(ACROSS NEW YORK STATE) – Tens of thousands of Union Members came out in force across New York State over the weekend to participate in more than two dozen Hands Off! Demonstrations that were held Saturday (April 5th) to protest President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s attack on Federal Government programs and Democracy.

Demonstrations were held in New York City and Buffalo, which drew amazingly large turnouts, as well as in Avon, Batavia, Binghamton, Canandaigua, Corning, Delhi, Fredonia, Geneseo, Hamilton, Hector, Herkimer, Ithaca, Jamestown, Massena, Norwich, Oneonta, Ovid, Oswego, Potsdam, Rochester, Seneca Falls, Syracuse, Watertown and Utica, to name but a few.

This mass mobilization day sent a message to Trump, Musk and their Republican supporters in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives that every day New Yorkers do not consent to the destruction of the U.S. Government and its economy to benefit Trump and his allies.

Alongside hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country, those who marched, rallied and protested over the weekend demanded in solidarity to stop the chaos and build an opposition movement against the looting of their country.

National AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler released the following statement: Since the day Donald Trump took office again for a second term, we’ve seen unrelenting attacks on our jobs, our critical public services, our Unions and more. And our response has been to fight back with every tactic we have. Because that’s what our movement does - we stand up to greedy bosses, whether we’re on the factory floor or in the halls of government. We know our relentless protests, rallies and town halls are working because representatives in Congress (have) introduced the bipartisan Protect America’s Workforce Act, which would overturn Trump’s Executive Order that stripped the right to organize from Federal Workers. You can call Lawmakers now and tell them to vote yes. While we demand Congress take action on this Bill, we have to continue to show up in our communities to keep the pressure on. I’ll be at the Hands Off! rally in Washington, D.C., to stand with leaders across our coalition and speak to tens of thousands of Americans on the National Mall about protecting the services we all count on.

In Buffalo, Labor Leaders estimated a crowd of 10,000 gathered in Niagara Square to listen to a host of speakers - including Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 1 Director Deb Hayes and National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 3 President David Grosskopf, Jr. (Aerial Photo Provided To WNYLaborToday.com By Buffalo AFL-CIO Central Labor Council President Denise Abbott)

A subsequent march in Downtown Buffalo - which had more than 25 co-sponsors, including unions and community groups, took part after the rally.

Dubbed the Buffalo United March, Organizers released the following statement: We are a coalition of people in Western New York, who put #PeopleAndThePlanet first. We include Organized Labor and community groups, activists, researchers, neighbors, friends and family. We stand with Federal Workers and the important work they perform. They provide vital services including Social Security programs, health care, childcare, protection of our food systems and aviation oversight, and many others. We stand with our most vulnerable members, including Immigrants, LGBTQIA People and all others who are marginalized and oppressed - including Women. We stand with People of Color and all those being stripped of their basic Human and Civil Rights. We stand with our educational institutions, and the countless Faculty, Researchers and students that are being subjected to arbitrary political litmus tests, uncertainty and censorship in their work. We stand with people all over the world who are being attacked or dominated through military aggression. Collectively, we will work to defend our neighbors, our people, our planet, our Democracy, and ourselves, to build the future we deserve.

Those Unions participating in the Buffalo demonstration including the American Federation of Government Employees, the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, CWA District 1, CWA Locals 1122 and 1168, the NALC Branch 3, Painters District Council 4, IATSE, 1199 Service Employees International Union, and the Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation, to name but a few.  

The Western New York Council on Occupational Safety & Health was also heavily involved in putting on the event.

 WNYLaborToday.com Photos.