Coalition announces the International Workers Day march in Los Angeles on May 1

Dozens of nonprofit organizations and labor unions organized as the May Day Coalition gathered Tuesday morning in downtown Los Angeles to announce their annual May 1st march. This year the participants will send a special message under the slogan “One Struggle, One Fight – Workers Unite!”

The participants said International Workers Day is a reminder that in the United States, labor rights and immigrant rights are intertwined.. The march will be a call to action to ensure justice for all workers, regardless of immigration status. 

Martha Arevalo, CARECEN’s executive director, said that since the Trump Administration took office, working and immigrant communities have been under attack on all fronts. She said the best way to fight these attacks is to remain resilient, vigilant and organized. 

“There is strength in unity, and we must continue to push for policies that protect and to lift our communities,” she said. “Every day I hear somebody say, ‘What can I do?’ Next Thursday, you can do something. You can march for workers. You can march for women, you can march for immigrants. You can march for the LGBTQ community. You can march for justice.”

 Protections for all 

The protestors said they stand against workplace abuse, deportation and policies that divide the country. 

Maria Miranda, elementary vice president for United Teachers for Los Angeles Union (UTLA), said that as a former undocumented person herself, she knows first hand the fear that many people are facing. 

She recalled the moment about two weeks ago when immigration officers tried to enter two LAUSD elementary schools but were denied access.

“[Schools] must also be places of stability, opportunity and hope,” she said. “Our schools and communities are no place for federal agents, immigration agents who are trying to take our children.”

She said educators are committed to protecting the rights of students and their families, making sure every child has access to public education regardless of immigration status.

Alejandra Quintero, member of Democratic Socialist of America, said during this May Day march, she is thinking about all the workers who came before, risking everything to fight for workers’ rights. 

“Those rights were not handed to us by the boss or the government. They were fought for, paid for, in blood and sweat and collective action,” she said. “And there's one thing I learned through unionizing; no one is coming to save us, no politician, no party and no hero.” 

Therefore, she said the only thing that will help the movement to continue and move the country forward is by organizing. She said Los Angeles is such an incredible city and a union town because workers like janitors, educators and immigrant workers have fought over the years. 

“This city breeds solidarity, but not because it was a gift to us. We made it happen. We built it inch by inch, but that power could disappear just as fast as it arrived,” she said.

This year’s International Workers Day marches across the country aim to be one of the largest mobilizations for May Day. Organizers say the marches will represent the fight against fascism and oligarchy, promoting education, healthcare and rights for all.  

Los Angeles organizers said last year’s mobilization resulted in street closures across Hollywood, and the May Day Coalition expects this year’s march to draw a larger attendance.

In Los Angeles the march will begin at 9 a.m. in the Southeast corner of W. Olympic Blvd. & S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. Follow this link to view a list of events throughout the country on May Day: https://www.may1dayofaction.org/