A coalition of labor, immigrant rights and community groups is preparing to rally in the Catskills, Hudson Valley, and Northeast Pennsylvania this week as part of a nationwide May Day action, marking two decades since one of the largest coordinated protests in U.S. history.
Friday’s event coincides with International Workers’ Day and the 20th anniversary of the 2006 “Day Without an Immigrant” demonstrations, when millions of people across the country walked off the job, left school and avoided shopping to highlight the economic impact of immigrant labor.
Local organizers in Ulster County say that spirit is being revived through the national May Day Strong movement, which is calling for a renewed day of action under the message: “No Work. No School. No Shopping.”
Cris Hughes, a labor working group co-chair with the Mid-Hudson Valley chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, said the day’s priorities include “families coming first,” abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and ending what she described as unjust wars funded by taxpayers.
Vanessa Cid, a member of the same organization, recalled attending the 2006 protests as a child, when her mother brought her out in opposition to a federal immigration bill known as H.R. 4437, which would have criminalized undocumented immigrants and those who assisted them.
“It unfortunately resonates even more because it’s now been 20 years and nothing has been done for our immigrant community,” she said. “We’re tired of it.”
Organizers say the rally in Newburgh is expected to draw a broad coalition of Hudson Valley groups advocating for immigrant protections, labor rights and economic justice.
Hughes, who works at an Amazon warehouse, said economic pressures remain a central concern for many workers in the region.
“Even working 40 hours a week, that’s not enough for people,” she said. “So many people do second jobs… people are working 60 hours a week just to make ends meet.”
She connected those conditions to the historical roots of May Day, which date back to 19th-century labor movements fighting for an eight-hour workday.
“What have we done to ourselves 150 years later?” Hughes said. “We’re back in that same position now.”
Hughes also described the impact of immigration enforcement on coworkers, saying some employees have left their jobs or the country amid uncertainty about their legal status.
“You had good, hardworking people who followed the system and were still being punished,” she said.
Despite concerns that walkouts could disrupt local economies, organizers say that disruption is intentional.
“That’s exactly what it’s supposed to do,” Cid said. “It’s thanks to unions and strikes and protests that we have a 40-hour workweek… I hope it does disrupt business as usual.”
Image: Alex Rivera holds up a flag at the NYCLU’s May Day rally for worker’s and immigrant’s rights at Foley Square, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)