Over 100 demonstrators gathered in Soldotna Thursday to commemorate workers rights and labor unions. Part of a nationwide May Day rally, attendees also took the opportunity to speak out against the Trump administration, both with speeches and signs.
Th group rallied at the Soldotna Y, where the Sterling and Kenai Spurr Highways intersect. Before that, they spoke in favor of laborers at Soldotna Creek Park.
“Right now, it feels like there's nothing guaranteed in your employment setting,” said Susan Smalley, a rally organizer and founding member of Many Voices, a Kenai Peninsula activist group. To her knowledge, it's Soldotna’s first May Day rally.
Also known as International Workers’ Day, May Day, held May 1st, celebrates the struggles and accomplishments of the labor movement. A large part of that movement in the United States deals with labor unions. But some of Soldotna’s rally-goers fear for the future of unions after recent moves by the Trump administration.
One of those with concerns is Clark Whitney, a former school teacher. He was part of a teachers’ union, which he says made him feel supported in a profession he believes is often underpaid.
“Unions should be much stronger, and they should not be quashed," Whitney said. "They should not be threatened, as they are being right now.”
And that’s not all Whitney’s worried about. He’s holding a sign that reads “no cuts to Medicaid or SNAP.” Congress and Trump have considered cuts to both of those programs.
Whitney says he’s afraid of what’s happening in the federal government.
“I feel pretty powerless a lot of the time, but at least I can do something and be out and let people see that there are people that are against all of this,” Whitney said.
For some rally-goers, Medicaid and workers’ rights go hand in hand. Lisa Bass is a disability rights advocate who’s also concerned about possible Medicaid cuts.
She says Medicaid waivers help people with disabilities live and work in various fields.
“So sometimes, you hear people say they should just get a job and get off Medicaid," Bass said. "Well, they are working, but they still can't afford their own health insurance, so they do need Medicaid to stay healthy, to get their support, to stay working. So yeah, it definitely is intertwined.”
Like some ralliers, Bass was a union worker. But that isn’t the only reason she’s out there. She disagrees with several of the Trump administration's moves, like the legally questionable deportation of immigrants and U.S. citizens.
Bass says the country she grew up in is changing quickly, and believes it's important to push back.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say, you know, if your small town can do it, then we can do it, too. And it's inspiring other people, but also it gives them the message, we're not going to quit,” Bass said.
Co-rally organizer Susan Smalley has helped organize a handful of Soldotna demonstrations since Trump took office in January.
“And I will continue to do it until I can't do it anymore,” Smalley said.
The Trump administration says its actions are part of a plan to dramatically scale back federal spending, consolidate executive power and kick immigrants it finds undesirable out.
Some demonstrators at the Thursday rally also collected canned goods and donations for the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank. Rally organizers say about 400 pounds, and over $350, was collected.
