Large May Day demonstrations are expected across the United States on Friday as organizers call for a mass boycott of work, school and shopping to protest the Trump administration’s policies and what activists describe as excessive billionaire influence in government. The coordinated “May Day Strong” events, slated from Boston to San Francisco, mark International Workers’ Day and follow earlier anti-Trump rallies held under the “No Kings” banner that organizers say drew millions.
May 1 has a long history as a day of labor protest dating to 19th-century campaigns for an eight-hour workday, a movement that helped pave the way for labor laws such as the Fair Labor Standards Act and the standard 40-hour workweek.
The National Education Association, the country’s largest union with about 3 million members, is a lead organizer. NEA President Becky Pringle framed this year’s actions as putting working people ahead of the ultra-wealthy, highlighting bus drivers, teachers and nurses who she says feel the impact when resources are shifted away from public services like education.
Organizers say more than 500 labor unions, student groups and community organizations plan to take part. The Sunrise Movement, a student-led climate group that backs a Green New Deal, said it expects over 100,000 students to skip school in a coordinated strike.
In North Carolina — a state with low per-pupil spending and teacher pay by national measures — about 20 public school districts anticipated closures because of staff absences. Educators and school support workers, including bus drivers, cafeteria staff and custodians, planned a rally in Raleigh pressing the legislature for greater education funding. In Charlotte, the school board voted to close schools on May 1 in anticipation of widespread absenteeism; a district spokesperson said the decision was intended to let teachers participate in activism while preserving their ability to live in the communities they serve.
Bryan Proffitt, vice president of the North Carolina Association of Educators, framed the rally as part of a “Kids Over Corporations” campaign seeking increased investment in public schools, an end to corporate tax cuts, expanded union rights and measures to strengthen democratic participation. Some elected officials disagreed with closures: North Carolina State Sen. Amy Galey argued that losing a school day would not help students given the limited number of instructional days remaining in the year.
In Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York City, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., Albuquerque, Portland and other cities, rallies and demonstrations were also planned. Stacy Davis Gates, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers and leader of the Chicago Teachers Union, urged higher taxes on the ultra-rich, saying that failure to collect adequate revenue leaves schools understaffed and communities without essential services.
The White House noted that President Trump, who designated May 1 as “Loyalty Day” during his first term, remains committed to American workers. A White House statement cited renegotiated trade deals, investments in manufacturing, changes to overtime rules and border security among the administration’s priorities and said the president would continue to support workers.