Sen. Bernie Sanders joined local labor unions, immigrant rights groups and thousands of supporters for a rally on Thursday outside City Hall.
Sanders headlined the For the Workers, Not the Billionaires May Day Rally in Philadelphia as part of his nationwide “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. The Vermont senator continued his tour across the Commonwealth this weekend with stops in Bethlehem and Harrisburg.
Sanders, alongside immigrant rights groups and labor leaders, spoke out against cuts to social programs under President Donald Trump‘s administration, corporate influence and wealth inequality in politics. The rally emphasized messages advocating for universal healthcare, taxing the most wealthy, and campaign finance reform.
“The working class and our allies cannot stand down and sit back while our social security, our health care, and other vital services are stripped away,” Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, which represents more than 100 local labor unions, said in a statement. “In a world where the massive wealth inequality becomes more and more evident with each passing day, and where billionaires have more power and influence than ever before, workers are choosing to stand up and fight back.”
Local union leaders were on hand to show their support, including International Union of Painters and Allied Trades President Jimmy Williams Jr., Philadelphia AFL-CIO President Daniel Bauder, and American Federation of Government Employees District 3 Vice President Phil Glover.
