Workers in San Diego joined global May Day demonstrations on Friday to demand better working conditions and advocate for immigrants’ rights. Rallies across San Diego County, including one at Chicano Park, drew more than 500 participants. 

Local unions and community organizations joined Unión del Barrio — an independent political organization focused on working-class communities’ interests in Southern California — in its May Day rally at Chicano Park. The organizations called for the local government to take accountability regarding increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests and poor working conditions. At noon, representatives from each organization gave a series of speeches listing their demands. Ralliers then marched through downtown San Diego to the federal building.

International Workers’ Day, which occurs every May 1, dates back to Chicago’s 1886 Haymarket massacre, when workers protesting for an eight-hour workday were met with violence by an unknown bomber. Last week, demonstrators rallied in Asia, Europe, and the United States for May Day, especially as costs of living continue to rise due to the war in Iran. 

Adriana Jasso, the U.S.-Mexico border program coordinator for Unión del Barrio, discussed the need for an International Workers’ Day in an interview with The UCSD Guardian.

“I would argue that it’s not by coincidence or by mistake that there is a labor day in September, as we know, a national federal holiday,” Jasso said. “I think the containment to that day in September is, in a sense, a revision of history.”

Jasso outlined Unión del Barrio’s key demand: “We’re talking about self-determination as a people, as a collective, and to us, self-determination can be better described by the ability and the access to provide for your family, to provide for yourself.” 

As San Diego becomes one of the most expensive cities in the nation but wages remain stagnant, workers face increased financial pressures. Hundreds of thousands of San Diegans experience hunger each day due to a lack of reliable access to food, according to Feeding San Diego. 

As of April 2026, CalFresh benefits, enacted by the federal government through House Resolution 1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” have become increasingly hard to access. Benefits require updated work requirements and limit eligibility of noncitizens, while some Medi-Cal enrollments have been frozen for immigrants, all causing further strain on San Diego workers. 

The rally also occurred as immigration enforcement officials increased arrests in San Diego. KPBS reported that ICE arrested 52 people in Chula Vista last year, 60% of whom had no convictions or criminal charges.

Emily Von Gerichten, a community organizer with San Diego’s branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, gave the final speech before the march at Chicano Park. 

“We can shape our collective future and not leave it up to the billionaires,” Von Gerichten said. “We can shut down business as usual as many times as we need to in a way that is absolutely impossible for the rich and powerful to ignore.”

Labor concerns raised at the rally reflected ongoing disputes across the University of California. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, representing over 40,000 workers in the UC system, enacted a strike in November 2025 across UC campuses to negotiate a new employment contract, raising tensions between the union and the UC. AFSCME 3299 recently announced an open-ended strike, set to start on May 14. 

“We are amplifying our voices about people over billionaires in support of the community and other unions in the San Diego community,” Michael Avant Jr., president of AFSCME 3299, said at the rally. “Students in the community are a part of this; students are the community. Reach out to one of your unions on campus. We have student interns to make sure students are safe and included.”

Sebastian Ferragut, a fourth-year student at UC San Diego, spoke to The Guardian about why he attended the Chicano Park rally.

“I’m here to support May Day because of the recent ICE actions over the past year that have been impacting the San Diego community,” Ferragut said. “Show up. You will find community and ways to get involved.”