San Diegans rally, march for International Workers’ Day

Hundreds of people joined several marches and demonstrations across San Diego County on Friday to commemorate International Workers’ Day.

“We still have a long way to go to really protect workers, but we’re here, we’re united, and we’re fighting for each other,” said Liz Ramirez, who leads the Chicano Federation and attended a rally at Chicano Park in Barrio Logan.

“This is for the people, by the people, in these different organizations that are coming together and I think that’s what’s beautiful about San Diego, that it’s not just one organization — it’s many organizations, many individuals coming together, really fighting for workers, for immigrants, for families.”

Local labor unions turned their members out to join the rallies and send a message.

“We’re tired of all of this,” said Maria Mora, of SEIU Local 221. “We need better health services for workers, we need better schools instead of wasting the money on the war.”

While some focused on where the money goes, others were concerned with where it comes from.  

“We want to tax the billionaires,” said Janine Manchel, of Bonita. “This is just one little step towards that.”

“We need to fight the big guys,” she continued. “We are really angry at the wrong minority. And we’ve got to stick together. We outnumber them. We’re 99%. They’re 1%. We outnumber them. We have the power if we use it.”

Healthcare workers joined the chorus as well.

“Better staffing, more staffing, more money, better working conditions,” said Lorenzo Rodriguez, a certified nursing assistant. “That’s what we need. We need a lot of stuff. We’re overrun. We’re always short all the time.”

“The workers, we pay the bills, we pay the tax, we buy the gas. That’s what we do,” he added, asking, “What would they do without workers like us? What would they do?”

That message echoed at the San Diego International Airport, which saw a march of janitors and staff outside Terminal One, some with specific demands.

“They owe me four hours from overtime since last February,” said janitor Claudia Fuentes. “We work very hard, we deserve respect.”

Labor groups organized a rally at Waterfront Park in the afternoon, marching the group to the Federal Building then Civic Center Plaza.

For some, their participation was also about heritage and pride.

“I’m a second-generation Latino, Chicano,” said Mikael Jimenez, of La Presa. “It’s different, you know, you have to look into your own family, look into your history and stand with your ancestors, stand with the people around you.”

Many said standing together meant immigration enforcement was top of mind.

“We’re all immigrants,” Mora said. “The border crossed us. We didn’t cross the border.”

“There’s a lot of fear in our community. There is family separation, and it’s awful,” Ramirez added. “This administration has really, really impacted our communities, and it’s not something new, being at the border.”

“We have to be here and show solidarity and show support, and as a city, as a county, we have to be united to protect our families,” she continued. “If folks don’t feel safe going to work, it impacts all of us at the end of the day, and so today we’re here, speaking a little bit stronger, with the fire inside of us that, you know, we need to keep our communities together, protected and safe.”