"I ain't got nothing to say to Donald Trump": May Day organizers say their message is for Americans

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"I ain't got nothing to say to Donald Trump": May Day organizers say their message is for Americans
Organizers say their goal for May 1 protests is to remind regular Americans that they have numbers on their side

By Tatyana Tandanpolie
Staff Reporter
Published April 30, 2025 3:05PM (EDT)


(Salon) After some seven years as a member of the Union of Southern Service Workers, Jamila Allen is a seasoned labor organizer, having led three successful strikes during her time working at a Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers in Durham, North Carolina. Through one single-day strike and a subsequent weeklong strike, she and her co-workers won a COVID-19 safety policy for their store and 33 other locations during the height of the pandemic.

That experience taught her a lesson that she now shares with everyone, hoping that they'll recognize their own strength and the fact that they're not alone.

"Don't be afraid to strike," Allen said in a phone interview with Salon. "Don't be afraid to organize. You have power and you have numbers. You have somebody to back you up."

On May 1, Allen's chapter of the Union of Southern Service Workers will be participating in a national day of action, hosting a rally at 4 p.m. followed by a march to Bicentennial Plaza in Raleigh for higher pay and increased respect in the workplace — and against the billions of dollars in proposed Medicaid cuts Congress is considering. Their efforts will be part of more than 1,000 May Day Strong events in more than 850 cities in the United States and abroad.

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With its U.S. roots in workers' fight for an eight-hour workday in 1886, May Day has long been a national day of action for union organizers and workers' rights activists to protest for better conditions, protections and pay. But this year activists say the fight is more important than ever in the face of an executive branch challenging the rights of workers, immigrants and queer people, as well as a legislative branch that appears unwilling to challenge the president. They're calling for greater solidarity, and their target audience is their fellow Americans — not President Donald Trump. ...................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/04/30/i-aint-got-nothing-to-say-to-donald-trump-may-day-organizers-say-their-message-is-for-the-people/