On the holiday commemorating the achievements of the American labor movement, hundreds of Islanders gathered at Five Corners in Vineyard Haven on Monday to urge an end to the “billionaire takeover” of the United States.
Music rang out in Vineyard Haven on the Labor Day holiday as protesters waved signs calling the Trump administration a fascist regime and showcased pro-labor messages like “Power to the Workers” and “Workers are the lifeblood of our country.” Throughout the event, drivers honked their horns in support and one contractor blared a horn made out of a power drill as he drove toward Beach Road.
“We are all under attack from billionaires and corporate elites who have bought off politicians and rigged our system to crush working families,” Carla Cooper of Indivisible Martha’s Vineyard said during a speech at the rally.
The local event, co-sponsored by Indivisible Martha’s Vineyard, the NAACP of Martha’s Vineyard, Showing Up for Social Justice on MV, and the Unitarian Universalist Society of Martha’s Vineyard, was part of the nationwide “Workers Over Billionaires” protests organized by an activism coalition called May Day Strong.
The Labor Day demonstration followed a series of protests against federal policies that have taken place at Five Corners since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, including calls to protect immigrants’ rights in February and the “No Kings” rallies in June. Many of the messages expressed against the Trump administration’s policies at previous rallies, like pushing against immigration enforcement tactics and the disproportionate hit to Black families from federal policies, were also voiced on Monday.
Cooper said the rally was also meant to “honor and support” the workers who drive the American economy.
“During COVID, you saw the people who kept this country going were grocery store clerks, the nurses, and the truck drivers and the meat-packing workers,” Cooper said. “It wasn’t billionaires.”
Protesters of various backgrounds and ages gathered at Five Corners.
“I feel like, Martha’s Vineyard especially, has such a dependency on working class people and it made sense, especially since it’s at the end of the season here, just to show support,” said Taylor Stone, a Vineyard Haven-based artist.
Many of the protesters on Monday were union members during their careers, and they said labor laws acquired throughout the years allowed them to have their voices heard in the workplace and prevent them from being exploited — protections they worry are jeopardized under the current president.
In a statement, White House officials said Trump’s agenda was bringing back high-paying jobs and investments back to America.
“No one has done more for working men and women than President Trump,” Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement on the nationwide protests. “President Trump believes that American workers are the heart and soul of our economy, which is why he’s championed an agenda that always puts them first — from signing the largest middle-class tax cuts in history to securing nearly $10 trillion in new investments to create high-paying jobs across our country.”
But protesters on the Vineyard said everyday Americans are being undercut by measures like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and resistance must continue.
“I hope [the protest] energizes people and I hope the 2026 midterm elections flip the House and the Senate,” said Philip Cordella, an Oak Bluffs resident who was once a part of a New York teachers union when he taught in Newburgh.
Brenda Brown, a retired union nurse who worked at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston who used to live in Edgartown, had future generations in mind at the protest.
“I have 13 grandchildren. I would like for the future for them to be one where there is due process, equal protection under the law, freedom, and no dictator in the White House,” Brown said.
As the protest came to a close around noon, Islanders ended the event with a singalong of an amended version of “This Little Light of Mine.”
“This big protest of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,” sang local musician Andy Herr, who led the crowd in the song.
Vineyard organizers told the Times that more protests against the Trump administration are planned and will likely happen monthly.
Laurie David, a member of the Ukeladies music group that performed on Monday, said she felt protests were a “powerful” way to protect democracy.
“I think every single person who drives by who wasn’t expecting a protest thinks in their head ‘next time I’m going to join them’ and I think it builds and builds and builds,” she said.
Great turnout
Happy to see our island neighbors come out in force against this horrible regime
My goodness these people are truly ignorant. What part of the Trump tax cuts hurt the blue collar worker?? Are they against the no tax on tips for hospitality workers? Are they against no taxes on overtime for blue collar workers? These people have never worked a blue collar job and probably never had a friend who was a blue collar worker. Totally ignorant posers.
What part of the Trump tax cuts hurt blue collar workers? Easy, the part where the wealthiest corporations and top 1% walked away with permanent cuts, while the average worker’s break was tiny, temporary, and often wiped out by higher health costs and inflation those policies fueled.
And to be real, Trump never delivered “no tax on tips” or “no tax on overtime.” That’s just campaign talk, not law. Blue collar workers still pay taxes on both. What he did deliver was a ballooning deficit and giveaways to billionaires who don’t punch a clock or live paycheck to paycheck.
So, the question isn’t whether critics “know a blue collar worker.” It’s whether they know when they’re being sold a line.
Perhaps you know more than the IRS!
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-tax-deductions-for-working-americans-and-seniors
Inflation 2 years ago, 9.1 %. So far this year 2.7% but those are just facts and don’t fit the narrative of the Five Corner haters.
Health and unemployment insurance, the hole package.
Do you know what those people do for work?
I work 60 hours a week and Im probably going to be above the cutoff for the tax credit on my overtime. His promise was all smoke and mirrors. “Work harder make more” is a joke when your OT bumps you up a tax bracket and makes it not worth it.
I remember going on a tour of Havana Cuba . Most areas were old and in disrepair. We did drive through an area though of gorgeous mid century homes, I asked the tour guide who lives there and she replied ” government officials ”
All that will happen if you villainize the rich capitalist is that you will just trade them for new villains
Average age 75, dare i say 80% white. Same old scene down there in the Quagmire.
Unions have outlived their usefulness. Years ago they protected the worker but now the worker wants more money for less productivity. That is why unionized workforce has declined significantly and companies move to non union states. The teachers union is among the worst. Our children are declining in all metrics viz other countries yet the union keeps its terror grip.
I’m sorry Ellen but most of your statements are misleading or lacking understanding the process. The laws have been passed to implement all of the tax benefits promised to the “blue collar workers” and retirees. Now the regulations and processes are being worked on. These types of changes take time to implement. For example; the government is now putting together a list of the jobs that are covered by the no tax on tips legislation. When the time comes to file 2025 taxes, we will all see the changes that have been made. I’m well into my senior years and living on Social Security and some small pensions and am anxiously waiting to see how that tax change will affect me. Of course the old system is still in place for now.
Trump has been in office less than 8 months and has introduced numerous changes that will benefit the average citizen. People need to chill and give things a chance to work into the system before making such sweeping statements and judgements.
Glad to see actual identities attached to comments Allegations of great turnout are comical. Attacking the deficit , strengthening our position to bring back considerable forgein investment and reduction of energy cost top my list. Please tell us one accomplishment you are proud of from Biden. Six foot man drown in 3 ft of water in Katama?
Let me address the comments here so far. First , it was a good turnout. Much better proportionally than the greatest turnout for a presidential inauguration, for example. It’s nice to hear about Cuba and the worldwide inflation spike few years ago ( not the highest ever) that happened because a “genius” invaded a sovereign country and disrupted the worldwide food and fuel markets. But I would really like to see something indicating union workers are less productive than non union workers .. I found this; “All in all, the evidence presented in Treasury’s report challenges the view that worker empowerment holds back economic prosperity. In addition to their effect on the economy through more equality, unions can have a positive effect on productivity through employee engagement and union voice effects, providing a road map for the type of union campaigns that could lead to additional growth.[21] One such example found that patient outcomes improved in hospitals where registered nurses unionized.[22]” Here is the full report from the department of the treasury: . https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/labor-unions-and-the-us-economy Oh, and Biden ended the pandemic.
If unions are so productive why is everyone fleeing them? Labor force in unions has declined precipitously over the last 30 years. People are healthier because nurses are unionized? Give us a break.
Andy– everyone is not fleeing unions– Yes there has been is a decline in private sector union jobs over the last 30 years from about 20% to 10% a significant drop– but public sector union jobs which represent a much higher portion of union jobs have essentially remained unchanged. There are a number of reasons for this which I can’t post here because we have a word limit on this site. People are not necessarily healthier because nurses that are in unions have better outcomes for their patients,it’s about the patients—read the link– Sorry. them’s the facts, Ma’am . And one other thing I might point out is that over the period of time we are talking about , church membership has declined at a faster rate than union membership. Does that mean that churches ” have outlived their usefulness” ? Give us a break.
People are SAFER when union nurses fight for safe staffing levels…
Laurie David’s statement about every single person driving by who witnesses the demonstrators will somehow be inspired to join in on the next 5 Corners Resistance parade is as naive as Pauline Kael’s
statement on Nixon winning in 1972. “I don’t know anyone who voted for him.”
I drove by and thought..”Do they still believe in the lies from the hate merchants at MSNBC?”…….
Inconvenient truths don’t seem to matter. When I was a child I asked my father why union workers go out on strike. He told me it was because they wanted less money and more hours.
I understand that as a child, one would believe whatever our parents told us– You know, Santa Clause, the tooth fairy etc.. But most of us as we age figure things out on our own. In this case it is obvious that unions have historically improved wages and working conditions for millions of hard working Americans. Let me remind you of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire that killed 146 people in New York in 1911. It sparked the beginnings of a movement that formed unions that have been fundamental in supporting workers rights and their safety. I don’t know why anyone would be against the safety of workers.