May Day Protests 2026: ‘No Kings’ movement expands nationwide–Key demands explained

Organizers and labor unions across the US have called for nationwide “May Day” protests on Friday, May 1, 2o26.

The protests coinciding with International Labor Day are expected in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and Raleigh. The demonstrations also follow anti-Trump protests under “No King” banner that has drawn millions of people nationwide.

Unlike the September Labor Day holiday, May 1st in the US dates back to the 19th-century struggle for the 8-hour workday, which was eventually codified by the Fair Standards Act in 1938.

May Day protestors are calling for a massive boycott of work, school and shopping to protest the Trump administration’s policies which the activists call “billionaire takeover of the government.”

Friday's protest is organized by the National Education Association, having 3 million members. The key message of this year’s protest would be "focusing on workers over billionaires."

"We know there are bus drivers in New York and teachers in Idaho and nurses in Louisiana who are feeling the impact of a system that has decided … to put billionaires ahead of everyone else, while cutting services like public education that this country has made to our kids and impact our future,” NEA President Becky Pringle said.

A youth-led group expecting over 100,000 students to walk out of school to fight for a "Green New Deal." More than 500 labor unions, community groups, and student organizations are participating

Activists in Raleigh are calling for "Kids Over Corporations," seeking more investment in public services like education and healthcare, the expansion of union rights, and higher taxes on the "ultra-rich." In North Carolina, over 20 public school districts, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg, are closed due to mass staff absences.

Republican State Sen. Amy Galey criticized the closures, arguing that shutting down the schools will not benefit students.

May Day events are also organized in Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York City, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., Albuquerque and Portland, Ore., among other cities.