On May 1, New York City will become the center of one of the most widely organized labor actions in recent memory. The May Day Strong rally and march is drawing together a coalition of more than 500 labor unions alongside immigrant rights groups and community organizations from across the country, all converging around a shared demand: that working people be prioritized over the wealthy and powerful.
The coalition’s rally cry No Work, No School, No Shopping is a deliberate call for broad participation, encouraging people from every corner of society to pause, step outside and make their collective presence known. The effort is part of a nationwide movement that sees May 1 not just as a calendar date but as a moment of reckoning.
Where the NYC march starts and what to expect
In New York City, the action begins at 4 p.m. near the Garibaldi statue in Washington Square Park. From there, marchers will head along Broadway toward Foley Square, with the march expected to wrap up by 6:30 p.m. The event is being organized by two of the city’s most prominent labor and advocacy bodies: the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL CIO, and the New York Immigration Coalition.
Organizers are anticipating a large turnout, and given the breadth of groups involved, that expectation seems well founded. Among the coalition’s backers is Indivisible, the national advocacy network that has been a visible presence in the ongoing No Kings protest movement a sign that the energy behind May Day Strong extends well beyond traditional union circles.
The inspiration behind this year’s mobilization
The roots of this particular push trace back to an event that took place in the dead of winter. On Jan. 23, despite temperatures that plunged between -10 and -20 degrees in Minnesota, thousands of activists, workers and union members took to the streets for the ICE Out of Minnesota Day of Truth march. Businesses and schools across the region shut their doors in solidarity, and the turnout despite the brutal cold convinced organizers that a coordinated national action on May 1 could carry the same momentum.
That event proved something organizers had long believed: that when working people move together, conditions including the weather are secondary.
What the movement is asking for
At its core, May Day Strong is a response to what participating groups describe as an accelerating concentration of power and wealth among a small elite, paired with what they see as the use of federal resources to target immigrant communities rather than support them. The coalition is pushing for tax dollars to be directed toward jobs, schools and housing not enforcement operations aimed at the workers who help sustain the country’s economy.
Immigrant workers are a particular focus of this year’s mobilization. Organizers stress that attacks on immigrant labor are attacks on the broader working class, and they are framing May Day 2025 as a moment to draw that connection loudly and publicly.
Why May Day still carries weight in 2025
International Workers Day has been marked on May 1 since the late 19th century, born out of the labor movement’s earliest fights for fair wages, reasonable hours and safe conditions on the job. In the United States, it has periodically surged back into public consciousness during moments of heightened economic tension or political conflict and 2025 appears to be one of those moments.
The American Federation of Teachers, whose president Randi Weingarten is among the voices backing this year’s effort, has long positioned collective action as the most durable tool available to working people. That framing is very much alive in May Day Strong’s organizing.
For anyone looking to be part of the march, Washington Square Park at 4 p.m. on May 1 is the starting point. The march is free, open to all and, according to organizers, one of the most broadly supported labor actions New York City has seen in years.
