Thousands of local union members and activists used their day off on Labor Day not to relax, but to take to the streets and continue writing the history of Boston’s storied labor movement. This year was Boston’s first parade in observance of the holiday, replacing the labor council’s usual Park Plaza breakfast.

Organized by the Greater Boston Labor Council, the gathering attracted over 100 activist and labor groups last Monday morning in celebration of the holiday. The parade gathered at the State House, with marchers stretching down Park Street and winding into Boston Common. Marchers included representatives from activist groups like the Democratic Socialists of America, leaders and members of labor unions like IBEW Local 104 and Laborers Local 151, and politicians such as Governor Maura Healey and Representative Ayanna Pressley.

Labor Day was originally established during the Industrial Revolution by workers’ rights activists as a way to honor the American labor movement and workers’ rights, eventually becoming a federal holiday in 1894. In Boston, speakers noted that the change in event this year was done in hopes of bringing more attention to the workers’ cause. In a year that has seen various union strikes across industries in the city as well as resistance by many working-class Bostonians to the second Trump administration, Labor Day took on a new meaning last Monday.

“Every year on this day, we come together to break bread. We couldn’t do that this year,” Pressley said in a speech to the crowd. “We couldn’t do that this year when the opposition and the fascist-in-chief are attacking working families, breaking laws, breaking spirits along the way. We could not proceed with business as usual.”

“There’s definitely a sense of antagonism between the working class and the government right now,” Vanessa Bartlett, a member of Boston DSA and organizer with UAW Local 2324, said to The Beacon. “Trump is himself a boss, a member of the ruling class that aligns himself with people like Elon Musk, who are known union busters,” she added.

Standing beside Healey, Massachusetts American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations President Chrissy Lynch spoke about the disillusionment that many members of the working class feel towards the government. 

“Neither party has done enough to provide economic security. Both parties have contributed to a system that prioritizes what corporations want over what our communities need,” she said, clarifying that “the platform of the Democratic party is very pro-union, but down in D.C., it is incredibly dusty.”

After the speeches concluded, the parade began with several stops along the way. Passing the nation’s first public school, marchers, including representatives of Boston teachers union, Massachusetts teachers union, and the Malden education association, chanted “Get up, get down, Boston is a union town.” The crowd blocked traffic through most of downtown as they made their way past the office of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset management company that holds significant government contracts. The firm is also invested in corporations like Republic Services, a multi-billion dollar waste and recycling company, which has been embroiled in a strike with its sanitation workers affecting communities around Massachusetts since July 1.

In an interview with The Beacon, Natalicia Tracy, the executive director of Community Labor United, said that standing up to companies like BlackRock is vital to their cause. 

“[BlackRock’s] CEO Larry Fink is loved by MAGA folks,” she said, as the parade crossed in front of the company’s office. “Larry made $31 million in wages last year and he has funds supporting MAGA.”

The route continued past Faneuil Hall, where the first building and construction trades union council gathered in 1834, before stopping at 100 Sudbury St, a luxury apartment complex where local janitors have been striking for over a year. Finally, the group converged at City Hall Plaza where Senator Ed Markey, Mayor Michelle Wu, and Pressley delivered remarks to the crowd. Markey emphasised opposition to the Trump administration, a common theme of the day’s demonstrations.

“Trump is a union busting scab who puts his billionaire pals over the prosperity and the safety of the American worker,” Markey said. “He does not want people to have power, he wants the powerful [few] to control the people.”

Wu spoke in support of all Boston unions, but specifically mentioned UNITE HERE Local 26, which represents hospitality workers at Fenway who are on the verge of a second strike after a three-day standout in July. The union also represents many of Emerson’s dining services workers.

Wu also made reference to her mayoral opposition, Josh Kraft, the son of billionaire Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

“We will not back down, not to scare tactics, not to political stunts, and not to billionaires trying to buy power and sell out our communities,” she said. “In Boston, we know what too many in power don’t understand. Labor isn’t a special interest in this city, labor is the city of Boston.” 

This sentiment was echoed by many in the crowd, including members of Local 26.

“We will not surrender to low wages and increases in automation,” one longtime Fenway vendor told the crowd. “It’s not the corporations or the billionaires that keep Boston running. It’s the workers.”