LYNN — A large crowd of people gathered in the Lynn Common for a rally and march to the General Electric plant in celebration of May Day, which is dedicated to supporting workers internationally, on Monday evening.
The origin of this day comes from May 1, 1886 in Chicago. Workers there protested in demand of an eight-hour work day, and some of the strikers were met with violence and death.
“May Day has been celebrated ever since then in their memory and for workers all over the world,” Jeff Crosby from New Lynn Coalition, an organization that seeks to mobilize the area’s working class people, said.
New Lynn Coalition’s Maria Carrasco and Neil Whittredge hosted the event on Monday evening.
“Thank you all for coming and standing in solidarity with the working class in the North Shore,” Whittredge said.
Lynn United for Change, Essex County Community Organization (ECCO), Lynn Latino Leadership Coalition, Lynn Teachers Union, North Shore Labor Council, and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 509 North Shore were some of the groups that attended the rally.
The supporters of the groups chanted and held signs with messages such as “Housing is a human right” and “Support workers.”
Speakers at the rally included Ana Maria De Leon from Lynn United for Change, Martha Lopez and Dinorah Mendez from ECCO, and Melodie Levy from SEIU 509 North Shore.
The speakers talked about issues including housing, immigration, workers’ rights, and union solidarity.
Maria De Leon talked to the crowd about affordable housing.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from, it doesn’t matter what language you speak because the right to have a roof, it’s a right within ourselves,” Danny Acosta translated for Maria De Leon.
For workers, May Day is like their independence day, Crosby said.
“As we say in New Lynn, we don’t care what country you come from or what language you speak,” he said. “We don’t care what kind of work you do, who you love, the color of your skin … we respect and care for all of those things, because our job is to bring us all together.”
