations took place in cities large and small, including New York, Houston, Washington DC, and Los Angeles. Smaller cities such as Cleveland, Ohio and Greensboro, North Carolina, held rallies of their own as a part of the nationwide action.
The May Day Strong group, a coalition to labor unions, organized Monday’s efforts, along with AFL-CIO, the US’s largest federation of unions; the One Fair Wage, a non-profit advocating for fair wages for restaurant workers; and other labor groups.
“This is about organic, grassroots organizing, and we intentionally wanted it to be outside of Washington DC, because that’s where the impacts are being felt,” said Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, about Monday’s efforts.
In New York, hundreds gathered across the street from Trump Tower in the city’s Midtown district, USA Today reported. Separate protests were held throughout New York state, including in Albany, the state’s capital.
US senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who represents New York, made an appearance at an Albany demonstration. “It’s Labor Day [and] we want to celebrate working men and people in this community,” said Gilibrand. New York state, the middle class was built on the labor movement and it’s time to recognize how important working people are to this community, to our country, to our great state,” she added.
Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 residents in DC joined a protest against Trump’s federal takeover of the city, reported WUSA9. Participants of the event, dubbed the “Freedom Run”, ran and walked through DC while chanting.
Christie Harlan, who took part in Monday’s run, shared her motivations for joining with WUSA9. “I feel bad for the families of the national guard members who’ve been deployed here to essentially be window dressing for this administration,” said Harlan.
The Trump administration’s termination of federal employees, many who worked out of the DC area, also prompted others to take part in the run. “Firing folks left and right, some of the damage that’s being done is going to be irreparable whenever things come back,” said participant Janice Ferebee to WUSA9.
Thousands also marched in the Los Angeles area early Monday, local affiliate KTLA reported. The rally was followed by a free picnic for community members, along with live entertainment.
Several protests were organized in California’s Bay Area. Residents in Redwood City, about an hour from San Francisco, even formed a 17-mile human chain to Santa Clara as apart of the day’s protest, NBC Bay Area reported.
Alongside the coordinated protests, workers at the Hilton Americas-Houston, one of Houston’s largest hotels, walked off the job as apart of a nine-day strike, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The walkout came as Hilton failed to reach a deal with members of the Unite Here Local 23 Texas chapter, which includes the more than 400 workers at the hotel.
Among several demands, workers are campaigning for a higher minimum wage of $23-per-hour, up from the current rate of $16.50. The strike, which is set to end 10 September, is the first in the union’s 25-year history, chapter president Franchesca Caraballo told the Chronicle.
As thousands took part in the rallies, Trump posted his own Labor Day message to the Truth Social platform: a photo of himself shaking hands with workers.
The image featured the caption: “Celebrating 250 years of THE AMERICAN WORKER. Happy Labor Day.”
Source link
-
-
-
-
-
