Hundreds of thousands of Americans are expected to spend their Labor Day protesting President Donald Trump and the billionaires who support him at events nationwide and here in Michigan.
“We’re excited to see a lot of folks turning out and really turning up the heat on the administration and on the billionaires that are really driving the agenda, especially as we’re seeing increased attacks on our communities,” Saqib Bhatti, executive director of Action Center on Race and the Economy, told USA TODAY.
More than a thousand “Workers Over Billionaires” events are planned nationwide on Labor Day and the surrounding days. Nearly two dozen events are listed on the Workers’ Labor Day website for Michigan, from Houghton in the Upper Peninsula to Niles in southwest Michigan.
The events are designed to build on the momentum of other large-scale protests including No Kings Day in June and Good Trouble Lives On in July. They are led by labor organizations, including the AFL-CIO, and other advocacy groups such as May Day Strong, Public Citizen and Indivisible.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the protests. Instead, it provided a quote from Vice President JD Vance about Democrats not voting for the GOP tax and spending bill, and a quote from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt about Labor Day.
“We finally have a President who fights and delivers for the American worker every single day. President Trump believes that American workers are the heart and soul of our economy and our national identity, which is why he’s championed an agenda that puts them first always,” she said.
Bhatti, whose group is focused on racial and economic activism, said many Americans don’t see Trump’s actions that way.
Organizers are expecting “a big show of force on Monday that we’re not going to take it sitting down, that working class people across the country are ready to fight back and to make sure that we don’t just let billionaires run roughshod over our communities,” Bhatti said.
Close to the community
Many of the advocacy groups planning the Labor Day protest were also involved in the nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations on June 14, which drew millions of participants across 2,100 locations and hundreds of thousands of people for the Good Trouble Lives On events at more than a thousand locations on July 17, according to the group’s estimates. Overall, there have been monthly nationwide protests against the administration’s policies since April.
While events in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and New York are expected to be larger, there is no flagship event this time, in part because organizers say they want activists to focus on the needs in their local communities.
A person uses a megaphone as protesters hold signs as they take part in a “No Kings” protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s presidency and immigration policies, near Mar-a-Lago, in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., June 14, 2025.
It follows the model advocacy groups have used since the spring, holding events in as many locations as possible, rather than in one or two major cities. The approach can be harder for the public to ignore and allows people who show up to connect with local resources and perform local advocacy.
National Education Association president Becky Pringle said the teacher and school support staff union is participating because educators feel a responsibility to speak up. The administration has hurt children, she said, especially with the passage of the GOP tax and spending bill that cut Medicare and food benefits.
“We understand that we have to demonstrate our rejection of corruption and lawlessness and predatory policies, all of the chaos and destruction, as they take money away from kids, from feeding them, providing health care … to give tax breaks to people who are already obscenely wealthy,” Pringle said.
Melissa Estrada and her niece Alexis Silveira came to the ‘No Kings’ rally in West Palm Beach on June 14, 2025, to protest President Trump’s immigration crackdown. Estrada’s banner paid tribute to her father who fought in World War II.
Each community should decide what specific policies to protest and how, Pringle said. She plans to attend events in Iowa focused on the impact of the cuts to food assistance and what it means for working families.
“Educators and workers across the country understand what is happening and how our rights are being diminished or taken away, how power is being consolidated right now, very, very quickly and where our constitution is being threatened and questioned and pushed aside,” Pringle told USA TODAY. “Honestly we are in that moment where either we stand up and fight for our democracy or we don’t have one.”
Regardless on what topic activists choose to focus on, organizers feel this should be a movement led by working class people, Organized Power In Numbers Executive Director Neidi Dominguez told USA TODAY.
“In this moment the only way forward is to choose workers over billionaires every day,” she said.
Dominguez said this moment stands out because it is bringing together labor and community groups for mass protests on Labor Day for the first time in a long time.
How to find a protest in Michigan
You can search for events on the AFL-CIO website. Here’s a look at protests and events announced on the Workers Labor Day website. More may be added.
Houghton: Noon Sept. 1 in downtown
Negaunee: 11 a.m. Sept. 1, Jackson Park
Marquette: 10:30 a.m. Aug. 30, U.S. 41 and Wilson Street
Sault Ste. Marie: 9:30 a.m. Sept. 1, Soo Plaza parking lot
St. Ignace: 8 a.m. Sept. 1, St. Ignace airport, 1220 N. State St.
Rogers City: Noon Sept. 1, Presque Isle County Courthouse, 151 E. Huron Ave.
Benzonia: 1 p.m. Sept. 1, Benzonia Post Office
West Branch: 11 a.m. Sept. 1, in front of Walmart, 2762 Cook Road
East Tawas: Noon Aug. 30, Newman Street at U.S. 23
Midland: 1 p.m. Sept. 1, Midland County Courthouse
Fremont: Noon Sept. 1, Veterans Memorial Park
Mt. Pleasant: 10 a.m. Sept. 1, 4730 Encore Drive near Menard’s
Saginaw Twp.: 1 p.m. Sept. 1, Bay and Tittabawassee roads
Flint: 2 p.m. Sept. 1, 3191 S. Linden Road
Muskegon: 11 a.m. Aug. 30, the Lakes Mall, 5600 Harvey St.
Grand Rapids: 5 p.m. Sept. 1, Garfield Park
Howell: 4 p.m. Sept. 1, Howell Courthouse amphitheater
Novi: 10 a.m. Sept. 1, Novi Road and Grand River Avenue
Niles: Noon Sept. 1, 2nd and Main streets in downtown
Jackson: Noon Sept. 1, Withington Park, 400 W. Michigan Ave.; Noon Sept. 1, Horace Blackman Park
Saline: 10 a.m. Sept. 1, East Michigan Avenue and South Ann Arbor Street
Protests aimed at specific billionaires
Some of the protests and rallies will target particular corporate actors “that are really helping drive the authoritarian agenda,” Bhatti said.
That includes people and companies that have donated to Trump’s political action committees, those who worked for Elon Musk’s Department Of Government Efficiency or who have financially benefited from moves by the Trump administration.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan Labor Day protests target Donald Trump, billionaires. Here’s where