Portland, OR – Over 150 workers took to the streets in Portland this May Day, led by a coalition of anti-imperialist and migrant-led organizations including the International Migrants Alliance (IMA), the International League of Peoples Struggle (ILPS) and the Portland branch of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Tampa, FL – Labor and community activists in Tampa rallied May 1 to join the world in celebrating International Workers Day. The rally was called by the Tampa District of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, with speakers including Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, Tampa Bay Community Action Committee and local union activists.

Grand Rapids, MI – West Michigan labor unions joined by community and social justice groups celebrated International Workers Day on May 1 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

New York, NY – Around 400 people gathered in Union Square on a sunny afternoon of May 1, International Workers Day. Dozens of organizations based in New York came together to not only celebrate workers and our struggles, but to call for the general demands of unionizing and organizing all workers, immediate asylum for all migrants, abolishing ICE and stopping police terror.

San Jose, CA – More than 500 people marched through downtown San Jose for the annual May Day event. On one side of the street, hundreds of cars carrying Mexican flags and flags of the United Farm Workers Union drove by and honked in support. The May Day Coalition of San Jose organized the march and invited dozens of speakers from various community and labor organizations to raise issues important to their community. The community groups marched from Roosevelt Park to San Jose City Hall.

Minneapolis, MN – On a hot 87-degree afternoon, a large crowd assembled at the starting location for the International Workers Day march that was hosted by a large coalition of union, immigrant rights groups and other progressive organizations in the Twin Cities area.

El Primero de Mayo empezó como una celebración de la clase obrera y su lucha heroica después de la brutal violencia de la policía en el año 1886. Los trabajadores que manifestaron en Haymarket lucharon en contra condiciones de trabajo bien peor y por una campana de un día de trabajo por ocho horas. Los atacaron la policía, con muchos trabajadores heridos y muertos, muchos de ellos eran inmigrantes, resultado de un evento infamoso llamado la masacre de Haymarket. El estado de Illinois tuvo un juicio y ejecutó cuatro líderes laborales, siempre recordado como los Mártires de Haymarket. Todavía, el espíritu de este día, el primer Primero de Mayo vive y está celebrado alrededor del mundo cada año.

International Workers Day is celebrated on May 1. Around the world, workers have accomplished many great things over the past year that we can be proud of. The ruling class, made up of monopoly capitalists, have tried their best to keep profits high at the expense of the people during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we’ve seen time and time again that the people can rise above the obstacles created by the 1% and bring about real change. On May Day 2021, it is important to reflect on the past year. We must also renew our efforts to end the rule of the monopoly capitalists and replace their broken, failed system with a system that benefits not the few but the majority of people – socialism.

Coon Rapids, MN – As SEIU Healthcare Minnesota members picketed on Wednesday, April 28 in front of Allina’s Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids Minnesota, they gathered up the crowd that included supporters from other unions and the community for a rally. At the rally, SEIU announced they were filing a 10-day strike notice, for a strike to begin on May 10, at all eight Allina hospitals, where SEIU represents over 4000 members.

St. Paul Park, MN – As of May 2, the Teamsters who work at the Marathon Refinery in Saint Paul Park, Minnesota will have been locked out for 100 days after a one-day strike unless a deal is reached before then to settle their contract negotiations. At this writing, April 28, by all accounts neither side appears ready to back down any time soon.

To mark the 151st birthday, April 22, of the outstanding revolutionary V.I. Lenin, Fight Back News Service is circulating his famous article ‘Letter to American Workers.’

St. Paul, MN – On April 14, union members from many unions across the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area heard reports that the National Guard was using the Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation (SPRLF) building as a staging area to carry out their repression campaign against protesters calling for justice for Daunte Wright.

Chicago, IL – Over the weekend of April 11, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) was in bargaining with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) over the reopening of high schools in Chicago. The areas of disagreement revolve around accommodations for vulnerable teachers, scheduling to keep staff and students safe, remote work, and access to vaccines for students and family.

On March 30 voting ended for Amazon workers who were hoping to join the Retail, Wholesale, Department Store Union (RWDSU) at the Bessemer Alabama Distribution Center. While the mail-in vote ended on March 30, the vote count took over a week to complete, and included hundreds of challenged ballots, mostly from Amazon challenging the vote. In the end, the union lost the vote by more than a two-to-one margin, with 738 workers voting to unionize and 1798 voting not to.

Minneapolis, MN – On April 7 in Minneapolis, around 500 SEIU Healthcare Minnesota members who work at Allina’s Abbott Northwestern Hospital picketed for around three hours. They have been bargaining for their next contract and have now authorized a strike across all eight Allina Hospitals by an overwhelming majority. The union members are demanding pay increases and financial recognition for working as essential workers through a global pandemic.

Chicago, IL – Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has acknowledged that cases on COVID-19 are on the rise again in Chicago, yet she is sticking to her plan to reopen Chicago high schools in two weeks, without addressing ongoing safety concerns from teachers and from the community.

Birmingham, AL – On April 7, more than a week after union voting ended for workers at Amazon’s Bessemer Distribution Center, the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union says that 3215 votes were cast, which is 55% of the 5800 workers at the location. Up until now the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) – which oversees this type of union election – as well as the union and the employer, were engaged in a process of going through every name on the eligibility list and checking if they voted, and seeing if either the employer or the union wished to file an objection to the validity of each ballot based on eligibility of the voter.

Tuscaloosa, AL – On April 2 around 10 p.m., more than 1100 workers at the Warrior Met Coal mine in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, who are members of the United Mine Workers of America, walked off the job and began an ongoing strike. The strike includes workers from all of the plant’s areas of operation, which include the #4 mine, the #5 preparation plant, the #7 mine as well as its central shop.

Chicago, IL – On April 2, Illinois Governor Jay Pritzker signed a bill, in opposition of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, that restores bargaining rights for Chicago teachers over a wide variety of issues that affect teachers and students in Illinois. This bill repeals a previous law from 1995 that limited the teachers’ rights to bargain over things like class size, layoffs, the timing of the school year, and other things. The previous bill had given power over the school district over to the mayor and ultimately was part of setting up disputes between the Chicago teachers Union (CTU) and previous Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, as well as current Mayor Lori Lightfoot, that led to multiple teachers strikes in Chicago.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following March 30 statement from the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU).