Amid ongoing Iran war and inflation, small but strong showings for US Labour Day gatherings

Cities and towns across the US held Labour Day events on Monday to demand rights for workers amid job cuts, widespread immigration crackdowns, and more than six months into the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Though the demonstrations were relatively small–with some major cities seeing only dozens in attendance–the showings were nevertheless significant during record-high sweltering temperatures and after two years of steady demonstrations that have left many fatigued.

"I think people are tired," Connie Jeung-Mills, a San Francisco-based leader with the Indivisible movement, told The New Arab. "It's important to show support, especially at this time."

This year, the focus for many cities was on federal workers, who have been hit particularly hard following the implementation of the now-dissolved Department of Government Efficiency (or DOGE) that was run by Republican megadonor Elon Musk. Federal workers, who tend to be non-partisan and work behind the scenes, were left carrying the workloads of those who had been dismissed.

"They're trying to work for the government while working for the government is not easy to do," said Jeung-Mills. "They signed up to keep the government running. They're not the enemy."

As the November midterm elections approach, of particular concern is the US Postal Service. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly tried to restrict mail-in voting, and so far has largely seen these efforts blocked by court orders. In November 2023, the US Postal Workers Union became one of the largest US unions to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

In Chicago, considered the birthplace of Labour Day in the US, advocates marched in the city's annual parade through the city’s south side that started in the city's Pullman Historic District and ended in Steelworkers Park.

Labour Day in the US began in the late 1800s in the so-called gilded age of oligarchs, amid widespread squalid working conditions in dangerous factories with little regulations for workers' safety or welfare. Many activists compare today’s working conditions and growing wealth inequality with that era.

"There’s so much history in our city. We have Chinese and Mexican immigrants, and one of the largest populations of Palestinians," Byron Sigcho Lopez, a member of the city council in Chicago’s 25th ward, told TNA.

"These communities are very much part of this coalition of working people," he said. "We can overcome obstacles and stop fascism with a coalition of working people."