On Friday, May 1, you can check out the new blooms and listen to street musicians in Washington Square Park while at the same time expressing your solidarity with working-class power. Join UAW members and thousands of workers uniting against fascism at “May Day in New York City,” organized by UAW Region 9A. The event will start with a gathering in the park, then form into a march to Foley Square, where a rally and party is planned.
In a message during the UAW National conference in February, UAW president Shawn Fain presented a call to action:
For the past 90 years, the UAW has built the American Dream from the factory floor up. What started as a small group of autoworkers fighting for dignity on the job in the 1930s grew into a movement that changed history, that rewrote not just the union contract but the social contract between the working class and the powers that be. Now that dream is under attack, and the question for our generation is simple: what are we willing to do to defend it, expand it, and protect it for future generations?
At that same meeting, the UAW also focused on one of the biggest problems facing middle class workers:
For far too long, the U.S. tax system has disproportionately benefited large corporations and the ultra-wealthy while punishing the American worker. The tax burden has shifted away from those most able to pay and onto working families and communities in need. This imbalance did not happen overnight, but through decades of legislation and the growing power of billionaires in our government and political system.
With fascist agendas threatening American democracy, the union movement is coming together in support of a living wage, accessible healthcare for everyone, and a better quality of life for all workers. So here’s hoping for a beautiful spring day, with sunshine and solidarity providing power to the people. ❖
May Day in NYC
Friday May 1
4:00 p.m.: Meet UAW contingent at Garibaldi Statue, East Side of Washington Square Park
5:15 p.m.: March to Foley Square
6:15 p.m.: Rally and party in Foley Square