GREENWICH VILLAGE, Manhattan (PIX11) — Hundreds of people filled Washington Square Park and marched through Manhattan as May Day demonstrators rallied for worker and immigrant rights.

The rally brought together more than a dozen labor unions, representing industries ranging from construction and healthcare to restaurants and delivery services.

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Friday’s demonstration marked the 140th year of May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, which highlights workers’ rights around the world.

“This is important that we are here to represent all the immigrant families. Working families, they are right now working to make sure that the city continues moving and I think they deserve better [from] our society,” said Javier Ramirez of Cabrini Immigrant Services.

Organizers said the rally recognizes the essential role immigrant and non-immigrant workers play in New York, while also spotlighting the risks they continue to face — including enforcement actions, unsafe working conditions, and gaps in labor protections. They add that a strong labor movement also means standing against workplace abuses, including deportations.

“Labor and immigrant rights are intertwined,” said one organizer at the rally. “Right now, across this country, immigrant workers are under attack. People are being taken from their homes, from their jobs, and from their families, and we need to name it for what it is. This is not safety. This is terror.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani also addressed the crowd.

“There is no New York City without unions,” said Mamdani. “A union town that is union strong.”

He added, “Union strong is more than just a slogan. It is a practice of solidarity.”

Following the rally, demonstrators marched through the streets of Manhattan to Foley Square, standing united against all attacks on immigrants and workers.

Organizers are now calling on state lawmakers to pass the New York for All Act — legislation that would limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.

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