The Freedom Road Socialist Organization calls on working and oppressed peoples to celebrate May 1st, International Workers Day.

On this May Day, we will show that the revolutionary spirit of the working class is alive and well in 2024. Unions are waging fierce battles and reviving the strike. Chicanos and Latinos are mobilizing and steeling themselves against escalated militarization at the U.S.-Mexico border. The people of Palestine are shaking off the chains of U.S. imperialism and leading a heroic resistance that will set their people free. Revolution is in the air, and the masses of workers and oppressed peoples are on the move.

New Orleans, LA – Workers took to the streets on April 6, successfully blocking traffic throughout the heart of the central business district and French Quarter as they chanted for the rights of unionized public sector workers and all workers’ rights.

The rally began in Lafayette Square, when speakers from local unions such as New Orleans City Workers Organizing Committee (NOCWOC), Starbucks Workers United (SBWU), Fair Trade Musicians, United Teachers of New Orleans (UTNO) and New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice (NOWCRJ) emphasized the importance of organizing in the context of the political repression faced in Louisiana.

Seattle, WA – On March 29, United Auto Workers (UAW) 4121 held a rally in the quad of the University of Washington-Seattle campus to demand a strong contract. With over 1000 attendees at the rally, the UAW made clear that they will not abide by UW administration’s attacks on their healthcare, wages and their international workers.

Atlanta, GA – United Parcel Service (UPS) announced on March 26 that the company plans to close up to 200 UPS hubs and automate sorting at the remaining hubs within the next five years. The plan is part of a broader initiative by UPS called “Network of the Future” which looks to automate union jobs with a goal of saving the company $3 billion in labor costs by 2028. UPS made $6.7 billion in profit last year and UPS CEO Carol Tomé took home $23.4 million in total compensation.

Tallahassee, FL – On March 21 at the Bruce J. Host Northeast Branch Library in Tallahassee, around 100 people, including firefighters and their families, packed into a presentation room. They gathered to get information and vent their frustrations regarding the stalled negotiations between the city of Tallahassee and the Tallahassee Professional Firefighters-IAFF Local 2339 (TPF). The event was sponsored by Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor.

New York, New York – A crowd of 100 demonstrators rallied in front of New York City Hall on Friday, March 22, to support home health aides on a hunger strike to end the inhumane 24-hour workdays that home attendants in New York City are forced to endure.

Fort Worth, TX – On March 17, 600 union members from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, American Postal Workers Union, National Rural Letter Carriers Association and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, along with others rallied in support of the Molson Coors Teamsters of Local 997, who are fighting for a decent.

Milwaukee, WI – On Thursday, March 14 (Pi Day), the part-time bargaining unit of the American Federation of Teachers Local 212, which represents the part-time faculty of the Milwaukee Area Technical College, held a rally demanding their piece of the pie.

Seattle, WA – On Wednesday, March 13, Homegrown workers across Seattle voted 100-1 to ratify their contract, after a successful strike to win reinstatement for their fired coworker.

Homegrown workers at the sandwich company’s Redmond and Southcenter cafes have also officially ended their strike and returned to work after the reinstatement of union leader Sydney Lankford, who was fired illegally on October 30.

Last month, the company agreed to a deal that allowed Lankford to return to work with $10,000 in back pay. Her coworkers, who have been on strike for her reinstatement since October 30, have returned to work as well, with their heads held high. Southcenter Mall Homegrown workers are back to work as well, 80 days after joining the strike.

Minneapolis, MN – On March 7 the Minneapolis city council passed an ordinance forcing rideshare corporations like Uber and Lyft to pay their drivers the equivalent of the city’s minimum wage of $15.57 an hour if they want to continue to operate in the city.