Across the country, and across the world, working people are stepping into the streets and into their power. We’ve just witnessed our third wave of “No Kings” actions—each one bigger, louder, more organized than the last. These weren’t symbolic moments. They were tests. And we passed.

Now comes the next test: May Day

May 1 is not just another date on the calendar. It is a call to action—and it must be led by trade unionists. That means us. Educators, classified staff, faculty, our union siblings. 

We fight back by naming what’s broken. Underfunded schools. Broken immigration systems. Attacks on LGBTQ+ communities. The slow erosion of democratic rights.

And we fight forward by organizing together.

This is not happening in isolation, the fight back against authoritarianism is global. Education unions across the world are rising together. We have seen the National Education Union in the UK (who CFT hosted in California a few months ago) mobilizing mass actions as they did on March 28, to teacher unions in Poland and Turkey organizing in the streets, to tens of thousands gathering in Budapest—including participating in one of the largest Pride demonstrations in the country’s history with more than 100,000 people showing up.

These collective actions are pushing back against something real: coordinated attacks on workers, on immigrants, on LGBTQ+ communities, and on public education itself. In places like North Korea and Hungary, we’ve seen what happens when governments tighten control—over media, over schools, over truth itself. And we’ve also seen what resistance can achieve.

That’s the lesson. And it’s the warning.

Every rally, every march, every organizing call is more than a moment—it’s preparation. A collective line in the sand. Because when that line is crossed, we need to be ready. Not scrambling. No Kings, March 4 Public Education, March in March, and all of the organizing across California are getting us ready for that moment.

That’s what May Day is about.

It’s about showing up not just for ourselves, but for each other. Strengthening the ties between local unions. Deepening our partnerships with other unions and community allies. Building something that doesn’t stop at state lines—or even national borders.

Every sign you hold, every picket line you join, every conversation you start with a colleague weaves together solidarity.

This is how our movement grows—and May Day is just another step in showing up for our communities, funding our schools, and protecting democracy.