CHICAGO—Organized labor was out front for Chicago’s No Kings events on Saturday, March 28, which saw thousands of people pour into Grant Park for a rally hosted by Indivisible organizers, unions, and local and statewide politicians.
Prior to the main event, the Chicago Federation of Labor organized a labor march from nearby Prudential Plaza to the park that included multiple unions, including the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU); SEIU Healthcare workers; the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE); and more.
“Throughout history, when labor unions get engaged in these movements, history’s made,” said Don Villar, secretary-treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Labor. “When labor is leading the way in protecting democracy, watch out.”
Villar mentioned the role labor unions in South Korea played in responding to a martial law crisis in late 2024 as an example of “how labor led the way to protect democracy.”
He also spoke about potential threats to the midterm elections by the Trump administration, as well as how labor unions have responded to federal immigration raids. After ICE agents were deployed to airports amid a partial government shutdown, Steve Bannon, a former Trump advisor, said this was a “test run” for ICE agents to be deployed to polling stations in November.
“Sure, they could be there to threaten, intimidate,” Villar said. “But we have the people. If we get the numbers, all those threats, we can’t be afraid of that. We’ve shown our courage, and we need our courage at this time. Our courage—especially the labor movement, workers’ courage—is what pushed them back.”
Border Partrol Commander Greg Bovino “left Chicago,” Villar said, “because our labor unions went to the courts to fight them. And then, in Minneapolis-St. Paul, unions and workers, they hit the streets to fight against tyranny.”
People’s World also spoke with Darrell English, the president of AFGE Local 777, which represents TSA workers in Illinois and Wisconsin.
English said the partial government shutdown had a “dramatic impact” on TSA workers, some of whom “missed mortgages, got evicted, sleeping in their cars,” and said it would take time for morale to improve for TSA workers.
On recent legislative efforts to pay them, English added: “It’s good that they are going to pay back TSA, but moving forward, we need to find out if that’s going to be done on a continuous basis. These officers can’t go through this again.”
The ensuing Grant Park rally featured representatives from several progressive organizations and labor unions, all of whom denounced the Trump administration’s policies—from immigration enforcement to attacks on DEI initiatives to the recent attacks on Iran and more.
“We’re sending a clear message that we’re going to end this assault against working people,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. “We’re going to end these assaults against immigrants, and we’re going to end these endless wars and stand up for democracy.”
In his remarks, Johnson echoed recent calls from the CTU for May Day to be a “day of action” in Chicago “to ensure that the ultra-rich in the state of Illinois and across the country finally pay their fair share in taxes” and to “build a movement that finally puts an end to the oligarchy.”
Also among the speakers at the rally was Dian Palmer, president of SEIU Local 73, who spoke on labor unions’ role in responding to fascism.
“We are here today because we know what kings look like,” Palmer said. “They wear different clothes in different times. They wear crowns, uniforms, and expensive suits. But they always want the same thing: your silence, your obedience, and the work of your hands.”
She said “working people have always been the first to say, ‘no’. Fascism doesn’t start with soldiers in the street. It starts at work. It starts when the boss says, ‘Don’t organize,’ ‘don’t speak up,’ ‘don’t stand together.’
“That is why in every country where fascism took hold, the first thing they went after was the unions,” Palmer continued. “When strongmen seize power, they don’t wait. They go straight for the unions and grassroots organizations that stand up for our freedoms. Because organized working people scare them. Because the union is proof, real living proof, that when ordinary people stand together, they are stronger than any one man that thinks he’s in charge.”
Also on stage were several candidates who won primary elections earlier this month, including Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton, who won Illinois’ Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate race that will take place in November.
“Over the last year, Donald Trump has tried to systematically dismantle our democracy, he has stomped on the Constitution, and he has tried to throw out the rule of law,” Stratton said, saying the president had “dragged us into another war,” referring to the bombing of Iran.
“We are here to make it clear to Donald Trump—and by the way you better believe he’s listening and watching Chicago right now—we came to make it clear that we will never bow to a king,” Stratton said.
“We will never fall to a want-to-be dictator, and Illinois will stand up and fight back like we always do. So, if Donald Trump thinks that we are going to be silent, let’s make our voices heard in the streets and at the ballot box all over Illinois: Hands off Chicago! Hands off Illinois!”
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