East Oakland May Day rally draws workers, activists calling for policy changes
Hundreds of workers and labor advocates gathered in East Oakland on Friday to mark May Day, also known as International Workers' Day, using the annual event to call for a range of political and economic changes.
The rally, held at the Fruitvale BART Plaza, brought together a wide coalition of organizations and individuals pushing for issues that ranged from international conflicts to local school funding.
Participants described the event as a unified effort to send a message to leaders in Washington, D.C., particularly in opposition to policies associated with the Trump administration. Many speakers said those policies are not serving working people.
One Oakland mother of two young children said she wants to see federal spending priorities shift away from war and toward local communities.
"I'm seeing the budget deficit in the Oakland school district. I'm seeing all the different places where we just need so many more services," said Megan, who declined to provide a last name.
She added that public education, especially for students with special needs, requires stronger support.
"My kid is autistic. He needs special education and different types of assistance. And I know that federally, those things are getting cut. And so, it just feels at the local level and the state level, we need to really come together and defend these things," she said.
Calls to end international conflicts were also a recurring theme. One Iranian American demonstrator said he is concerned about ongoing violence in Iran, emphasizing that while he supports regime change, he does not believe war is the solution.
"Luckily, the ceasefire has been lasting so far. But it's very fragile. We are hoping that the U.S. and the Iranian government would come to some kind of agreement," said Behzad Labbon.
While many speakers focused on broad policy issues, others highlighted specific labor disputes. Kiyomi Jung, a union worker at the Hilton Garden Inn in Emeryville, said she and her colleagues have been waiting years for a union contract.
"We have not had our union contract signed for four years, since 2022. It makes me very frustrated. I feel devalued. There's no more bargaining, no more negotiation. This is what we're asking for, and this is what we want," she said.
Organizers said the wide range of concerns reflects a shared goal: strengthening the collective power of workers.
"We're doing it to create collective worker power, collective power. So that whether it's our leadership, whether it's corporations, the oligarchs, they're going to be forced to listen at some point if enough of us gather and raise our voices together," said Alison Traina, a member of Bay Resistance.
Attendees echoed that sense of solidarity, describing the rally as one step in a larger movement.
"It feels good to be here. It feels good to move. We know that this is just one step in many, many steps of coming together to build a bigger movement," said Megan.
Organizers said the rally remained peaceful, with no reports of violence. They plan to continue holding demonstrations and marches in the coming weeks as they push for changes at the local, state and federal levels.