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Labor unions, immigrant rights groups and community organizations are planning a nationwide 'economic blackout' on May 1, with organizers expecting more than 3,000 actions across the United States. The protests, organized under the banner 'May Day Strong,' call for 'no school, no work, no shopping' to pressure the administration of President Donald Trump, which activists say prioritizes billionaires over working people.
Neidi Dominguez, founding executive director of Organized Power in Numbers and an executive team member of May Day Strong, told the Guardian that the number of events this year has more than doubled compared with last year. 'Last year, there were about 1,300 May Day actions across the country. This year, we think there's going to be more than 3,000,' she said. In a separate interview, Dominguez said organizers expect more than 3,500 actions.
Coverage Comparison
Reporting on the planned actions has emphasized different aspects. Al Jazeera's coverage focused on the scope of the economic blackout and its origins in Minneapolis, including the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in January. The outlet also detailed a range of Trump administration actions that organizers say have driven the protests, including the reclassification of federal workers as 'at-will' employees, cuts to the National Labor Relations Board, rollbacks of workplace safety and AI transparency rules, and a crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The Guardian's coverage, in multiple articles, has highlighted the historical context of May Day and the long-term strategic planning behind the current actions. The Guardian noted that May Day originated in the United States in 1886, when Lucy and Albert Parsons led 300,000 striking workers. It also reported on the 2028 general strike strategy proposed by United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, who suggested aligning union contract expirations for May 1, 2028, to bypass restrictions imposed by the Taft-Hartley Act of 1946, which essentially outlawed general strikes.
Another Guardian article emphasized the coalition-building aspect, reporting that events have more than doubled from last year and that the Minneapolis ICE operation gave 'the biggest push' to organizers. A fourth Guardian piece focused on the May Day actions as a 'structure test' for the movement, quoting Indivisible's Leah Greenberg and featuring student organizer Sanshray Kukutla.
Key Claims
- Organizers expect more than 3,500 actions nationwide on May 1, according to the Guardian.
- The call for 'no work, no school, no shopping' was inspired by a January protest in Minneapolis, as reported by both Al Jazeera and the Guardian.
- The May Day Strong coalition includes unions, the Democratic Socialists of America, Indivisible, immigrant rights groups and climate justice organizations, per the Guardian.
- The Trump administration has reclassified federal workers as 'at-will' employees, making it harder for them to appeal dismissals, Al Jazeera reported.
- AI has wiped out an average of 16,000 jobs per month in the past year, according to a Goldman Sachs report cited by Al Jazeera.
- The federal minimum wage has not increased since 2009 and remains at $7.25 per hour, Al Jazeera reported.
- The Trump administration proposed $47 million in cuts to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for the 2027 fiscal year, according to Al Jazeera.
- More than a dozen school districts in North Carolina are closing in solidarity with the May Day protests, as reported by both Al Jazeera and the Guardian.
- The Chicago Teachers Union won a 'day of civic action' designation for May 1, according to the Guardian.
- The May Day Strong coalition is working to support a 2028 general strike by giving non-union organizations a way to get their members ready to participate, the Guardian reported.
- Leah Greenberg of Indivisible described the May Day economic blackout as a 'structure test' for the movement, in remarks reported by the Guardian.
- Stacy Davis Gates, a Chicago Teachers Union leader, said, 'This is about building a more popular united front,' as quoted by the Guardian.
- Jennifer Abruzzo, a former NLRB official, said, 'There is tremendous strength in numbers,' according to Al Jazeera.
- Sanshray Kukutla, a Purdue student, said in the Guardian, 'We're taking collective action to send a message to the billionaire class: it's our labor, our spending, and our participation that keeps the whole system running, and if we don't work, they don't have profits.'
Perspectives
Organizers and Coalition Members
May Day Strong organizers frame the protests as a necessary response to what they describe as an 'assault on democracy' and policies that favor the ultra-wealthy. They emphasize the power of collective action and the need to build a broad coalition that includes labor, immigrant rights, climate justice and pro-democracy groups. 'The labor movement in our country cannot advance while ignoring the assault on democracy,' Dominguez told the Guardian. She added that the pro-democracy movement cannot ask working people to defend abstract principles while they struggle to afford housing, bills and healthcare.
Labor Union Leaders
Union leaders such as Brendan Griffith of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, attribute the protests to 'corporate billionaires and the Project 2025 agenda' driving attacks on workers' rights. Project 2025 is a conservative initiative laid out by the Heritage Foundation before the 2025 presidential election. Griffith's statement, provided to Al Jazeera, said the attacks target workers based on appearance, language or work, and undermine First Amendment rights and freedom of association.
Student and Youth Activists
Student organizers, such as Purdue's Sanshray Kukutla, underscore the generational stakes and the message to the 'billionaire class' that workers' labor and spending keep the system running. Their participation reflects a broader convergence of student and teacher activism, including the North Carolina 'Kids Over Corporations' rally and continued organizing against ICE in schools.