‘When we fight, we win’: May Day workers’ rights march unites hundreds in Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The collective power of the working class should not be doubted, marchers said Thursday.

About 250 people of all ages gathered for the International Workers’ Day, or May Day, march at the South Bethlehem Greenway near New Street.

The bunch moved slowly across the Fahy Bridge for a rally at the United Steelworkers union hall on South Lehigh Street, where the headcount appeared to at least double.

Car horns rang out constantly during the march and rally.

A theme of the evening: “When we fight, we win!”

'Protecting the future of our country, our children'

Outfitted in a tricorn hat and Revolutionary War-replica soldier’s garb, Center Valley resident Meaghann Cathers, alongside her 5-year-old daughter, Mary, reflected on a more positive note on the evening.

“Coming to the rallies, I really enjoy the solidarity and having people with the same mindset protecting the future of our country, our children,” Catchers said.

Mike Ventin of Nazareth, a member of International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 5, said President Donald Trump operates on “ongoing ignorance."

Ventin said that generations to come won’t be as apt to want to take factory jobs as touted by the current administration.

'Pushing to be seen'

Rhea Pitt with Easton Starbucks Workers United said her group, in its negotiations with the nearly $100 billion coffee giant, has seen its share of success in its fight for credit-card tipping, more-inclusive apron sizes and an increase in the minimum wage.

“We must keep pushing for workplace equality, pushing for better health care, pushing for work-life balance, pushing to be seen,” Pitt said.

“Organized workers’ resistances can cripple authoritarian power, allowing us to practice democracy in a sphere of production and to transform our lives instead of being ground ruthlessly under the book of capital.”

Dennis Hower of International Teamsters Local 773 said the rights of today’s workers were paid for with blood, sweat and tears.

Hower reflected on Minneapolis Teamsters Local 574 and its 67 members wounded and two killed by strikebreaking forces on July 20, 1934, otherwise known as “Bloody Friday."

The tragedy paved the way for the protection of workplace democracy with the approval of the National Labor Relations Act in 1935.

But Hower said it’s time for legislators to pass broader, more modern protections through the proposed Protecting the Right to Organize Act.

“These aren’t Democratic or Republican talking points; these are working-class issues,” Hower said. “They’re rooted in the belief that all people deserve a fair shot and a voice at work — unfortunately, corporations don’t see it that way.

“Today, their strategy isn’t just to block pro-worker legislation; they are trying to dismantle the entire system.”

'We can't be isolationists'

Mike H. of Northampton and his older brother John, who are second-generation Ukrainians, concurred on their feelings toward the current presidential administration.

What they called the country’s step back from its historically typical approaches to soft power around the globe had them both feeling uneasy.

The behavior represents “everything against democracy, and it’s not just [President Trump] — it’s his whole crew,” Mike said. “We live in this world; we can't be isolationists. I see [Trump] becoming authoritarian.”

However, Mike said he supported the feds in having another look at potential toxins in the country’s food supply.

John said, “Every morning, you wake up and there’s some other travesty being committed.”

The Trump Administration is facing more than 200 lawsuits challenging his sweeping executive actions on immigration and deportations, mass layoffs and tariffs, among other issues, in his first 100 days, ABC News reports.

'Accountable for what happens next'

Voters should do their homework and understand that if the federal Department of Education is dismantled, teachers and students will suffer, Bethlehem Area School Board member Silagh White said.

”We cannot spend another minute of energy pointing fingers at who voted for who and what in the last election,” White said. “We are all accountable for what happens next.

“We are all responsible for our community now, for our future and for the children who have to clean up this mess.”

State Rep. Steve Samuelson, D-Northampton, said the hundreds gathered to defend education and support workers was “an incredible show of support for our community.”