The annual Labor Day celebration in South Philadelphia on September 1, 2025, was anything but quiet this year. Thousands of unionized workers, clad in matching T-shirts, marched along Washington Avenue in a show of solidarity and defiance. The parade, hosted by the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, pulsed with the energy of drumlines and the presence of local elected officials, but the mood was noticeably different from years past.
Just two years ago, President Joe Biden made history as the first sitting president to attend the event, earning cheers for what many saw as a "boom time" for union organizing. Fast forward to this year, and the speeches struck a sharply defiant tone, with union leaders taking aim at President Donald Trump’s administration and a shifting national environment for organized labor. According to WHYY News, Brian Renfroe, national president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, led the charge: “We must recommit ourselves to digging in and fighting like we never fought before. We have to fight like hell because we have faced unprecedented attacks on working people in a very short period of time.”
Renfroe’s words weren’t just rhetoric. He called out the Trump administration for eliminating hundreds of thousands of federal jobs and seeking to reduce the bargaining rights of public servants. “When they come after the jobs of public servants, the people who care for our veterans, administer Social Security, inspect our food, deliver our mail, what do we say?” he asked. The crowd roared back, “Hell, no!”
Since taking office in February, President Trump has made headlines by proclaiming his commitment to “putting the American worker first.” Yet, as WHYY News reports, his administration has also moved to shrink the number of unionized workers, stripping collective bargaining rights from employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs and expanding those efforts to other federal agencies, including the Patent and Trademark Office, NASA, and the National Weather Service. Trump has also attempted to undo Labor Department rules benefiting home care workers and farmworkers, and his firing of a National Labor Relations Board member left the board without the quorum needed to hear cases.
The parade’s turnout was robust—perhaps even larger than last year. For many workers, the stakes feel higher than ever. Samantha Zenobi, a steward with United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 152, told WHYY News, “Workers are concerned about what’s going on in the world and want to show that we are not going to stand anything anymore. We’re going to fight for our rights.” She expressed particular concern for postal workers and others fearing for their jobs under Trump, especially as the president has discussed privatizing the U.S. Postal Service. Zenobi also pointed out that despite billion-dollar profits, many employers are not matching worker dedication with fair compensation. “They just give us pizza parties or other things. It doesn’t feel like they’re rewarding the good people that work hard, and just toss them aside, which is not fair,” she said.
Local politicians, including Mayor Cherelle Parker and Philadelphia AFL-CIO president Daniel Bauder, attended the rally but notably did not address the crowd this year. Instead, the stage belonged to union officials. Angela Ferritto, president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, didn’t mince words when she criticized U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s planned appearance at a Labor Day parade in Erie. “Do they think that they can trick us? Show up for a parade, and somehow we’re going to think that they’re fighting for working people? We see what they’re doing. You can’t pull the wool over our eyes,” Ferritto declared, according to WHYY News.
Meanwhile, Labor Day was marked by protests in Erie and across all 50 states as part of the “Workers Over Billionaires” campaign led by the 50501 Movement. The movement’s stated goals are to “uphold the Constitution and end executive overreach,” and it has been active in organizing rallies such as “No Kings” earlier this summer.
Despite the outward celebration, union membership in Pennsylvania has slipped. A new report from the Keystone Research Center, cited by WHYY News, shows private-sector union membership in the state dropped from 8.7% in 2023 to 7.3% in 2024. Job growth in Pennsylvania remains relatively strong, with a 0.7% increase in the first half of 2025, but the loss of 2,600 federal jobs has tempered those gains. The report warns, “While recent years have brought job growth and record-low unemployment, the ground is shifting beneath workers’ feet. Workers face an unpredictable labor market, unemployment is rising, and wages—after decades of stagnation—are slipping again. Erratic federal policies make it harder for families to get by.”
Nationally, the political battle for working-class voters is heating up. According to Newsweek, President Trump marked Labor Day with a post on Truth Social, featuring an image of himself with hard-hatted workers and the message, “Celebrating 250 years of the American worker. Happy Labor Day.” The White House doubled down, describing Trump as a “champion” of working-class Americans, highlighting surging native-born employment, rising blue-collar wages, and expanded workforce initiatives.
But the message from the other side was just as loud—and far more combative. California Governor Gavin Newsom, widely rumored to be a 2028 presidential contender, issued a Labor Day statement that lambasted Trump’s policies. “HAPPY LABOR DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT IS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY WITH A SICK WARPED RADICAL MIND, KILLING SMALL BUSINESSES WITH CRAZY TARIFFS, TAKING HEALTH CARE FROM CHILDREN, PARDONING J6 THUGS, SENDING THE 'PRIVATE ARMY' TO ARREST GRANDMA, WRECKING OUR BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT, DEFUNDING OUR SCHOOLS, AND DESTABILIZING LONG-STANDING INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS. HOPEFULLY THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT, AND OTHER GOOD AND COMPASSIONATE JUDGES THROUGHOUT THE LAND, WILL SAVE US FROM THE DECISIONS OF THE MONSTERS WHO WANT OUR COUNTRY TO GO TO HELL. BUT FEAR NOT, WE HAVE MADE GREAT PROGRESS IN RECENT WEEKS, AND AMERICA WILL SOON BE SAFE AND GREAT AGAIN! AGAIN, HAPPY LABOR DAY, AND GOD BLESS AMERICA!” Newsom’s press office posted on X, as reported by Newsweek.
Newsom’s approach has been to meet Trump’s online persona head-on, using a snarky, meme-heavy style that has drawn both praise and criticism. At the same time, his office highlighted California’s leadership in worker protections, pointing to an August 28 Oxfam report lauding the state’s strong policies on wages, worker protections, and labor rights.
Other national voices chimed in as well. Former President Barack Obama took a more reflective tone, reminding Americans of the importance of unions and the potential impact of artificial intelligence on jobs: “Labor Day is a chance to celebrate America’s workers, and the labor unions who have fought so hard for them. But at a time when AI is threatening to disrupt or even eliminate entire categories of jobs, it’s also important to think about how we can embrace new technology without losing the purpose and dignity that comes with work.”
Vice President JD Vance and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem praised Trump’s efforts to prioritize American manufacturing and job growth for U.S. citizens, while former President Joe Biden echoed the centrality of unions: “Today we celebrate American workers—the heart and soul of our nation. Unions built the middle class. And the middle class built this country. Happy Labor Day, America.”
As the dust settles on another Labor Day, one thing is clear: the competition for the hearts and votes of working-class Americans is as fierce as ever. With union leaders, politicians, and activists all vying for influence, the future of American labor hangs in the balance, shaped by shifting alliances, economic uncertainty, and the enduring spirit of those who march, organize, and demand to be heard.
