Speakers who did not disclose their identities have been left anonymous in this article.
Alongside nationwide May Day protests, roughly 75 people gathered around the eternal flame to call on UC Santa Barbara to support campus workers on May 1.
The rally comes two weeks ahead of AFSCME’s open-ended strike starting May 14. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus
May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, celebrates the history of the global labor movement. The holiday was officially created in 1889 to commemorate the Haymarket Riot, which fought for the eight-hour work week.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) 3299, the UCSB Student Labor Advocacy Project (S.L.A.P.), the UC Student Workers Union (UCSW), Isla Vista Flower, El Congreso, UCSB Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) and UCSB Improving Dreams, Equality, Access and Success (I.D.E.A.S.) hosted the rally at UCSB. Organizers demanded a fair contract for campus workers, more work opportunities for undocumented students and for the University to formally recognize UCSW.
The rally comes two weeks ahead of AFSCME’s open-ended strike starting May 14. The union, which represents over 40,000 University of California (UC) workers, has been negotiating a contract and gone on strike five times since 2024.
Fourth-year English major, UCSB Community Labor Center Student Assistant, External Vice President for Statewide Affairs Office Organizing Director and S.L.A.P. member Antonio Gonzalez-Bradford highlighted the struggles that campus workers who lack labor contracts face, such as long commutes.
“Our campus service workers have been without [a] contract for over two years now,” Gonzalez-Bradford said in an interview with the Nexus. “This means that they’re not getting the proper rights that workers deserve being part of a public sector job, these basic human decencies, and so it’s about fighting for their contract.”
Third-year history of policy, law and governance major Emma Lenoski emphasized the importance of student involvement in advocacy.
“A lot of students on campus aren’t super involved with labor [advocacy] and it’s because there’s a lack of outreach [and] a lack of awareness,” Lenoski said in an interview with the Nexus. “What we’re trying to do here today is spread that attention, spread that awareness, to students on this campus and hopefully inspire people to get involved.”
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AFSCME, which represents over 40,000 UC workers, has been negotiating a contract and gone on strike five times since 2024. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus -
AFSCME’s contract demands include a $25 minimum wage that would be retroactive to 2023, annual wage increases to match inflation and $10 caps on healthcare premiums among other things. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus -
Raíces de mi Tierra performed Folklórico, a style of traditional Mexican dance, which one member explained can act as a form of “artistic resistance.” Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus -
California Assembly Bill (AB) 713 would allow students, regardless of immigration status, to work in the UC, California State Universities or California Community Colleges. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus
Gonzalez-Bradford also advocated for California Assembly Bill (AB) 713, which would allow students, regardless of immigration status, to work in the UC, California State Universities or California Community Colleges.
I.D.E.A.S. members also called on the University to offer undocumented students and workers more support. One member, an immigrant herself, shared how her career has been stunted because she had to wait two years for work authorization. Another member of I.D.E.A.S. called on UCSB to protect students against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.), saying “anything other than loud and dedicated support” was “not acceptable.”
Fourth-year economics major and AFSCME intern Gabriel Barona moderated and helped lead the rally. Between speakers, he called on passersby to join the protest.
“People are dying in our streets. People aren’t getting jobs that they need. People are going hungry. People are dying across the world. Our administration is run by pedophiles and it seems like none of you actually care,” Barona said. “Advocacy is important, but it’s beyond an Instagram post and an Instagram story. That’s not all it is, you should care more than that.”
Barona also highlighted AFSCME’s contract demands, including a $25 minimum wage that would be retroactive to 2023, annual wage increases to match inflation and $10 caps on healthcare premiums among other things. He criticized the UC system for failing to provide workers with adequate housing support despite the purchase of a $7.8 million residence for the UCSB Chancellor Dennis Assanis.
Next, an El Congreso member shared that Latine advocacy groups have been fighting to protect El Centro, where many of their offices are located, for years. Earlier that day, El Congreso released their open letter to Assanis requesting support for the center.
Lastly, Raíces de mi Tierra performed Folklórico, a style of traditional Mexican dance, which one member explained can act as a form of “artistic resistance.” Dancers then led the rally to Cheadle Hall, where the UCSB administration works. Along the way, attendees chanted “from Palestine to Mexico, all these walls have got to go,” “money for jobs and education, not for war and deportation” and “Chinga La Migra,” which translates to “Fuck I.C.E.”
At Cheadle Hall, YDSA member and fourth-year sociology major Omar Opeyany further criticized the university administration for their actions regarding labor and I.C.E. He described workers as the “lifeline of the University.”
“The people who cook the food, clean the buildings, teach the classes and work every day just to survive — those are the people who run the University,” Opeyany said. “There will not be administrators or politicians who protect us. It will be us standing together in solidarity that will bring the change we need, and we need it now.”
The next speaker discussed the recent increase in I.C.E. presence around the Santa Barbara County Jail and their use of violence. She claimed that Sheriff Bill Brown has been alerting I.C.E. when an undocumented person is released from jail. The speaker also shared the story of a man beaten so badly by I.C.E. that he ended up in the emergency room.
“The Sheriff’s Office fully complies with California law, including the California Values Act (SB 54), which strictly limits when and how local law enforcement agencies may cooperate with federal immigration authorities,” Brown said in a statement to the Nexus. “It is important for our community to understand that the Sheriff’s Office does not have any authority over, nor do we coordinate with, federal agencies conducting their own independent immigration enforcement operations. Any suggestion otherwise misrepresents both the law and our practices.”
Representatives of Unión del Barrio (UdB) called on attendees to continue to get involved and leave the rally with a plan to take the “next step.” The crowd yelled toward Cheadle Hall for Assanis — who one UdB member referred to as “ass-anus” — to meet with workers, students and community members.
From Cheadle Hall, the rally marched and chanted on its way to Storke Tower. Once there, a representative of Jewish Voice for Peace briefly discussed the University’s ties to military contractors and war. The rally then concluded following a moment of silence with a call and response to acknowledge various people and groups relevant to the movement.
A version of this article appeared on p. 1 of the May 7. print edition of the Daily Nexus.
