Mayor Brandon Johnson joined union leaders and advocates at a rally Monday within the West Loop decrying President Donald Trump and different billionaires and calling for employees’ rights as a part of nationwide Labor Day protests.
A whole lot gathered at a memorial to the victims of the 1886 Haymarket bombing focusing on a pro-labor demonstration and slammed Trump’s plan to ship federal immigration brokers and doubtlessly Nationwide Guard troops to Chicago.
Johnson, who minimize his enamel at political rallies and served as a Chicago Academics Union organizer, started his speech with a chant: “No federal troops within the metropolis of Chicago! No militarized power within the metropolis of Chicago! We’re gonna defend our democracy within the metropolis of Chicago!”
“Are you ready to defend this land? … If this president decides to proceed to interrupt this structure, it’s going to be the labor motion that stitches it again collectively,” Johnson added.
The protest was a part of a sequence of demonstrations dubbed Employees Over Billionaires: A Labor Day of Motion, with rallies happening throughout the nation.
The gang carried indicators studying “Democracy doesn’t save itself,” “Immigrants strengthen America” and “Shut Down ICE!” Protesters had a slew of messages they wished to get throughout to Trump — from criticizing what they view as anti-labor insurance policies to protesting the conflict in Gaza.
John Kelleher, a constructing inspector with the town who lives in Lincoln Sq., mentioned his major message was “that we don’t want the Nationwide Guard in Chicago.” Trump has threatened to ship troops to the town to deal with what he describes as out-of-control crime, though crime has been falling for years.
“The police can deal with it,” Kelleher mentioned. “Chicago cops are the very best. And … labor is a power to be reckoned with.”
Bob Reiter, the highly effective president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, kicked off this system to raucous cheering from members of the Chicago Academics Union, the Service Staff Worldwide Union and different labor teams, saying they had been “standing as much as Donald Trump’s assaults on working folks.
“He thinks he can simply rip up union contracts and provides tax cuts to billionaires like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Antonio Gracias,” Reiter mentioned. Gracias is the CEO of a personal fairness agency in Chicago who labored for the Division of Authorities Effectivity, the initiative Trump and Musk used to slash authorities packages and jobs.
Chicago Academics Union president Stacy Davis Gates, a mayoral ally, denounced “billionaire tyranny on our metropolis” and the Trump administration’s assaults on public well being and schooling.
“Solidarity is the antidote to white supremacy,” Davis Gates mentioned. “Solidarity is the antidote to anti-immigrant fever. Solidarity is the antidote to homophobia and transphobia. Solidarity is the antidote to folks not having and needing. It’s solidarity that reunites us.”
Later within the day, Chicago restaurant employees and members of the One Honest Wage coalition continued the demonstrations.
The group of about 100 protesters gathered outdoors 44 E. Wacker Drive, throughout the river from Trump Tower.
Evanston Mayor Daniel Bliss and Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (twenty fifth) joined a lineup of audio system, principally restaurant-industry employees advocating for greater minimal wages for tipped employees.
In March, Trump revoked an govt order signed by President Joe Biden that raised the minimal wage for federal employees. Complaints from protesters didn’t finish with Trump’s labor insurance policies.
As with the sooner protest, the afternoon demonstrators had been united in protesting Trump administration insurance policies.
“Chicago is a union city,” Sigcho-Lopez mentioned. “Chicago is a city of working folks, and once we see dictators, once we see those that wish to dehumanize and criminalize working folks, we combat again. We combat again with actions. … We’re preventing for the long run that our youngsters can imagine in.
“It’s not sufficient to say that we care, we should go laws that exhibits that we look after working folks, that we combat for working folks.”
Jennifer Sabo and her daughter, Addison, 16, spent Labor Day weekend visiting Chicago from Arizona. They determined to cease by Trump Tower to “politely flip off” the Chicago location of the president’s resort chain.
“We don’t stand for a president that promotes hate,” Jennifer Sabo mentioned. “It seems like our voices have been being censored.”
“I’m hopeful to see folks out right here at the moment,” Addison Sabo mentioned.
Restaurant employees slammed the Nationwide Restaurant Affiliation’s help of Trump’s tax insurance policies and efforts to maintain in place the minimal wage for tipped employees.
Two protest leaders had been detained by police.
Richard Rodriguez, the nationwide coverage director of One Honest Wage, and Mike Oles, chief of employees of Progressive Democrats of America, stopped site visitors on East Wacker Drive to take a seat at a desk on the street with a plate of tacos.
Police rapidly approached the boys, and suggested them to go away the road. Once they refused, Rodriguez and Oles had been handcuffed and briefly detained by police.
The tacos — made by One Honest Wage members — symbolized the acronym used to explain Trump’s tendency to again off of tariffs and different threats: “TACO” for “Trump At all times Chickens Out.”
Annelise Jackson holds up a tray of tacos throughout a One Honest Wage rally throughout from Trump Tower on Monday within the Loop. TACO is an acronym which means “Trump at all times chickens out,” referring to President Donald Trump’s tendency to again off of tariffs and different threats.
Anthony Vazquez/Solar-Instances
“Trump owns a number of eating places and is partnered with the Nationwide Restaurant Affiliation in suppressing wages for employees,” Rodriguez mentioned. “We’re asking folks to ask, ‘Which facet are you on?’ Are you prepared to face with employees, or are you going to face with the billionaire class suppressing wages?”
