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Workers, union members and community organizers gathered for San Francisco’s annual May Day march on Thursday, chanting from the Mission to City Hall. Marchers yelled “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido” (“The people united will never be defeated”) the whole way.
Organized by May Day SF, the march began at the 24th Street BART Plaza at 10 a.m. and proceeded north through the Mission District. By the time it reached 21st Street, the crowd had grown to roughly 200 people.
It eventually joined a separate protest that started later in the day, at 4 p.m. from the Civic Center. That one drew thousands.
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May Day’s origins in the United States date back to a nationwide strike in 1886 to demand an eight-hour workday, but it’s come to encompass a wide range of causes. Just as last year, many in the morning march expressed solidarity with Palestine. Others carried signs that read “No to deportations,” and “Stand up, fight back.”
Jim, a longtime San Francisco resident, wore an anti-Trump shirt and a vest lined with political pins. “These workers are hard workers,” he said, referring to immigrants in construction, hotel, and farm labor. “If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have food on the table.” He continued on, past 19th Street, marching with one fist in the air.
Near 17th Street, Juanita Contreras — born and raised in the Mission, recently retired after 40 years with the Postal Service — walked alongside fellow demonstrators in support. “Some people say, ‘I’m okay,’ but it’s not okay if others aren’t,” she said. “I have a home, I have food, but I know there are people who need our help. We have to continue the legacy of helping those who need more.”
Joaquin Rubio, a janitor and union member, marched in a purple Service Employees International Union shirt. “We need to treat each other with the same respect we’d want to be treated with,” he said.
By the time the march ended at City Hall, the crowd had grown to more than 1,000. One of them, SEIU worker Luis Muñoz, said that he was particularly concerned about TSA workers, who are at risk of losing their union. Without those protections, he warned, airport-security jobs could be privatized and wages driven down.
So he was out here, marching, in support. “If we don’t come out, we don’t show up, we ain’t going to get nothing from this,” he said.
More than a thousand workers, union members and community organizers gathered for San Francisco’s City Hall for this year’s May Day event on May 1, 2025. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
A organizer holds a sign during a march to the 16th Street Plaza on May 1, 2025. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
A demonstrator waves the Palestinian flag at 16th and Mission streets during speeches for this year May Day event on May 1, 2025. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
Juanita Contreras, a retired postal service worker (left), stops and poses near 20th and Mission streets on May 1, 2025 . Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
Hundreds are seen marching down Mission Street towards the 16th Street Bart Plaza on May, 1 2025. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
A truck filled with Latin percussion players led the route from 24th and Mission streets to the 16th Street Plaza on May 1, 2025 Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
Members of one of the first SEIU locals, Local 87, Janitors Union in San Francisco pose at the 16th Street BART plaza on May 1, 2025. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
Over a thousand people marched at this year’s May Day event at City Hall in San Francisco on May 1, 2025. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
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