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Fight for workers' rights takes shape in downtown LA May Day march

By Julie Sharp

Updated on: May 1, 2026 / 4:53 PM PDT / CBS LA

May Day rally moves through downtown Los Angeles

A downtown Los Angeles rally and march for May Day, also known as International Workers' Day, kicked off Friday morning, with thousands flooding the streets.

The day's event kicked off at 10 a.m. at MacArthur Park, with participants marching three miles to Gloria Molina Grand Park. Around 2:14 p.m., the Los Angeles Police Department issued a Tactical Alert in the area "due to an unusual occurrence."

Janitors, security officers, airport workers, and stadium and arena workers with SEIU-USWW joined a broad coalition of labor unions, immigrant rights groups, civil rights organizations, and faith leaders for the day of protest event.

"This coalition is so big because we are standing up for so many different issues that we care about, including healthcare for all, including education, including housing rights, and LGBTQ rights. This is a space for all," Pedro Trujillo, CHIRLA director of organizing, said.

According to event organizers, speakers at the Grand Park rally will include SEIU-USWW President David Huerta, a janitor and a security officer, speaking on issues such as immigration reform and workers' rights.

The California Highway Patrol advised that multiple freeway ramps are closed in the downtown area, beginning Friday at 10:30 a.m.

May Day events involving labor and immigrant rights groups are taking place across the nation and around the world on May 1, a day of protest. May Day finds its origins in the United States, dating back to 1884, when a national federation of unions campaigned to establish an eight-hour workday by May 1, 1886.

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Protesters gathered outside the Edward R. Boybal Federal Building in downtown LA later in the afternoon, a common meeting place for past anti-ICE protests. Another group gathered at a Home Depot in Westlake to advocate for undocumented workers, demanding that the hardware store chain protect laborers against future arrests and deportations.

In response, a Home Depot spokesperson wrote that the company is not notified when immigration enforcement operations take place.

"We aren't coordinating with ICE or Border Patrol," the spokesperson wrote. "We cannot legally interfere with federal enforcement agencies, including preventing them from coming into our stores and parking lots."

Julie Sharp

Julie Sharp is a digital producer at CBS Los Angeles. She is a South Bay native and majored in print journalism at Cal State University Long Beach. Julie previously reported for the Beach Reporter, contributed to the Palos Verdes Pulse and worked as a video journalist for CBS News before joining the CBS News Los Angeles website team.