Pro-union, pro-worker Labor Day rally/march draws hundreds at SC State House

A Labor Day rally at the S.C. State House attracted about 300 people Monday. They listened first to pro-union and pro-worker speakers, then marched to the U.S. Post Office and back to the State House.

The midday rally, with its decidedly left-of-mainstream political views, was peaceful and full of energetic cheers as the speeches went on. It took place under sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s.

As rallygoers marched down Main Street to conclude the event, city police blocked traffic, a trumpet sounded “When the Saints Go Marching In,” and a drum beat out a rapid cadence. Marchers chanted, “The workers united will never be defeated” and their voices echoed off downtown office building walls.

The march to the Post Office was to show solidarity with postal workers, organizers said.

Anson Foster, 24, an organizer for the AFL-CIO and one of the leaders of the event that attracted about a dozen speakers, said in an interview that workers, union members and community groups were rallying to “demonstrate the power of the working class” and defend such common interests as health care, Social Security and veterans’ benefits.

Rallygoers were a mostly white mix of aging baby boomers, the middle-aged and the young, a crowd that skewed older than younger. They said they came for various reasons.

”I’m the son of blue-collar workers, and I believe the lives of workers are just as important as those of billionaires. We’re killing the middle class and destroying rural hospitals so we can give tax breaks to billionaires. Any reasonable person would believe that is wrong,” said Dennis Bolt, 77, a retired Columbia attorney who attended the rally with his wife, Cathy, 76.

Bolt held a sign that said, “There’s only one immigrant taking American jobs away.” Under the words was a picture of Elon Musk, the billionaire native South African who helped fire thousands of federal workers earlier this year and who is an ally of President Trump.

Elva Stinson, 70, of Columbia, said, “I’m here to protect voting rights, and I feel like the Trump administration is dismantling democracy, one brick at a time.”

Neal Jones, 64, a former Columbia Unitarian pastor who is now a psychologist, took the podium to pray for rallygoers, saying, “We ask your blessing on the Labor Day rally and march, for we have gathered for a cause, and we march for a purpose.... We march to acknowledge the sacrifices made by those who have organized and fought for fair wages, safe workplaces, and the right to form unions — a battle which we must still fight, particularly at this time and in this state.”

Josh Dunn, 34, of Columbia, an organizer of United Campus Workers South Carolina, told the crowd to cheers, “Our college campuses only work because our workers work!” His group represents all college employees, from custodians to IT workers to professors, he said after his speech.

Another speaker, Lynn Teague, 77, vice president of the League of Women Voters of South Carolina, urged the audience to get engaged, “really” understand the issues and vote. “They need to get out there for all the elections,” she told a State newspaper reporter after her speech. “Primaries are more important than (the general election) in November.”

Signs at the event expressed in often colorful language a wide range of grievances, slogans, and calls to action.

They included “Science is for the people,” “Mad as hell,” “Morons are governing America,” “Labor is America’s Backbone,” “Protect the Homeless,” “Our greatness lies in our goodness,” “It will take all of us,” “We are the granddaughters of the witches you weren’t able to burn,” “Trump fiddles while the climate burns,” “Save Our Parks,” and “Hands off our Democracy.”

Meanwhile, a Labor Day press release from Trump’s White House had a different take.

Trump “is delivering for American workers” and “finally putting the American worker first,” the release said. “President Trump is taming inflation, sparking wage growth, and making life affordable again.”

And headlines in major news organizations on Tuesday morning reported that Trump had moved to strip nearly 500,000 federal workers of union rights, saying their functions involve national security.

This story was originally published September 1, 2025 at 6:27 PM.