Thousands of protesters gathered on University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Library Mall on May 1 for the annual May Day protest in support of worker rights.
The event was led by Voces de la Frontera, an activist group whose mission is “to protect and expand civil rights and workers’ rights through leadership development, community organizing and empowerment.” Around 3,000 protesters marched from Library Mall to the State Capitol to hear from impacted communities and activists.
The first May Day protests date back to 1886 when the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States and Canada declared that from May 1 on, a work day would be eight hours, after thousands of workers went on strike for unfair working hours. The first ever May Day saw over 1,500 strikes across the U.S.
Voces de la Frontera called the movement “A Day Without Immigrants” and spoke against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Trump administration. In an effort to highlight the impact of immigrants in local communities. Communities were encouraged to skip their jobs, schooling and any shopping.
Samuel, a junior at the UW-Madison, said he feels the intersection between worker rights and civil rights issues are substantial.
“I think labor is an underlying factor within all of these,” Samuel told The Daily Cardinal. “If you have immigrants' rights, you acknowledge there are a lot of immigrants here who do a lot of the jobs that Americans typically are unwilling to do because they pay so low and their benefits are horrible. [Immigrants and workers] face similarities in institutional challenges.”
Lynn Ciurro, owner of Bound to Happen Books in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and a member of the Central Wisconsin Socialist Alternative, told the Cardinal there were many organizations involved in the protest, including the Colectivo Union.
Ciurro said a big part of May Day participation comes from “shutting down cafes and businesses so that the workers can really flex their power.” Her business shut down for the protest, but continued paying employees normal wage.
Marie, an executive intern at the UW-Madison’s chapter of Voces de la Frontera, noted the numerous partnerships the organization made for the protest. Marie said there were three marches around Madison led by Voces and other organizations including Planned Parenthood, the League of Women Voters, Goodman Community Center and Just Dane.
Madison Teachers Inc. (MTI), a coalition of Madison teachers, also participated in the protest “to end the attacks on our families and to demand the State Legislature provide the educational resources our children are legally and ethically entitled to receive,” according to an April 22 press release.
Robin, a protestor, carried a pole with the Palestinian and Madison city flags and pointed to the history of May Day.
“People fought and died, and that's the reason why we have our 8 hour work day,” Robin said. “The reason we have our weekend is because they fought and died for those conditions.”
In 2025, Madison East and West high school students led the May Day protest. This year’s crowd was much larger, with an estimated 3,000 protesters.
Rae Falk, an officer for the Progressive Action Organization at UW-Stevens Point, told the Cardinal community is the most important aspect of protesting.
“A lot of people think ‘Oh, I'm just one person. I can’t do anything,’ but everybody here is also just one person, but we're all here joining together in the community, organizing and making change together,” Falk said. “No matter how small your community is, if you're just one person and if you're busy, you can always make a change.”
Betsy Lawrence, a citizen protester wearing a red bandana with the Soviet hammer and sickle, told the Cardinal those who showed up to protest should feel good about themselves.
“This is a day that we can be proud of ourselves,” Lawrence said. “We work and we make this country what it is. People all over the world are marching today, so think of yourselves as one of many, many millions.”
Peter Fishman contributed to this report.
