On May 4, Anakbayan UCI, MEChA de UCI, SAFIRE and Resist US-Led War hosted a rally at the flagpoles to commemorate International Worker’s day.
The event paid homage to May Day — May 1 — also known as International Worker’s Day, which serves to recognize the struggles and victories by workers and labor movements internationally. May 1 was chosen in honor of the 1886 Haymarket Square strike in Chicago in which thousands of workers demonstrated in support of an eight-hour workday.
Translated from Spanish, rally participants chanted “the community united will no longer be defeated,” and “UC, listen, we are in the struggle.”
Speakers from the student-led groups called for better pay for UCI workers, an end to tuition hikes, protections for DREAM and Basic Needs centers and a stop to some of UCI’s research and development projects for the US Department of Defense at the rally.
“We see here, even here at UCI, the workers are the ones who do the everyday work. They’re the ones that really take care of us, right? They’re the ones that feed us. They’re the ones that stay late to pick after us,” a Resist US-led War member who requested anonymity for safety reasons told New University. “But at the same time, our campus workers are also facing unlivable wages. Some of them commute for hours, just to come here due to the high cost of housing.”
In the past year, UC workers from labor union AFSCME 3299 have been in negotiations with the UC over a new contract regarding wages, housing and healthcare since January 2024, leading to several strikes since and an “open-ended strike” set to begin on May 14. Since picketing across UC campuses, including at UCI and UCI Health, AFSCME 3299 has remained firm in their demands as inflation, housing and rising costs remain their main concerns for UC workers.
Participants also emphasized the role of immigrants and undocumented people on campus, both as students and as workers.
“The UC has made little progress in implementing bills such as SB 307, which has already been passed and has been requiring the UC to come up with an academic plan to help detain detained or deported immigrant students in navigating their admissions records and financial records,” Carla of SAFIRE said at the rally. “Yet the UC has expected students to stay quiet with policies such as time, place [and] manner, that are strictly enforced in order to keep students complacent.”
Speakers from Anakbayan and MeChA highlighted their community’s specific role in labor groups across the United States. Representatives from the groups touched on recent US foreign policies impacting communities abroad such as the Philippines, and the consequences on workers internationally.
“This week is actually also a week of action for organizations across the country to fight against fascism, to fight against the increasing attacks of the U.S. across the world,” Mara of Anakbayan said to the crowd.
Ahmed of Resist US-Led War spoke about the need to challenge UCI to see past the demands of profit and support those they are indebted to.
“The UC system is one of the most profitable educational institutions in the world. Still, in the face of growing food insecurity, UCI does not protect the basic needs of its workers and students. Shame,” Ahmed said at the rally. “Workers get healthcare benefits that are insufficient to afford the increasing cost of these services.”
Aidan Wyrough is a Features Staff Writer for the spring 2026 quarter. He can be reached at awyrough@uci.edu.
Edited by Avery Rosas and Geneses Navarro.
