Workers come out against Trump

On Friday 1 May, over 4,000 demonstrations were held across America for a national day of “no work, no school, no shopping” against Trump. It was mainly organised by the coalition May Day Strong, but many unions and the AFL-CIO confederation backed the demonstrations.

Left-wing groups including Socialist Alternative USA, Solidarity, and the DSA were also present and organised across these demos, in their own capacities and as part of union blocs.

Educators were particularly well organised. In North Carolina, where teachers are banned by law from striking, enough nonetheless walked out to cause class cancellations in over 22 school districts while they marched on the state legislature to demand higher corporation taxes for more school funding.

The Chicago Teachers’ Union ended up doing a deal with city schools bosses to declare 1 May a “day of civic engagement”, and took thousands of students and teachers out to rallies and protests as “field trips”.

There had been a series of workers’ assemblies in Minneapolis, organised by unions and left groups, which sought to build for May Day and especially for an educators’ contingent in Minneapolis. We don’t know how well that worked, or whether more assemblies are planned.

May Day in the US was a mixed bag, with effective walkouts in some places, and poor union organising elsewhere. Across the board however, trade unions and left groups made themselves visible on a day of celebration for the workers’ movement and protest against the Trump government.

The left should learn lessons, organise more workers’ assemblies, work to expand and transform the US workers’ movement into a force that can defeat Trump.