May Day march sends message of unity

Young workers were in the forefront at a Twin Cities May Day event that brought together advocates of the worker rights, immigrant rights and BlackLivesMatter movements.

Labor and immigrant organizations gathered at Lake and Nicollet in Minneapolis for the start of the traditional May Day march, then were joined by hundreds more participating in a demonstration to protest recent police killings of African-American men in several U.S. cities. Just hours earlier, authorities in Baltimore announced homicide charges against six police officers in the death of a black man who died while under arrest.

The day’s actions are “not just about staying alive” in the face of police brutality, but “also about making sure we have the wage to take care of ourselves and our families . . .” said Mica Grimm, an organizer for BlackLivesMatter.

Thirty-four-year old Luke Fahey, wearing a “Black Lives Matter” t-shirt, stood by his bicycle as the May Day marchers gathered. He said there is an “intersectionality” among the issues raised by the demonstrators, which included calls for higher wages, drivers’ licenses for undocumented workers and an end to violence by law enforcement.

“I believe it goes beyond just police brutality and fair treatment of workers” to larger concerns like corporate power and the lack of democracy in the era of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, he said.

Marie Dino, 23, a member of the Minnesota Young Workers group and AFSCME Local 3800, the union representing University of Minnesota clerical workers, saw a clear link between current protests and the actions of workers who led the first May Day demonstrations 139 years ago.

“Not only are we here to celebrate the eight-hour workday, but we are here to show the importance of unions . . .” she said. “Immigrants, young people, retired workers – we all deserve a living wage and dignity and respect.”

After marching through city streets, the groups planned a rally in front of the Hennepin County Government Center.

Pablo Alvarado, an organizer for Iron Workers Local 512, was among the marshals assisting with the march.

“We are all in this together,” he said, when asked why he was participating.

Labor organizations sponsoring the march included AFSCME Local 34, AFSCME Local 844, AFSCME Local 3800, CTUL, Minnesota Young Workers (AFL-CIO) and SEIU Local 26.