Alabama Arise—in partnership with Jobs to Move America, the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice and the United Campus Workers of Alabama—will host “Alabama Workers’ Week of Action” from Monday, April 27 to Friday, May 1, the organization recently announced.
The week will encompass both Workers Memorial Day (April 28) and International Workers’ Day (May 1)—an intentional choice by the organizations.
“Every year, the spring brings two holidays honoring workers. April 28 marks Workers Memorial Day, a day to remember those who have been injured or killed at work, and May 1 is International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day,” the organizations stated. “This year, a coalition of Alabama organizations building worker power have created the Alabama Workers’ Week of Action, from April 27 through May 1.”
Adam Keller, Alabama Arise’s Worker Power Campaign director, also wrote about the significance of Workers Memorial Day and May Day in a recent opinion published by APR.
“These two days, taken together, tell a powerful story,” Keller wrote. “One reminds us of the human cost when workers are treated as disposable. The other reminds us of the strength workers have when we stand together and demand something better.”
The week will feature several different events celebrating Alabama’s workers and educating Alabamians on the history of organized labor, including: a virtual kickoff event hosted by The Valley Labor Report; a workshop on “commonsense economics” in Tuscaloosa; an all-day event in Huntsville featuring live music and workshops on labor history and community organizing; Labor Fest in Jacksonville; and a screening of “Inequality for All” at the Crescent Theater in Mobile.
A peaceful protest is also scheduled for Friday outside the Houston County Courthouse in Dothan. According to the organizers, the protest will call on leaders in Alabama and across the country to tax the rich, abolish ICE, and defend free and fair elections.
“This Workers’ Week of Action is about lifting up those voices and reminding our neighbors that our state’s prosperity depends on the people who do the work,” Keller said. “Working people across Alabama are sending a simple message: Our state should put need over greed.”
“Alabama runs on workers,” he added. “And when workers stand together, there is nothing we cannot achieve.”
