Yeah, I think Thursday’s May Day rally on the Statehouse lawn went a little better than Wednesday’s pro-Trump “honk and wave” in Barre. I’d say the attendance was about a hundred times better, anyway. My guesstimate is that the crowd hit four figures with some room to spare. (It was impossible to capture the entire crowd in a single photo because they were so spread out.) Pretty good for a weekday afternoon.

The rally wasn’t specifically targeted at the authoritarian Trump regime as has been the case for other recent protests. Since it was May Day, the focus was on organized labor. At first I was a bit disappointed, but as the event went on, it was kind of nice not to hear the same familiar litany of terrible things our government is doing under the orange usurper.

Also, the labor movement is accustomed to fighting through setbacks and playing the long game. I mean, one speaker brought up the Haymarket affair, which occurred 139 years ago. In the context of labor’s long struggle, a few years under Trump takes on a fresh bit of perspective.

There was also a piece of well-timed good news on offer.

Several speakers, including leaders of the Democratic Legislature, took pains to mention PR.3, a proposed amendment to the state constitution protecting the rights of workers to collectively bargain. The measure had been wending its way through the mandatory two-year legislative process for any constitutional amendment, and somehow the managers of the House calendar arranged for the final vote to be taken on May Day. How about that!

The vote was 125 in favor, 15 against, with all the “No” votes coming from Republicans. To be fair, that means a lot of Republicans voted “Yes.” The Senate’s final vote on PR.3, taken on March 20, was 29 yes and 1 (Senate Minority Leader Scott Beck) absent.

Thursday’s House vote means the amendment will be on the statewide ballot in November 2026, which should provide a boost in turnout among liberal-minded voters.

Any mention of PR.3 — or as it will appear on the ballot, Proposition 3 — drew a cheer from the crowd.

There were frequent mentions of the current regime, and plenty of anti-Trump signs. (My favorite: “Ice Caps, not ICE Cops,” complete with an image of arctic ice.) But the primary focus was on workers’ rights, which are certainly under attack from the current administration. It was a nice little change of pace. Not that I will mind a return to the usual agenda at future rallies. We’ve got to keep up the pressure, if not increase it. These bastards aren’t going to give up anytime soon.