New York, New York - On International Workers' Day, labor activists in New York City will take to the streets to demand increased worker protections and a pathway to citizenship.

Workers and allies from across the city will converge on Washington Square Park at noon on Sunday. They are joining forces on International Workers' Day for greater dignity in the workplace.

International Workers' Day, also known as Labor Day or May Day, is celebrated at the beginning of May in over 80 countries around the world.

It honors past labor leaders' legacies, including the fight for eight-hour workdays, child labor laws, paid time off, maternity leave, and more, while also highlighting ongoing struggles for justice today.

May 1 was chosen to commemorate the 1886 Haymarket Affair, a labor protest near Chicago’s Haymarket Square that turned violent after an unknown person set off a bomb near police, who responded with gunfire directed toward civilians. Several died and many more were injured on both sides.

The events became an international symbol of the struggle for workers' rights.

In this year's day of action, immigrants' and workers' rights organizations, including the Amazon Labor Union, will come together to demand an end to corporate greed and basic rights for the city's most vulnerable.

Specifically, they are calling for greater protections for all workers, including increased wages, greater benefits, better health protections, improved safety conditions, and an end to corporate union-busting.

There are also calls for a full pathway to citizenship for immigrant workers after the current Congress failed to pass any meaningful reforms.

At the state level, New York Governor Kathy Hochul didn't set aside any resources to extend the Excluded Workers Fund in the latest budget, leaving many immigrant workers without access to unemployment assistance and health insurance.

This May Day, New Yorkers are invited to stand in solidarity with those workers and fight for a better world for all.