As Labor Day rallies swept across the country, Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson delivered a fiery rejection of the Trump administration’s threat to send federal troops into his city as part of an immigration crackdown.
“No federal troops in the city of Chicago,” Johnson told a crowd gathered at the “Workers over Billionaires” demonstration in the West Loop. He added, “We’re going to defend our democracy … we’re going to protect the humanity of every single person in the city of Chicago.”
The mayor then led chants of “No troops in Chicago” and “Invest in Chicago,” according to the New York Times. Protesters also turned out near Trump Tower in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, waving anti-Trump posters and shouting “Lock him up,” as videos spread on social media.
Chicago’s rally was one of hundreds held nationwide under the “Workers Over Billionaires” banner. The mass action called for protecting Social Security, funding public schools, healthcare, and housing, and ensuring that everyday workers—not billionaires—come first.
“Together we will demand a country that puts workers over billionaires,” May Day Strong, a coalition of labor unions, said in a statement.
The coordinated protests stretched from major cities like New York, Houston, Los Angeles, and Washington DC to smaller ones, including Cleveland and Greensboro, North Carolina. Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, explained the strategy: “This is about organic, grassroots organizing, and we intentionally wanted it to be outside of Washington DC, because that’s where the impacts are being felt.”
In New York, hundreds gathered across from Trump Tower in Midtown while additional rallies popped up in Albany and across the state. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined the Albany demonstration, saying, “It’s Labor Day [and] we want to celebrate working men and people in this community. New York state, the middle class was built on the labor movement and it’s time to recognize how important working people are to this community, to our country, to our great state.”
In Washington DC, nearly a thousand residents joined a “Freedom Run” protesting Trump’s federal takeover of the city. “I feel bad for the families of the national guard members who’ve been deployed here to essentially be window dressing for this administration,” protester Christie Harlan told WUSA9.
Others pointed to the mass firings of federal employees as motivation. “Firing folks left and right, some of the damage that’s being done is going to be irreparable whenever things come back,” said participant Janice Ferebee.
In Los Angeles, thousands marched before gathering for a community picnic with live music, KTLA reported. In California’s Bay Area, protesters formed a dramatic 17-mile human chain stretching from Redwood City to Santa Clara, according to NBC Bay Area.
Labor action also broke out in Houston, where workers at Hilton Americas-Houston launched a nine-day strike, the first in their union’s 25-year history. More than 400 workers walked off the job after contract negotiations stalled, demanding a wage increase from $16.50 to $23 per hour. “This is about dignity and fairness,” union president Franchesca Caraballo told the Houston Chronicle. The strike is scheduled to end on September 10.
Even as protests gained momentum, Trump marked Labor Day with his own message on Truth Social, posting a photo of himself shaking hands with workers. The caption read: “Celebrating 250 years of THE AMERICAN WORKER. Happy Labor Day.”