BOSTON — Demonstrators carrying a sign saying “The people united will never be defeated” marched among chants of “Hey, hey, ho, ho, these billionaires have got to go,” as part of the “Workers Over Billionaires” Labor Day parade that kicked off in Copley Square Monday morning.
Organized by the Greater Boston Labor Council, the parade which doubled as a rally, was organized to promote workers’ rights, election protection, and greater accountability for billionaires. The Greater Boston Labor Council, chartered by the national AFL-CIO, works to improve the lives of working families across 24 Greater Boston communities.
The parade, which kicked off at 10:00 a.m. from Copley Square Park, traveled along Dartmouth Street to Commonwealth Avenue before returning to the park for a speaking program at 11:30 a.m. The second annual Labor Day parade on Sept. 7, 2026, replaced the Greater Boston Labor Council’s customary Labor Day breakfast.
Among the scheduled speakers were Governor Maura Healey, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Chrissy Lynch, and Greater Boston Labor Council President Darlene Lombos.
Before the parade, a coalition of Mass General Brigham workers—including members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, 1199SEIU, SEIU CIR and Doctors Council—rallied outside Bain Capital’s offices at 200 Clarendon Street in support of Brigham nurses who are continuing to fight for fair treatment following a recent strike over wages, staffing, affordable health insurance, and patient-care concerns.
More: Brigham and Women’s Hospital nurses locked out until July 13 after one-day strike
A police officer at the parade said roughly 1,000 people were in attendance.
Parade attendee Payton Corbett of Teamsters Local 122, which represents workers in both the public and private sectors, said workers’ wages have failed to keep pace with executive compensation.
“It’s obvious that wages that workers earn have not kept up with what the CEOs and the billionaires are earning,” Corbett told News Link Live Political Reporter Gail Sullivan.
Corbett said wealthy Americans were taxed at significantly higher rates nearly a century ago and that the gap between executive pay and rank-and-file worker pay was narrower.
“People keep accusing the Democratic Party of moving farther and farther to the left, but I think if you look back almost a hundred years, the rich were taxed a lot more back then,” Corbett said.
He said most workers are more likely to face homelessness than become millionaires.
“We need to tax the millionaires and the super millionaires,” Corbett said. He also called for raising the Social Security income cap.
Another parade attendee, Megan Tyler, a registered nurse at Boston Medical Center (BMC), said nurses are seeking help from Massachusetts officials as they negotiate with hospital management.
“We are asking government and local officials to help get emergency funds to BMC, so that we can help secure a fair contract for the nurses,” Tyler said. “We work at the busiest emergency room in New England, a Level One Trauma Center, the only ‘Safety Net’ hospital in Boston. We serve the community.”
