Workers organizations are planning hundreds of “Workers Over Billionaires” protests across the United States this Labor Day weekend, with several planned surrounding the District of Columbia area.
Washington has been the site of various smaller protests this summer, but Labor Day protest organizers from organizations such as May Day Strong and the AFL-CIO are expecting a larger and more coordinated turnout in the DMV for the weekend holiday that celebrates workers.
“Billionaires are stealing from working families, destroying our democracy, and building private armies to attack our towns and cities. Just like any bad boss, the way we stop the takeover is with collective action,” the May Day Strong webpage reads.
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The nationwide “Workers Over Billionaires” protests are set to take place Monday, with D.C. area demonstrations planned in Alexandria, Vienna, and Loudoun County, Virginia, and Chevy Chase and Rockville, Maryland. Washington workers gathered in Dupont Circle on Thursday to participate in an early Labor Day protest.
Amid the federalization of Washington, residents have taken to the streets in neighborhoods such as the U-Street Corridor and Columbia Heights to protest federal immigration raids. Throughout the year, workers have protested on 14th Street to speak out against working conditions at the popular local Stephen Starr restaurant Le Diplomate. The “No Kings” protest in June also brought thousands of demonstrators to the D.C. area to protest President Donald Trump’s administration as he held a military parade in the capital.
The heightened National Guard and federal law enforcement presence has angered many residents in connection with the Free D.C. movement and has brought protesters out frequently in places like Dupont Circle. Activists from Free D.C. are holding a Labor Day mass call with the “Workers Over Billionaires” movement this weekend to give “front-line reports” with activists from Chicago, where Trump has also threatened to send federal troops.
The Trump administration has repeatedly cited the president’s efforts as evidence of his commitment to workers. In the proclamation for Labor Day this year, the White House said it is “restoring the dignity of labor and putting the American worker first.”
“We are making it easier to buy American and hire American, breathing new life into our manufacturing cities, and securing fair trade deals that protect our jobs and reward our productivity,” the statement read.
“Wages for Blue-Collar workers are now rising at the fastest rate in 60 years, which is so important to all of us around this table,” Trump said during his administration’s full Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “The average American worker has already seen a $500 wage increase this year.”
Trump has repeatedly touted his efforts since federalizing Washington to make the district safe again. The district went 12 days without a single homicide in the first two weeks of the federalization, a near-record-breaking streak for the capital.
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“The incompetent Mayor of Chicago just stated that, in DC, where crime has been brought down to almost nothing, there have been no murders in 9 days, something which hasn’t happened in years, and people are safe again, only nine people have been arrested. That is wrong, hundreds of criminals have been held, captured, and arrested, and their guns have been taken away. DC IS SAFE AND BOOMING!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday, tapping into his efforts in Washington and his feud with Chicago.
May Day Strong planned a “Workers Over Billionaires” protest in Chicago outside of Trump Tower on Monday.