Hundreds of workers from over 20 Minnesota unions and community organizations gathered at the Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) International Airport on Labor Day to demand better working conditions and to protest against policies that benefit billionaires and corporations. The rally, which was accompanied by a live brass band called Unlawful Assembly, was held at the airport to highlight Delta’s lack of worker protections and their significant contributions to the Trump inauguration.

The coalition, made up of unions and community groups such as the Minnesota AFL-CIO, SEIU Local 26, and Black Lives Matter Minnesota, had a list of demands that included fair wages, healthcare, and union rights for airport and rideshare workers, corporate accountability from companies like Delta, healthcare for all, fully funded schools and social services, an end to immigrant scapegoating, workers’ right to organize and bargain, and taxing billionaires.

Workers from various unions across the airport were present at the rally, including flight attendants, security workers, baggage handlers, wheelchair agents, janitors, and rideshare drivers. These workers were joined by members of the community, who held homemade signs expressing their anger towards the Trump administration and their support for better working conditions for all airport workers.

The rally began with a speech from Pat Gore, a Delta worker and member of Delta Workers United, who spoke about the severe attacks on the working class and the need for union representation to gain worker protections and match the industry’s standards. Abdiqani Ali, a rideshare driver with the Rideshare Driver Organizing Committee of SEIU, shared that rideshare drivers at MSP are demanding a facility with a washroom for drivers to use while waiting for rides and a designated space for prayer.

This rally was part of a national day of action, with Labor Day marches organized across the country. Federal workers were also present at the rally, speaking about attacks on their right to organize and warning of possible attacks on landmark legislation, such as the National Labor Relations Act.

The coordinated efforts of these rallies aimed to show a united front of working people standing up against the billionaire-led government and demanding a city, state, and country that puts workers over billionaires. As Neal Gosman, a TSA worker with The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 899, stated, “We work and provide wealth. We organize with our coworkers, we make democracy in the economy. ” He went on to say, “Tax day is the holiday of the wealthy. Labor Day is the holiday of the rest of us.

The rally at MSP airport was a powerful display of worker solidarity and a call for better working conditions and protections for all workers. As the fight for workers’ rights continues, these workers and community members will continue to stand together and demand change.