Politics

Labor Advocates, Teachers and Students Gather for May Day Rally and March

Labor unions, community groups and Chicago Public Schools students gathered Friday afternoon in recognition of May Day.

Thousands of Chicagoans participated in a rally and march that started at Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph St., and ended at Daley Plaza downtown. Other gatherings were scheduled around the city ahead of the main rally.

By noon, members of various groups were beginning to make their way to Union Park ahead of the 1 p.m. rally. The march toward downtown stepped off just before 2:30 p.m.

Scores of marchers carried flags and signs calling for power to the workers, decrying President Donald Trump and demanding the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Others called for justice for Silverio Villegas González, who was killed by a federal agent in suburban Franklin Park, as well as Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were fatally shot by agents in Minneapolis.

The attendees made the approximately 2-mile march through the city to Daley Plaza, where they continued demonstrating until just before 5 p.m. when participants and Chicago police officers alike began to clear from the area.

During a noon interfaith service on stage at Union Park, Rabbi Daniel Kirzane of KAM Isaiah Israel in Hyde Park referenced the Haymarket Affair demonstrations happening just a mile east exactly 140 years ago. 

“This clash gave birth to the International Workers’ Day we observe today,” Kirzane said to the crowd. “And inspired labor activists to redouble their efforts to protect the lives and livelihoods of everyday people.”

May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, is celebrated each year around the world on May 1.

The first May Day event was held in Chicago in 1886, when thousands of workers protested for an eight-hour workday. The historic Haymarket Affair occurred days later. May Day aims to honor the workers who fought for improved labor conditions and bring labor organizations together in solidarity.

A May Day march makes its way into downtown Chicago on May 1, 2026. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)

The union said the school district pledged to provide buses for field trips for students and educators who choose to attend the rally in Union Park. However, the school district said participation in any May Day events is voluntary.

According to a Chicago Public Schools spokesperson, the district approved approximately 40 field trips for about 2,200 students Friday afternoon, providing what it called a “structured and supervised environment for civic action” at Union Park, as well as other parks and organization headquarters.

CPS said it deployed more than 2,600 substitute teachers and about 940 substitute support staff personnel, while the district’s central office staff provided additional support at 76 schools.

Preliminary data shows student attendance at CPS elementary schools appears “to be on par with other days,” the spokesperson said, while high school attendance appears to be slightly down.

Final attendance and staffing figures will be validated later this month, according to CPS.

“Our focus remains on supporting our students’ safe and responsible transition to and from the classroom to community events,” the district spokesperson said in a statement.

Speaking at Friday’s rally, CTU President Stacy Davis Gates pointed to her union’s agreement with CPS, saying they negotiated for a civic day of action to allow students to learn firsthand about “the power of workers in solidarity.”

“They are given an education throughout this city about why coalition work is possible,” she said, “and about why, with workers engaged in coalition work, we don’t just make it better for ourselves, we make it better for this country.”

She and others spoke out against the Trump administration and billionaires who have attacked workers’ ability to organize.

“I am saying to you today, workers,” she said, “that we must not just secure our democracy, we have to expand our democracy.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson — a former CTU organizer — said Chicago is going to make sure “the working people of this city have all of the benefits that they deserve.”

“The fight for justice continues,” Johnson said, harkening back to the Haymarket Affair that launched International Workers Day. “Here we are 140 years later where the same forces that killed our brothers and sisters, the same forces that worked to undermine working people — the ultra-rich and the oligarchs in this country and in this world — they are attacking working people again. But we are not going to stand for it.”

Mike Chex, a retired union worker wearing an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers jacket who said he was able to retire due to the benefits his union secured for him, came out to support the movement.

“I think unions need a return to what they once were, for equality in the workplace and a fair living wage for people,” Chex said. “We’re not asking for anything but the opportunity to work and I think that the billionaires have far too much power and control over workers’ lives.

Students from Horace Mann Academy attend the May Day rally in Union Park on May 1, 2026. (Matt Masterson / WTTW News)

Corinne Perry, an eighth-grade student at Kenwood Academy, said it was important for her to support her peers and show support for women’s, workers’ and immigrants' rights. She attended the demonstration as part of a school field trip and was among a group of students who led the front of the march. 

“For me, the takeaway is being able to not be afraid to share your opinions, and to know that there’s always gonna be people that support you,” she said.

Queen Weiner, a retired member of the Chicago Teachers Union, said she came to Friday’s rally to fight back against billionaires who she said have “annihilated” the working class and continue to “squeeze people out.”

She said she was thrilled to see the number of students and teens present Friday and hopes the rally “sparks younger people to know that the fight never stops.”

“I’ve been fighting in the struggle for a long time,” she said, “and, you know, the future belongs to the youth and so they’re going to have to pick up the mantle and take it up.”

Tony Pozdol, a teacher a Prosser Career Academy, said he felt it was important for his children and all young people to participate in Friday’s rally because it can be easy for them to feel “powerless.”

“They’re going to be us one day, right?” he said. “I want them to see there’s a peaceful way to do this and to share our voices, see people from all different walks of life come together to just represent what should be life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That’s what we’re supposed to have.” 

A May Day march makes its way into downtown Chicago on May 1, 2026. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)Chicago police officers look on as a May Day march makes its way into downtown Chicago on May 1, 2026. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)A May Day march makes its way into downtown Chicago on May 1, 2026. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)Signs lean against the stage in Union Park in advance of a planned May Day rally on May 1, 2026. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)Demonstrators carry signs at the Union Park May Day rally on May 1, 2026. (Matt Masterson / WTTW News)Demonstrators hold a sign with an image of Silverio Villegas González, who was shot and killed by an immigration enforcement officer in Franklin Park in September 2025 during the May 1, 2026, May Day rally. (Matt Masterson / WTTW News) Demonstrators gather in Union Park on May 1, 2026, to mark May Day. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)

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