May Day 2019: When We Fight We Win!

It was a packed house at the Peoples Center for May Day 2019: 100 Years of Struggle for Workers' Rights. The annual People's World rally greeted Pat Valdez, UFCW steward at Stop & Shop with cheers. In the epic 11-day strike, workers won increased pay and protected pensions and health care. "This was about more than us, this was about corporate greed." she said to loud applause, thanking the community for their support.

Marches on all continents were included in the May Day Around the World slide show, with common themes for migrant and women workers rights. Massive May Day marches in the working class sections of Venezuela stopped an attempted coup backed by Trump against the Maduro government the workers elected.

The crowd enjoyed stories about how throughout its 100 years, the Communist Party USA has shown leadership for union organizing and workers' rights.

New Haven Rising's Jaime Myers-McPhail told of his nine months in Colorado during the successful union drive by food service workers at United Airlines. The company had capped wages at $11 an hour and required heavy lifting that resulted in miscarriages for seven women. Now the Unite Here members are making $15 an hour and have health care coverage for the first time.

Lena Eckert-Erdheim, co-president of Unite Here Local 33 at Yale said they are fighting for equity on campus, and have joined with the community to demand Yale police get off New Haven streets after Yale and Hamden police shot up a parked car in Newhall injuring Stephanie Washington and Paul Witherspoon.

Participants learned about the fight of 1199 nursing home workers for increased state funding and a raise for the first time in three years. John Jairo Lugo told of Unidad Latina en Accion's organizing against deportations including for Nelson Pinos living in sanctuary for 520 days at the First and Summerfield Methodist Church. Chaz Carmon invited everyone to support Ice the Beef youth at a march to stop the violence on May 26.

A grand finale of labor songs led by Carol Vinick included a special May Day Song written 70 years ago and led by Edie Fishman. The chant of the day was, "When We Fight We Win"