Chicago May Day protest organizers expect big turnout for rally and march
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Last year's May Day protest. Photo: Justin Kaufmann/Axios
Protesters are expected to gather Friday in Union Park before marching downtown as part of May Day's "Workers Over Billionaires" boycott, which calls on Chicagoans to avoid shopping, working and attending school.
The latest: The protest begins with a 1pm rally in Union Park, with demonstrators planning to march east to Daley Plaza shortly after.
Why it matters: Protests and boycotts continue to surge against the administration and widening wealth disparity in the U.S.
The big picture: The Chicago Teachers Union is among the movement's organizers and lobbied the new CPS CEO, Macquline King, to close public schools so teachers and students could join the demonstration. The union said the "day of action" is included in its latest contract with CPS.
- King defied the mayor and the CTU, opting to keep schools open. She said teachers could request time off or organize field trips to Union Park.
- "CPS has widely communicated that employees must adhere to established attendance procedures and provide advance notice for any planned absences in line with school policies and collective bargaining agreements," the district said in a statement.
- The district says it reviewed 45 applications for field trips and has 10,000 substitutes ready to cover potential absences, while deploying "network and central office teams" to provide support.
State of play: Organizers hope this year's May Day boycott matches last year's turnout, when thousands marched in protest against Trump-era immigration policies.
- They're also aiming to sustain momentum from the No Kings rally in March.
Zoom in: Local labor leaders, organizers and lawmakers are expected to speak.
Yes, but: While Democratic leaders are largely aligned on the rally's message, the Chicago Teachers Union is also taking aim at the governor.
- "In Illinois, billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker refuses to tax the wealthy to fully fund Illinois schools, even though the state's richest individuals received an $8 billion Trump tax cut," the CTU said in an email to members. "Fully funding our schools would cost less than the money Illinois billionaires are pocketing, but the governor refuses to act."
Zoom out: Thousands of events are planned nationwide, including in New York, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis and Los Angeles.
Backstory: The first May Day protest took place 140 years ago in Chicago, when between 35,000 and 65,000 workers walked off the job to demand an eight-hour workday.
- Days later, protests escalated into the Haymarket affair, during which police opened fire on demonstrators. At least two people were killed, and dozens were injured.