What is May Day Strong, the ‘no work, no school, no shopping’ protests against Trump?

Key Points:

• May Day Strong is organizing a nationwide day of economic disruption on May 1, encouraging Americans not to shop, work, or attend school, with over 3,500 planned actions including rallies, marches, and teach-ins focused on labor rights and democracy.
• The coalition behind May Day Strong includes labor unions, Democratic Socialists of America chapters, and various justice organizations, emphasizing an intersectional approach to unite workers and communities against economic and political injustices.
• While May Day Strong is not calling for a full general strike in 2024, it aims to build momentum toward a coordinated general strike on May 1, 2028, led by unions like the United Auto Workers, who plan to align contract expirations to legally enable widespread strike action.
• Historically, general strikes have been powerful tools for labor in the US but have been restricted since the 1946 Taft-Hartley Act; the 2028 strike plan seeks to circumvent these legal barriers by exploiting contract expiration dates.
• May Day, or International Workers’ Day, has deep roots in labor history and global worker solidarity, though it is not officially recognized as a workers' holiday in the US, where Labor Day is instead celebrated in September; May Day Strong aims to reclaim May 1 as a day for working-class activism.