May Day Highlights Working Class Unity from the Streets to the Polls

 

by Jahmal Henderson

Workers, high school students, and community members filled the New Haven Green for May Day demonstrations calling out corporate greed and demanding stronger protections for workers.

Three rallies were organized by the May Day Strong coalition in Connecticut beginning in Hartford with a protest at Palentir electronics against their collaboration with ICE, and then rallying at the State Capitol celebrating passage of a major labor bill that day.

In the afternoon in New Haven many stopped by a host of information tables including the Connecticut People’s World to learn more about the issues. Speeches from labor, peace and social justice groups were followed by a march through downtown.

Born from the 1886 U.S. push for the eight hour day, International Workers’ Day unites people worldwide in honoring labor’s struggles and solidarity.

On Saturday the annual People's World May Day rally “Working Class Unity: From the Streets to the Polls.” brought everyone together around the urgent need to protect our voting and democratic rights. It reminded us that real change starts with the work we do on the ground, informing our communities, sharing essential information, having meaningful conversations, and carrying that collective energy to the polls to make the changes we need.

Emcee Jahmal Henderson, chair of the Newhall CTCPUSA Club and a key organizer in Connecticut, announced the Edie and George Fishman Library gifted to the New Haven Federation of Teachers (NHFT) last July with volumes spanning 80 years of working class struggle..

The rally opened with greetings from Leslie Blatteau, president of NHFT and high school student Brandon Daley along with leaders of Unite Here Locals 33 and 34 at Yale. Brandon, a junior, described his deep involvement in local youth advocacy, from protesting for increased education funding to holding Yale accountable and organizing a Students over Billionaires school walkout on May Day.

BarbaraVereen, organizing director of Unite Here Local 34, called for solidarity with Yale’s clerical and technical workers, expressing appreciation for turnout at the massive April 23 contract rally where members demanded higher wages in response to inflation and rising living costs while Yale's $44 billion endowment continues to soar. Jake Thrasher, staff organizer of Local 33 spoke about their campaign to win union recognition for Yale’s postdoctoral workers. Postdoc Greg Zilberg got an ovation when he announced that on May 1, 2026 an overwhelming vote won representation for nearly 1,400 researchers. 

The centerpiece of the event was an inspiring slideshow "May Day Around the World", highlighting labor rights rallies and protests on all continents and industries mirroring the huge rallies against MAGA and for workers rights and immigrant rights throughout Connecticut and the U.S. Union members Terrell Williams, Lisa Armstrong, and Ben McManus served as narrators, underscoring the significance of the U.S. labor movement reclaiming International Workers Day this year..

The crowd was treated to a special performance by Scotticesa Marks and her family filling the room with songs of resistance, inspiring attendees to rise to their feet and join in, singing their favorite tunes as the whole crowd sang along. Scotticesa created a new movement song from the words on the Communist Party banner carried in the May Day march, “Tax the Rich, House the Poor, Money for Jobs, Not for War.”

Jess Corbett, president of the Western Connecticut Area Labor Federation and proud member of Local 34 and New Haven Rising, stepped up to the mic to lay out this year's May Day demands. He reminded everyone the fight to Tax the Rich, in Connecticut and across the country, is far from over, and that working people have to keep pushing back against a system built to protect the rich..

Tabitha Sookdeo, executive director of Connecticut Students for a Dream, lifted up the demand of “No ICE” and the ongoing struggle for immigrant rights. She spoke about how easy it is to feel discouraged in moments like these, but also how important it is to remember that we are not alone, and we are not powerless. Together, we defend our communities by demanding stronger, humane immigration laws. An omnibus bill expanding protections was signed into law in Connecticut three days later, the result of a huge organizing effort.

Henry Lowendorf, chair of the Greater New Haven Peace Council, spoke on the demand of “No War,” displaying a banner showing the billions poured into war while the resources working people depend on continue to shrink. His message was clear: every dollar spent on war is a dollar stolen from the working class.

Jess spoke about the fourth demand “Protect Our Vote.” Solidarity pledge cards were signed and turned in, another step in defending democracy from the ground up.

The May Day celebration closed with the New Haven group "Singing Resistance". Voices rose, chants echoed back and forth, and the night ended the way May Day should, community and workers standing together, singing together, and refusing to back down.