BATAVIA/May Day event planned for Friday at City Centre

Press release

Batavia, New York – On Friday, May 1, workers, students, immigrants, and families in
Genesee County will hold a rally in commemoration of International Workers’ Day, joining
over 1,000 cities nationwide as part of the nationwide effort, May Day Strong
[https://www.maydaystrong.org], to demand, “Workers Over Billionaires.”

From 1:00 to 3:00 PM outside Batavia City Hall [https://g.co/kgs/G5YyNiZ], GLOW Community Alliance
and Genesee County Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are holding this rally.
As families are being forced to choose between rent and groceries, they’re being told to
fear and blame their neighbors, while billionaires and corporations keep taking more. In
response, unions and community organizations are organizing to show unity behind an
agenda that puts workers first:

1. Tax the rich so our families, not corporations’ fortunes, come first.
2. No ICE, no war. No private army serving authoritarian power.
3. Expand democracy, not corporate rule. Demand free, fair elections and the right to a
   union.
   

Jane Schmieder, a local attorney, is co-hosting the protest rally on behalf of GLOW
Community Alliance. “Our local community is full of good, decent, hardworking citizens
who are appalled by recent government actions (war in Iran, ICE’s abuse and detention of
immigrants, cuts to social welfare programs). Our democracy and our election integrity are
severely threatened,” said Schmeider, “People want to show their opposition to a
government which has turned against us, and against all nations. We want to exercise our
right to peaceful protest in the heart of our community. This is the fourth Batavia protest in
the last year.”

“The Trump administration’s recent focus on using ICE to target migrant workers and the
leaders among them expands the already-atrocious anti-immigrant effort to be antiworker,” said Logan W. Cole, secretary of Genesee County DSA, emphasizing the connection between zealous immigration enforcement and labor. “ICE is being used to weaken unions, impeding the ability of immigrant and non-immigrant workers’ ability to provide for their families,” added Cole.

May Day actions across the country were inspired by Minnesota unions, community organizations, and workers who came together to withhold economic power in response to federal agents’ violent occupation of their city. Thousands of businesses and workers nationwide followed Minnesotans’ lead to demand ICE out of our communities, billionaires to pay their fair share, and to protect and expand democracy for working people.