NEW YORK (PIX11) — May Day — a traditional day of rallying for international union workers — has come to represent so much more in New York City.
Rallying together in Washington Square Park Monday were unions, sex workers, immigrants, socialists and more. They were all beating the drum for fairness and dignity at work.
“Proper pay, benefits, proper training, but most of all, being treated with respect,” said one of the speakers.
May 1, or May Day, is the traditional celebration of International Workers’ Day. Legal Aid housing lawyer Pilar DeJesus said she and her colleagues are underpaid and overworked, all to help New York’s most vulnerable residents facing eviction. DeJesus said the crowd, despite difference, has a lot more in common.
As the group began marching, PIX11 News caught up with Queens Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán, one of the few elected officials who joined in the May Day event.
“It’s beautiful to see workers from across sectors, all kinds of jobs, showing up for each other,” Cabán said. “They might be fighting for different things, or the same things, but coming together to say, ‘this is a union town and a worker-led city.'”
The rally ended it Foley Square at around 12:30 p.m.
