Government-Politics
To raise awareness about struggles faced by workers today, Indivisible Park County and the Women’s Action Project partnered with a national initiative called Workers Over Billionaires. The two local groups organized a peaceful, nonviolent Labor Day protest on Monday, September 1st from 4:30 to 5:30 pm at the corner of 5th and Park Street in Livingston.
An estimated 106 people attended the event. Protesters lined the sidewalk along Park Street with a forty-foot-long sign that spelled out Workers Over Billionaires. The theme, the sign, and the protesters received a chorus of supportive honks and many waves as cars passed by.
American workers are being squeezed from all sides, with many household budgets stretched so thin that there’s either nothing left at the end of the month or, worse, workers must choose between rent, food, utilities, or other necessities.
Meanwhile, billionaires grow richer. This battle to prioritize workers over billionaires and ensure American workers aren’t left behind (as the government shifts priorities and technology renders many jobs obsolete) grows stronger every day.
The Guardian reported that nearly 1,000 rallies and protests were scheduled across the U.S. in every state—a Labor Day week of action organized by labor unions and advocacy groups in opposition to the Trump administration’s policies. The protests come as public support for labor unions remains strong. According to The Guardian, “A national poll conducted by the AFL-CIO and David Binder Research found trust in labor unions is at 55% - larger than the 36% of respondents who said they trusted the Democratic party and the 35% of respondents who said they trusted the Republican party.” Workers, whether union or non-union, face numerous threats from various directions.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act puts billionaires over workers through massive tax cuts to wealthy people and big corporations, while crucial programs that help working people are slashed. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a $716 billion dollar cut from Medicaid and parts of the Affordable Care Act will result in roughly fifteen million people losing their healthcare. In addition, $300 billion will be cut from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps feed approximately forty-two million Americans. Federal student loan programs face cuts, while working students struggle with job demands and family responsibilities.
As new tariffs take effect, prices are expected to rise. The Yale Budget Lab estimates that tariffs will cost the average household an additional $2,400 this year. To make matters worse for workers, large corporations are slashing jobs. According to Intellinzence, in the last few months, Microsoft, Intel, Nissan USA, Procter & Gamble, UPS and the Postal Service cut 16,000, 34,000, 11,000, 7,000, 21,000, and 10,000 jobs, respectively—accounting for only a small percentage of total jobs eliminated within the market.
While there are many reasons for those jobs disappearing, analysts point to corporations replacing workers through the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Newsweek magazine listed more than forty occupations that will see job cuts due to AI, including: cashiers, customer service representatives, teachers, computer programmers, lawyers, paralegals, architects, engineers, financial advisors, mathematicians, technical writers, translators, and graphic designers.
While jobs and services are being cut, the federal hourly minimum wage in the U.S. has been $7.25 since July 2009. For perspective, the median cost of a home in the U.S. is nearly $400,000. This combination makes the American Dream of owning a home unattainable for many working families. Workers face numerous threats from various directions.
On Labor Day, folks in Livingston and across our country made their positions known about Workers Over Billionaires.
About the organizations: Indivisible Park County and the Women’s Action Project are all-volunteer, non-partisan, progressive organizations that formed at the beginning of the second Trump administration. The organizations aim to educate and motivate others to protect our communities, constitution, and democracy. The organizers state that a core principle behind this Labor Day protest is a commitment to nonviolent action.