Athens May Day demonstrations focused on workplace protections

Released Indivisible Georgia District 10:

Athens was the site of one of the more than a thousand demonstrations held around the country to send a message to politicians in the nation's Capital about the importance of workplace protections to American voters.

More than 200 people lined the sidewalks along one of the city's busiest roads during rush hour on May Day. They were greeted with honking horns and waves of support from the passing motorists.

The Athens demonstration was organized by the non-partisan political group, Indivisible Georgia District 10 and the Athens-Clarke and Oconee County Democratic Committees. One goal of the event was to focus attention on the Trump administration’s executive orders changing working conditions and workplace safety protections for millions of American employees.

Similar protests were held in other cities in Georgia.

Organizers said they were overwhelmed by the show of support, not just from the protesters but from the many people driving home from work.

“It really was heartening in so many ways,” Indivisible GA 10 co-leader Barbara Burt said.  “This just proves how much people in Georgia care and how worried they are about what is being done in Washington.”

The demonstration was in front of the Piedmont Athens Medical Center because organizers said they also wanted to show their support for the maintenance workers at the center. They recently formed a union, Operation Engineers local 920, to negotiate with the hospital administration.

Piedmont Athens Medical Center is one of the two major hospitals serving Oconee County and has satellite medical campuses and urgent care centers in Oconee.

“We really appreciate this show of support,” said union organizer Jake Owens. “We know the management knows about this and they care what the people think.”  

The demonstrations around the country are estimated to have drawn hundreds of thousands of people. May Day is celebrated as International Workers’ Day in many countries, but it began in the United States. It started in the late 1800’s as a protest after violence erupted during a workers’ strike in Chicago.