by Alachua County Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
On May 1, workers from all over the world celebrated and rallied for International Workers’ Day.
In Turkey, thousands of people demonstrated on May 1 to protest the anti-democratic political arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the main competitor to President Erdogan in the next general election. In Germany, labor unions rallied against anti-immigration policies targeting minorities. In the Philippines, workers from all over the country gathered in the capital, Manila, to demand wage increases and demand protection of local industries from Trump’s tariffs.
Lastly, Americans—including hundreds of Gainesvillians—organized protests against the Trump administration’s attacks on public services and federal workers.
Things look bleak.
Billions of people are tired, alienated, and frustrated with their bosses and their politicians. Our society is unjust. Our democracy is not a democracy for 99%, but rather a democracy for the 1%.
With a recession knocking at our front door, it’s now do or die. Will Americans allow their politicians to give tax cuts and bailouts to the ultra-rich? Or, can they win real, life-changing reforms like Medicare for All, investments in public education, and green public transportation?
The Trump administration’s attacks on our public services proved that the writing is on the wall: a recession is coming, and the billionaire class knows this. The billionaire class will dismantle and commodify our public services, our children’s education, our healthcare—while they weather the storm and turn a profit. If they did it in 2008, they can do it again.
Only the working class—the producers and the foundation of our economy—has the power to win real change. When workers go on strike, workers strip billionaires of their one source of power: money.
International Workers’ Day on May 1 teaches us about the power of workers. The holiday celebrates the anniversary of the Haymarket Massacre of 1886, when workers on strike in Haymarket Square, Chicago, were ambushed and killed by police officers. To make matters more grim, the Chicago Police framed the killings on the strike organizers by planting and detonating a bomb at the scene of the crime.
What were these workers striking for? The eight-hour work day. During a time when most people worked 12-16 hours a day, seven days a week; during a time when factories employed thousands of children; during a time when women were paid less for the same work men did; during a time when the color of your skin decided your hourly wage, is it any surprise that workers were pushed to their limits, organized, and demanded the eight-hour work day?
One can’t help but feel grateful for these workers who sacrificed themselves for comforts that we take for granted today. The lesson of International Workers’ Day is that, in spite of the obstacles, the workers of Haymarket won. Their dreams became reality. We have progressed so much as a society, and we can still go further.
Working families in 2025 long for working-class-centered politics — politics where their voices are heard and their needs are met. That is why the Alachua County chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) will be organizing a six-part series of political education events at the Civic Media Center on second Wednesdays, open to the public at 6:30pm each session.
May 14: What is Capitalism?
June 11: What is Socialism?
July 9: Race & Capitalism within the United States
Aug. 13: Immigration 101: No Human is Illegal
Sept. 10: US Labor History and the Socialist Pole
Oct. 8: Fascism and the American Right
DSA is calling on our community members in Gainesville to discuss these topics in a group-setting. We hope to brainstorm solutions and potential campaigns in Gainesville.
International Workers’ Day 2025 has demonstrated that real change is on the horizon. Workers have built this world. Now, workers will save this world.