May Day demonstrators pack NYC's Washington Square Park for workers' rights rally
Crowds of May Day protesters demanding higher taxes on billionaires to fund public goods and services took to the streets of New York City on Friday.
Thousands rallied on International Workers' Day across the five boroughs, including outside Amazon headquarters in Midtown. On Wall Street, hundreds of climate activists blocked entrances to the New York Stock Exchange, and some arrests were made.
Mamdani speaks at May Day rally
Hundreds, if not thousands, packed Manhattan's Washington Square Park to celebrate workers and the history of labor organizing, before the group started marching to Foley Square.
"I would not be standing in front of you as the mayor of our city were it not for the support of working people," Mayor Zohran Mamdani told the crowd in Greenwich Village. "And it is such a pleasure to be back here with all of you in Washington Square Park, the cradle of worker power."
He added, "Together we will show the world what solidarity means. That a people united, a people organized cannot be defeated."
The mayor's campaign promise to tax the rich was a common theme on the ground, whether it was on a sign or in a chant.
"Share the wealth. They're not asking for the kitchen sink, man, just a livable wage. A proper industry-standard salary," said Antonio Rosario, lead organizer for Teamsters.
The rally in Washington Square Park remained peaceful amid a large NYPD presence.
Protecting workers' rights
Organizers of the rally said protecting workers' rights is more important now than ever before, as the cost of living rises in the city and across the country.
"We need to make sure that working people have a voice, that working people are able to exercise that voice, and demand a life that is really all not that complicated. It's the ability to earn a living, to come home safely at the end of the day, to provide for your family," said Brendan Griffith, president of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO.
Organizers said the rally was being led by several union and immigrant-advocacy organizations to recognize the role workers play across the city and to spotlight the risks of unsafe working conditions and federal immigration enforcement.
Advocates are calling on state leaders to pass the New York For All Act, which limits cooperation between local and state law enforcement with ICE. They say the legislation is critical to protecting immigrant workers.
"You have employers that are threatening immigrant employees and saying, 'I won't pay you more. If you continue to push, I'll fire you, and you have no recourse because I'll call ICE,'" said Husein Yatabarry, with the Muslim Community Network.
Police did not say how many people were taken into custody at the Wall Street rally.
