Demonstrators marched toward the White House during May Day protests on May 1, 2025. Jose Luis Magana/AP
May Day demonstrations are expected to draw crowds nationwide, with organizers urging people to boycott work, school and shopping to oppose the Trump administration’s policies and what protesters describe as a billionaire takeover of government.
The “May Day Strong” events, planned from Boston to San Francisco, mark International Labor Day and follow anti-Trump demonstrations under the “No Kings” banner that organizers say have attracted millions across the country. Historically, May 1 has been a day of protest tied to 19th-century efforts to establish an eight-hour workday; federal law setting the workweek at 44 hours was signed in 1938 and reduced to 40 hours in 1940.
The National Education Association, the country’s largest labor union with about 3 million members, is a key organizer. NEA President Becky Pringle said the message this year is to prioritize workers over billionaires, noting bus drivers, teachers and nurses are feeling the effects of policies that favor the ultra-wealthy while cutting public services like education.
Organizers say more than 500 labor unions, student groups, community organizations and others will take part. Sunrise Movement, a student climate group, said it expected more than 100,000 students to miss school in a planned “strike.”
In North Carolina, where per-pupil spending and teacher pay rank near the bottom nationally, roughly 20 public school districts planned to close because of staff absences. Educators, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and maintenance staff planned to rally in Raleigh to press the state legislature for increased education funding. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education voted to cancel classes on May 1 due to expected absences. A district spokesperson said they share teachers’ desire to live in and serve their communities.
Bryan Proffitt, vice president of the North Carolina Association of Educators, said the Raleigh rally is the third educators’ demonstration in eight years under the “Kids Over Corporations” campaign, aiming for greater public-school investment, an end to corporate tax cuts, restored democratic processes and expanded union rights.
Some officials opposed the closures. North Carolina state Sen. Amy Galey said a one-day shutdown won’t benefit students, noting there were fewer than 20 instructional days left in the school year.
Stacy Davis Gates, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the Chicago Teachers Union, argued that not taxing the ultra-rich leaves schools and other public services underfunded, and called for organizing to achieve a future where students and communities have necessary resources.
May Day events are also planned in Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York City, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., Albuquerque and Portland, Ore., among other cities.
In his first term, President Trump proclaimed May 1 “Loyalty Day,” as many presidents have done, to emphasize loyalty to individual liberties. The White House said the administration “has never wavered from standing up for American workers,” citing renegotiated trade deals, manufacturing investments, overtime tax cuts and border security, and added that President Trump will always support American workers.