A crowd gathered at Bandshell Park on Thursday evening, sharing one clear message: unity.
May Day, the first of May, is International Workers’ Day. Its goal is to observe the historical challenges and achievements of workers and the labor movement.
“On this day, we honor the workers who came before us, who bled, who marched, who struck, so we could have weekends, safety protections and a voice at work,” Todd Copley, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) council 61, said. “Honoring this legacy doesn’t mean just remembering. It means carrying it forward.”
AFSCME represents public safety employees, employees at Iowa State and public employees across Iowa, Missouri and Kansas. Copley spoke out in support of the workers in Iowa and the country who are being “disrespected, underpaid, overworked and told to be grateful for less.”
“I refuse to let the next generation grow up in a world where they are expected to work harder just to live with less,” Copley said. “We fight because we love this work. We care for the sick, we clean the schools, we plow the roads, we serve our neighbors, but love for the work doesn’t mean accepting exploitation. It means demanding to be treated with dignity.”
Copley emphasized the strength of solidarity among people and the “power of being right.”
“This isn’t just a protest,” Copley said. “This is a promise that we will never stop fighting for justice, for fair wages, for good schools, for safe communities, for dignity on the job and a seat at every table.”
President of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) branch 1081, Jaimee Scala, defended the United States Postal Service, calling it a “vital public service.”
“Our post office is more than just a place that delivers mail, it is the backbone of our communities, connecting every corner of this nation from big cities to the most rural towns,” Scala said.
Scala highlighted threats against the USPS, including privatization plans and staffing and benefit cuts.
“We say it loud and clear: the U.S. mail is not for sale,” Scala said. “Our postal service belongs to the people, not to billionaires or corporate interests. Privatization means higher prices, slower delivery and the loss of essential services that private companies don’t want to provide.”
The prominence of fighting together, “united in purpose and strength,” to protect the USPS was resounding in Scala’s speech.
“We have the power, we are the power,” Scala said. “The people’s postal service will prevail.”
Liz Dohrmann, a representative from Indivisible Ames, said the true strength of the organization comes from the people.
Dohrmann said Indivisible’s mission is to “defend democracy while also resisting harmful policies that are being proposed at all levels of our government.”
“An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us,” Dohrmann said. “In the spirit of some of our other messages, I call for you to join together in unity, come together as a community… Continue to show up for each other at events like this.”
At the rally, there was also a food drive to support local hunger relief efforts. Dohrmann underlined that as a way for the community to show up for each other.
“When our government is failing us, I want you to remember that we take care of us,” Dohrmann said.
Representing the Ames Visibility Brigade was Wendy Phillips, who said it was formed to “raise awareness of the threats that we all face today,” and to stand up for truth, justice and fairness.
Kevin Hilton, a member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners #106 said, “it’s time to start listening to the people.”
“When we wake up, working people, together united, we will show the world the power of what happens when working people come together,” Hilton said. “We must unite, because solidarity works.”
President of the Ames School Board and professor at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Kelly Winfrey, stressed the importance of education and teachers’ role in society.
“You might be wondering why we’re talking about education on May Day,” Winfrey said. “The simple answer is we need to organize to protect and promote education. Unions are important, but we need a lot more. A strong public education for all is the foundation of our communities, our country, our democracy.”
Winfrey said public education is under attack, and called for listeners to advocate for education.
“An uneducated public is easier to patrol, to manipulate, to distract with hate and scapegoating, just to make the rich richer,” Winfrey said. “Public education was created because democracy requires an informed and engaged public who know their rights and know how to fight for them.”
Luke Hundtofte, a senior studying history, highlighted some laws from the Iowa Legislature, including Senate File 496 and House File 802.
SF 496 mandates that schools eliminate books that depict sexual acts, gender identity or sexual orientation. HF 802 prohibits the teaching of specific ideas, including the notion that the U.S. or Iowa is inherently racist.
“Diversity is our strength and what makes our country beautiful,” Hundtofte said.
