The City of Boston saw several May Day celebrations, including a rally at 100 Federal St. in Downtown Boston by union representatives, members and workers.

The rallies commemorate International Workers Day, which had at least part of its origins in the Chicago Haymarket Affair, where anti-unionists bombed a workers rally in 1886 – https://gvimes.link/workersday

The rally at 100 Federal St. took place around 11 a.m. and featured speakers from all over the trades.

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 103 Business Manager Lou Antonellis said the fight is one against the “billionaire” class.

“They want union-free business environments, they want low wages, they want no benefits, no worker protections, less affordable housing, they want us, on our knees,” he said. “Are we going to let them?”

A resounding “NO!” came from the crowd.

“Because right now, those big money donors and out-of-town billionaires, they’re pouring big money into Boston,” he said. “They want to buy money and influence.”

Antonellis likened the situation to a battlefield.

“I see a lot of union shirts, I see a lot of hard hats on, and I can see the job sites,” he said. “This is a f%$ing war zone! These are my combat boots, and this is my soldier’s helmet. And these are built for class warfare brothers and sisters. We’re at war against the billionaires and the ruling class of this country. We’re the party of peace, the party of protest, and here in Boston, we’re the party of Patriots. We’ve been starting sht with the ruling class for 250 years.”

Antonellis said he felt the current government would shame founding fathers like Paul Revere and Samuel Adams.

“The ghosts of those rabble rousers are rolling over in their graves right now, watching our tyrannical government dismantle the country they fought and died for,” he said. “Are we going to let them? Are we going to fight? If they were here right now, they’d want good patriots like us to stand up and to speak up and fight back against the government to fan the flames of a revolution they started 250 years ago. When we mobilize, unionize... we get our people to the polls and we vote-them-out!”

State Sen. Lydia Edwards said she was ready for a fight, showing the crowd her biceps.

“You said fight, you said war, I was just promoted to captain in the United States Army!” she said. “But also I’ve been a soldier in this class war for generations, with my mother, my father, we’ve been soldiers and fighitng the right fight and you know what I’m looking at? A friggin’ battalion of soldiers!”

Edwards said you don’t have to go too far back in history to find union members dying for their cause, and brought up American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3669 member Alex Pretti.

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“He died fighting for people, so I’m here in his memory and every single one of us who will be asked to stand up, and not stand down,” she said. “Some of you are going to have stand up for neighbors, some of you are going to have to stand up for contracts, you’re going to be in places you never thought you’d have to deal with.”

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a social media post after the event that the current business climate is definitely trying to reduce workers rights in the United States.

“Every single protection working people rely on has been won by unions: the weekend, workplace safety requirements, overtime pay, collective bargaining, and paid leave included,” she wrote. “Today, powerful people are still dismissing workers’ rights as unrealistic, radical, or peculiar. And the federal government is owned by billionaires who think basic dignity for workers is too much to ask. They think asking the wealthy to pay their fair share is unreasonable, paid family leave is excessive, and anything that puts working people ahead of profits is un-American.”

Laborers’ International Union of North America General Secretary Treasurer Michael Sabitoni appealed to supporters of the president.

“So for the MAGAs in these buildings, I have a message, and that message is clear: if you feel you’ve been left behind, if you feel you want dignity and respect at the workplace, if you feel want a seat at the table and you want a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, don’t believe that bullsh*t snake oil salesman or what he’s selling,” he said. “You want all those things? Then join a f$#%ing union!”

Sabitoni said working people have always led Boston, and that May Day – International Workers Day – has always been an important part of the city.

“May Day was born in struggle, with workers demanding as basic as an eight-hour work day at the Chicago Haymarket Affair,” he said. “And let’s be honest, the fight for dignity is not over. When workers are still being cheated, when safety is at risk, when corporations are still making record profits, while working people fall behind – the fight is not over. But here’s something they’ll never understand: You can’t build this country without us! Union trades men and women built this city, and union trades men and women built the infrastructure, the energy in this country. We don’t just build projects, we build power and community.”

Greater Boston Labor Council President Darlene Lombos led the crowd in chants – as she has done at countless rallies before – and said International Workers Day was more than a celebration of what was won, but a memorial for those fought and died for those gains.

“The Haymarket massacre was aprt of our history, our legacy and we honor that by being in the streets today, right now,” she said.

Roslindale resident and union member Geno Mirabella is in his third year of apprenticeship and said he came out to support the cause. He added that it was always just a part of Roslindale life where he grew up.

“This made me feel good, all the unity and support, we need to do things like this,” he said. “And I do see that in Rozzie. I grew up there, and a lot of my friends and family are in union trades. I take a lot of pride in it because I get to carry that tradition forward.”