Workers in 600+ US Cities to Protest 'Billionaire Takeover' on May Day

As labor unions and rights advocacy groups announced a mass mobilization planned for May 1, or May Day, one leader said the protests aim to "send a loud and clear message" to U.S. President Donald Trump, his adviser Elon Musk, "and the rest of the billionaire oligarchs trying to destroy our democracy."

"There will be no business as usual while they are disappearing people off the street, slashing critical services, and taking away our freedoms," said Saqib Bhatti, executive director of Bargaining for the Common Good. "They're causing a crisis in our communities. We're going to bring that crisis directly to their doorsteps."

The protests will take place in over 600 cities in all 50 states, said organizers, with advocates demanding an end to Trump's "billionaire agenda"—one characterized by plans to slash Head Start, Medicaid, and Social Security in order to secure $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the richest Americans.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who Trump named to lead his Department of Government Efficiency, has provoked nationwide outrage with his cuts to more than 280,000 federal jobs, while the president's push to root out pro-Palestinian advocacy—which his administration has explicitly conflated with antisemitism and support for terrorism—has resulted in the arrests of several student organizers.

The president's deal with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, under which he has expelled hundreds of migrants—many of whom had no criminal records—to a notorious prison, has also garnered outrage among Americans and human rights groups.

"Our communities are mobilizing for May Day because we want a world where it's workers, students, immigrants, and working-class communities who thrive."

"Billionaires are attacking unions and immigrants because they fear our collective power. But we're not afraid," said Jade Kelly, president of Communication Workers of America (CWA) 7799, a coalition of unions in Colorado. "Our labor movement is building something stronger than fear. May Day isn't a holiday, it's a call to action for workers across the world. Across the nation, we're reclaiming May Day in the spirit it was born, in solidarity with immigrants, in defense of all working people who make our schools run, our hospitals heal, our trains move, and our cities thrive."

The May Day protests will call for:

• An end to the billionaire takeover and corruption under the Trump administration;
• Full funding for public schools, healthcare, and housing for all;
• Protection and expansion of Medicaid, Social Security, and other critical social programs;
• An immediate halt to attacks on immigrants, Black, Indigenous, trans, and other targeted communities; and
• Union protections, fair wages, and dignity for all workers.

Rallies are planned in New York, the District of Columbia, Chicago, and Atlanta, among other cities.

Loan Tran, co-director of Rising Majority, said Trump and the billionaires who will benefit from his policies want Americans "to abandon our neighbors in favor of a future where only the ultra wealthy and political elites profit."

"Our communities are mobilizing for May Day because we want a world where it's workers, students, immigrants, and working-class communities who thrive; and a democracy where activists like Mahmoud Khalil can exercise their free speech while advocating for a cease-fire in Gaza or demanding that our government invest in housing, education, and healthcare for all instead of weapons and bombs," said Tran.

"On May Day," Tran added, "these attacks will be met with our people power, and we will fight for a real democracy in the U.S. that prioritizes the well-being of all people and the planet."