Opinion: Every worker deserves respect, dignity and our solidarity on May Day

A worker steam cleans a sidewalk in Ocean Beach File photo by Chris Stone Times of San Diego This May Day we honor a simple truth every worker deserves respect and dignity Whether you pick up our trash keep our libraries open or protect population safety your work is essential and your rights are non-negotiable The labor movement has invariably fought for more than wages It has fought for the right to fair cure a voice in decisions that shape your life and conditions that honor your dignity On this day we remember that the fight for labor rights is inseparable from the fight for democracy itself May Day s roots stretch back to when workers in Chicago led a nationwide movement demanding the eight-hour workday They faced brutal repression A few gave their lives Their courage changed history and reminds us that rights are never exclusively given they are won by ordinary people standing together Here in San Diego that spirit of solidarity is alive and urgent Working people are being squeezed harder than ever even as the wealthiest reap record profits President Trump Elon Musk and their corporate supporters are actively working to weaken workers ability to organize and dismantle the masses sector They know what history teaches when working people unite they become a force that billionaires and demagogues cannot control We see this fight both nationally and here at home When Kilmar Abrego Garcia a proud apprentice of the International Association of Sheet Metal Air Rail and Transportation Workers Local was unlawfully detained and abandoned in a foreign torture dungeon his union stepped up They are fighting not just for their union brother but for the principle that an attack on one person s Constitutional rights is an attack on all of our rights His occurrence is a stark reminder that the struggle for dignity is not abstract it is happening every day in every workplace in every population And it s not limited to one worker or one industry We see it when librarians and park and recreation staff advocate for safe fully staffed population spaces We see it when sanitation workers demand the respect their essential work deserves We see it when inhabitants safety workers healthcare workers and the thousands of hospitality workers who power our tourism business sector fight for the basic right to live with dignity in the city they serve Too often working people are presented with a false choice treat workers with dignity or sacrifice quality services That is a lie We live in one of the wealthiest cities in one of the wealthiest countries in the world The dilemma is not scarcity The challenge is that those with the most of are not paying their fair share Respecting workers and delivering strong general services go hand-in-hand When we invest in workers we invest in a San Diego that is stronger fairer and more resilient This May Day let s recommit to that truth by standing together Let s stand with the workers who make San Diego run the residents sector workers hospitality workers healthcare heroes grocery workers tradespeople all of them Let s reject the attacks on workers whether they come from Trump and Musk or from corporations squeezing employees into poverty and out of our communities Let s demand a city where everyone no matter their job is treated with dignity respect and fairness Solidarity cannot be a slogan It must be a commitment It s a promise that when one of us is under attack all of us stand up It s a belief that the strength of a neighborhood is measured not by how it treats the powerful but by how it treats the people who do the work every day As frightening as this moment is for so numerous the history of May Day shows us a way through to a brighter future It starts with everyday working people standing together Sean Elo-Rivera represents San Diego s Ninth Council District and served three terms as City Council President