Politics
Chicago Labor Groups, Students to Participate in May Day Events on Friday. Here’s What to Know
Protesters march on Washington Boulevard near Union Park to protest the Trump administration’s policies on May Day, or International Workers’ Day, on May 1, 2025. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)
The Latest: Follow live coverage of the May Day rally and march.
Chicago labor unions, community groups, students and other advocates are expected to participate in events around the city on Friday in recognition of May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day.
Thousands of Chicagoans are expected to participate in a May Day rally and march starting at Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph St., and ending at Daley Plaza downtown. Other related actions are scheduled in different parts of the city in the morning ahead of the march.
The main rally is expected to begin at 1 p.m. in Union Park. The march is set to step off at 2 p.m.
The expected May Day actions come after disagreements between Chicago Public Schools CEO Macquline King and the Chicago Teachers Union over whether to close schools on Friday to allow students and teachers to participate in demonstrations.
What are the May Day plans for Chicago Public Schools?
Chicago Public Schools will still hold classes on May 1 after reaching an agreement with CTU that will also allow students and staff to attend labor rallies.
The union said the school district has pledged to provide buses for field trips for students and educators who choose to attend the afternoon May Day rally in Union Park.
However, the school district said participation in any May Day events is voluntary.
In a letter to families last week, King said the district is working to ensure it has enough teachers and staff in its schools on Friday. “CPS is working closely with our principals to monitor this situation,” King wrote, “and if there is a shortage of staff at your school on May 1, support will be provided by our Network and Central Office teams.”
What organizations are participating in May Day actions?
A broad coalition of labor, racial justice, education, health, immigrant rights and community organizations will be participating in May Day events. Those organizations include:
Chicago Teachers Union, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Chicago Federation of Labor, Arise Chicago, SEIU Healthcare Illinois, Teamsters, National Nurses United, AFGE Locals 704 and 789, Warehouse Workers for Justice, Operation PUSH, ONE Northside, BUILD Chicago, Indivisible Chicago and Evanston, Palenque LSNA, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, Multifaith Immigrant Justice Alliance, Faith Over Fear, MECHA, New SDS and more.
What is May Day?
May Day, or International Workers’ Day, is celebrated each year around the world on May 1.
The first May Day event was held in Chicago on May 1, 1886, when thousands of workers protested for an eight-hour workday. The historic Haymarket Affair occurred days later on May 4, 1886, when a bombing occurred at a labor demonstration, leading to the deaths of civilians and police, and an ultimate crackdown on labor activists.
Read More: Key Moments in Chicago Labor History
May Day aims to honor the workers who fought for improved labor conditions and bring labor organizations together in solidarity as they continue to push for progress.
What are organizers demanding this May Day?
On May Day, local organizers say they are demanding the following:
- Prioritize workers over billionaires
- Abolish ICE
- Fund communities, not war
- Expand democracy, not corporate power
Organizers have also called for an “economic blackout” on Friday, calling on people to participate in a day of no work, no school and no shopping.
What events are scheduled for May Day in Chicago?
May Day organizers shared a full schedule of actions to take place throughout the morning leading up to the rally and march at Union Park:
- 8 a.m.: School Meet-ups | CTU | Various CPS Schools
- 9 a.m.: May Day Plaque Installation | CFL, IL Labor History Society | Haymarket Memorial, 175 N. Desplaines St.
- 9 a.m.: Youth & Family Educational Programming | CTU | CTU Center
- 9 a.m.: Election Defense Teach-in and Field Trip | PUSH, CTU, Chicago Votes, GKMC | PUSH HQ, 930 E. 50th St.
- 9 a.m.: Young Citizens in Action | BUILD, CTU, GKMC | 5100 W. Harrison St.
- 9:30 a.m.: “Students Over Billionaires” Youth Action, Northside | ONE Northside | 6422 N. Sheridan Road
- TBD AM: Higher Ed May Day Actions | Multiple GEOs | University of Illinois at Chicago 601 S. Morgan St., Chicago
- 10 a.m.: Action Against ICE Detention Center– press conference, protest and delegation to the CEO of real estate agency Highlands REIT, owner of a prison in Colorado which they are trying to lease to ICE as a detention center | Arise Chicago, Evanston Interfaith Clergy and Leaders, Indivisible Chicago & Evanston | Loop: Highlands REIT HQ: 1 S. Dearborn
- 10:45 a.m.: Care Workers Over Billionaires March and Rally | SEIU Healthcare Illinois | 2229 S. Halsted St., Chicago
- 11:30 a.m.: IL Medical District Rally & March | NNU, AFGE 789, HCII | IL Medical District
- Noon: UIC Student March to Union Park | MECHA, New SDS | UIC to Union Park
- Noon: Immigrant Community Rights Rally & Feeder March | ICIRR | 1919 W. Maypole Ave.
- Noon: Interfaith service featuring musical performances from cumbia band Quinto Imperio, St. Sabina Choir, Muslim Nigerian rapper Phenom, and Mexican-American singer/songwriter Rosalba Valdez; building an ofrenda honoring those who have experienced violence on the job or at the hands of ICE and the police; prayers across faith traditions| MIJA, Faith Over Fear | Union Park| MIJA, Faith Over Fear | Union Park
- Noon: Palenque LSNA Pre-Rally | Palenque LSNA, HANA Center, Latino Union | Logan Square
- Noon: Warehouse Workers Pre-Rally | Warehouse Workers for Justice | Joliet
- 1 p.m.: May Day Rally | Full Coalition | Union Park
- 2 p.m.: May Day March | Full Coalition | Union Park to Daley Plaza
Matt Masterson contributed to this report.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
