Hundreds pack Cal Anderson Park for May Day rally

Hundreds of demonstrators packed the ball field at Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill on Thursday for a May Day rally ahead of a workers’ rights march through downtown Seattle.

Speakers promoted a broad fight for economic justice, framing the event as a push not only for workers’ rights but also for human rights.

“Our movement fights for the dignity of all working people,” April Sims, President of the Washington State Labor Council, told the crowd. “You may not be in a union yet, but this movement fights for you too.”

May Day speakers challenge tech’s role in the workplace

Katie Garrow with MLK Labor urged the crowd to challenge the role of technology in the workplace.

“We’re not against technology, but we think that technology should improve working people’s lives,” Garrow said. “It should improve our quality of life. The productivity shouldn’t just increase profit for our bosses and our employers.”

Other demonstrators had an anti-war message during the rally.

One held a sign that read “War is not the answer. Stop the war machine.”

Organizers said a march through downtown Seattle was expected to begin shortly after the rally.