Filipino workers join May Day march in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES – Thousands of workers and activists, including Filipino Americans, rallied in the Westlake District of Los Angeles then embarked on a march to LA City Hall Friday for May Day.

Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) members and supporters joined the main gathering at MacArthur Park, chanting slogans and waving the Filipino flag and signs in support of workers and immigrants.

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An aerial view shows a gathering of demonstrators during a May Day Rally Friday, May 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Scrrencap/PWC video

“Bringing different communities together, that’s how we build power,” PWC Executive Director Aquilina Soriano Versoza told the crowd at the MacArthur Park rally. “Together we are here to defend our communities and families. Dignity for all working people. Dignity for our working families.”

Labor and immigrant rights groups said the demonstrations were part of International Workers’ Day, with events across California calling for expanded worker protections and immigration reforms.

Three-mile march

After the rally at MacArthur Park, the massive crowd set out on a march to downtown Los Angeles, walking roughly three miles to Grand Park across from City Hall.

Screencap/PWC video

Some Fil-Am marchers danced to OPM songs, including viral hits “Hawak Mo ang Beat” and “Paging Dr. Beat.”

Filipino workers break into a ‘Budots’ dance during the May Day march. Screencap/PWC video

“We are here to say loudly and clearly that we are not afraid,” David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International-United Service Workers West union, said in his speech. “We will not be silenced. We must keep fighting against the authoritarian in the White House, and stand up against the corporations and their greed.”

Organizers said the demonstrators are calling for a pathway to citizenship, increased funding for education and health care, and an end to additional funding for federal immigration enforcement agencies.

May Day Strong

May Day or International Workers’ Day is recognized in many countries around the world, with its origins dating back to the 1880s and initially supporting the establishment of an eight-hour work day.

In the US, where May Day is not a federal holiday, May Day Strong, a coalition of activist groups and labor unions, urged people to protest under the banner of “workers over billionaires” and called for an economic blackout through “no school, no work, no shopping.”

Manhattan rally

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed a largely supportive crowd at a Manhattan rally organized by unions and immigrant advocates. He reiterated his promise to raise taxes on the wealthy and “protect our neighbors from the cruelty of ICE,” or Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

At a protest outside the New York Stock Exchange, multiple people were arrested, according to police, who did not have an exact count or information on charges. Video showed some protesters tried to chain themselves to a railing. One struggled with officers.
Across the U.S., many protesters voiced opposition to Trump’s policies, including his immigration crackdown.

While labor and immigrant rights are historically intertwined, the focus of May Day rallies in the US shifted to immigration in 2006. That’s when roughly 1 million people, including nearly half a million in Chicago alone, took to the streets to protest federal legislation that would have made living in the US without legal permission a felony.

Roots in Chicago

May Day, or International Workers’ Day, traces back more than a century to a pivotal period in US labor history.

In the 1880s, unions pushed for an eight-hour workday. A Chicago rally in May 1886 turned deadly when a bomb exploded and police responded with gunfire. Several labor activists — most of them immigrants — were convicted of conspiracy and other charges; four were executed.

Unions later designated May 1 to honor workers. A monument in Chicago’s Haymarket Square commemorates them with the inscription: “Dedicated to all workers of the world.” (With CNS and AP reports)

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