Western Mass Mobilizes for May Day Economic Blackout
Photo: maydaystrong.org
No School, No Work, No Shopping
Hundreds of labor unions, democratic organizations, and community groups from across the country have called for an economic blackout on May 1 — International Workers’ Day — to protest Trump administration policies, threats of interference with the midterm elections, and economic inequality that they say prioritizes billionaires over workers, students, and families. Organizers are calling for a day of “No School, No Work, No Shopping” and urging Americans to attend one of more than 3,000 scheduled rallies and marches. The action was inspired by an economic strike in Minnesota in January that shut down the state in response to a violent ICE surge there.
Demands
The May 1 Coalition, which is organizing the national protest, has issued the following demands:
- Tax the rich so our families, not their fortunes, come first.
- No ICE. No war. No private army serving unchecked federal power.
- Expand democracy, not corporate power. Hands off our vote.
According to organizers, “May Day, or International Workers’ Day, is observed on May 1 and commemorates the struggles and victories throughout the history of the labor movement in the United States and internationally. It’s time for us to recognize that we are part of the same history and same struggle as the workers who fought for the right to organize on behalf of their communities. We need to take collective action on May 1 in solidarity with the working class around the country in order to protect our rights.”
The goal of the nationwide action, organizers say, is to build a massive, nonviolent economic boycott to demonstrate collective strength against what they describe as a “war on working people.”
Neidi Dominguez, executive director of Organized Power in Numbers, said the number of May Day events this year has more than doubled compared with last year and that this year’s actions are a step toward building a larger movement.
“We’re really trying to actually start organizing people to see that the power that we collectively have to do economic disruption is really the power that we need in this moment — to not just defend ourselves, but defend democracy,” she said.
In Western Massachusetts
The two largest local events will be held in Holyoke and on the UMass Amherst campus.
Holyoke May Day Strong March and Rally
A march and rally will take place in downtown Holyoke in solidarity with Holyoke educators and working people across the country. The march begins at Heritage State Park at Heritage Street and Dwight Street. The event runs from 4:30–6:30 p.m.
Schedule of Events:
- First round of speakers at 4:30 p.m. in Heritage State Park
- March 0.6 miles in downtown Holyoke
- Second round of speakers at the City Hall, around 5:00-5:30
Afterwards, people will gather in Heritage State Park for food and tabling.
UMass May Day Fest: A Festival of Student & Worker Power
Sunrise UMass and The UMass Solidarity Coalition have organized a full day of protest and community engagement focused on democratizing, decolonizing, and demilitarizing UMass. The event will feature live music, art-making, and tabling by a wide range of organizations. It runs from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. on the Metawampe Lawn (named for an Indigenous leader) behind the Student Union, 41 Campus Center Way, UMass Amherst and will be followed by a concert at 6 p.m. sponsored by the Social Thought and Political Economy Program.
Organizers say the May Day festival is both a celebration of community power and a demonstration of collective strength.
Programming includes performers (bands, dance groups, comedy acts), teach-ins (fair pay on campus, student democracy, Palestine and divestment, climate change), art, meditation, student co-op food, and more. Organizers say the event’s primary goal is to engage the community in the fight for democracy and a just university.
From 1-2 p.m., speakers from various organizations and campuses (Sunrise, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (FSJP), Amherst High School FemGen, Hampshire College fair transition activists, and representatives from four campus unions: PRO, GEO, PSU, USA) will conduct a “Power Hour,” where the focus of the festival will turn toward political education and an explanation of the coalitions demands and future goals.
The coalition is united by three core demands for the university: Democratize, Decolonize, and Demilitarize. Student organizers in Sunrise are specifically calling for binding student votes on tuition and major decisions, SJP has emphasized that the university must cut ties with the weapons contractor Raytheon, while the coalition’s demands at large are as follows: affordable housing and tuition, reparations for UMass’s origins as a Land Grant institution built on land taken from 82 Indigenous nations, decommodification of land, a curriculum grounded in global, Indigenous, and Black histories, and an end to university participation in war‑related research, policing, and military contracting.
The organizations that will be tabling, providing an activity, or presenting a teach-in at the event include but are not limited to:
Postdoctoral Researchers’ Organizing-UAW 2322, Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts UMass, University Staff Association-MTA, Professional Staff Union, Young Democratic Socialists of America UMass, Massachusetts Society of Professors Solidarity Caucus, Mutual Aid Project, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity, Springfield No One Leaves/Homes For All/Keep Mass Home, Graduate Employee Organization-UAW 2322, GEO-Palestine Solidarity Caucus, Residents Assistance/Peer Mentors Unit-UAW 2322, Girl Up, UMass Carbon Zero Alliance, UMass Labor Center UG Programs, UMass Drop ICE, UMass Young Socialists, UMass Communists, Multidisciplinary Psychedelic Club, UMass Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences, The Rebirth Project, UMass Students for Reproductive Justice, People’s Market, Isenberg Sustainability Club, Meditation Club, Photography Club, Dissenters, Students for Justice in Palestine, Sunrise UMass, Jeromie Whalen for Congress
Other May Day Events in Western Massachusetts
At least 16 May Day protest events are scheduled across Western Massachusetts, including about a half-dozen in the Berkshires not listed here.
Greenfield — Rally, Noon, Town Common, Bank Row and Main Street. More info
Gill/Montague Bridge, Route 2 — Standout, 4:30–5:30 p.m., Route 2 intersection near the bridge into Turners Falls. More info
Hatfield — Standout, 4–5 p.m., Mountain Drive Overpass. More info
Northampton — Standout, Noon–1 p.m. Stop Citizens Bank from financing private ICE prisons. Public sidewalk on King Street in front of Stop & Shop Plaza. More info
Orange — Standout, 11 a.m.–Noon, South Main Street and Water Street.More info
Pelham — Standout, 3–5 p.m., Amherst Road at South Valley Road. More info
Shelburne — Community event, 10–11:30 a.m., Triangle Park, Water Street and Main Street.More info
South Deerfield — Standout, 3 -4 p.m., Good Trouble Democracy Brigade, Route 116 and Sugarloaf Street. More info
Worthington — Standout, 10 a.m.–Noon, Town Hall, 160 Huntington Road. More info
Read More — May Day Across the Nation
- US Activists Plan May Day Economic Blackout: ‘No School, No Work, No Shopping’ (The Guardian)
- May Day 2026: Solidarity Tool Kit (National Education Association)
- Interactive Map: maydaystrong.org — 3,000+ events