Union members take center stage at No Kings rally

By Lila Swanson

Thousands of workers, union members and community activists flooded the California State Capitol in Sacramento recently, turning out in force for the No Kings Day rally to protest what organizers described as rising authoritarianism and the systematic dismantling of rights under the Trump administration.

Among the crowds were hundreds of union members representing nurses, teachers, care workers, and more—a broad cross-section of California’s labor movement united by a single message: working people will not be silenced.

California Federation of Teachers President Jeff Freitas was among the main speakers at the event, rallying the crowd to action. “We can beat back this fascist regime. We can make this country for all,” Freitas declared. “We will defeat the fascism that is spreading in this country. This is the land of the free—free for all, to be who you want to be, to come to this country to survive and live the dream of our country.”

SEIU 2015, which represents long-term care workers across California, brought a powerful message rooted in the daily reality facing working families. “The system works for billionaires. Not for us,” the union declared, pointing to the staggering concentration of wealth—with just 900 billionaires controlling nearly $7 trillion—while working families face rising costs, housing insecurity and cuts to Medicare and other essential services.

The union called No Kings Day a nonviolent day of action in the tradition of Montgomery and Selma. “Like those who marched before us,” SEIU 2015 said, “we will stand together, make our voices heard, and demand a future that works for all of us.”

Sacramento union members joined the rally as part of a mobilization of labor unions across the country. “There are no kings in America. When working people come together, we can stand up to bosses and politicians, and rewrite the rules so our country works for working people, not the rich and powerful,” said the AFL-CIO in a statement.

The Communications Workers of America spelled out exactly what is at risk. “Billionaires who have bought and bribed their way to power in Washington are working to dismantle our collective bargaining agreements and gut laws that protect our safety at work and workers’ ability to form unions,” CWA said. The union pointed to a cascade of administration actions that have already done serious damage: shredding union contracts for more than one million federal workers, leaving 17 million people without healthcare coverage, driving up insurance costs, and deploying federal troops to American cities to intimidate peaceful protesters.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, framed the moment in terms of bedrock American values.

“Today CFT members across the state joined millions of people nationwide to make one thing clear—in America, there are no kings. Today we march, tomorrow we organize with our communities for the future of our public schools, our nation, and our democracy,” Weingarten said. “Americans may disagree on policy, but we agree on two fundamental values: that we should be governed by ourselves, not kings, and that there is a basic goodness at our core. That’s why I’m not surprised that millions of Americans refuse to be cowed by the federal government’s abuses of power and are saying ‘count me in’ for No Kings.”

During a previous No Kings rally held in October 2025, approximately 7,000 people gathered at the Capitol to voice their opposition to the Trump administration—a number that organizers say has only grown as the administration’s policies have intensified.

The spirit of the day also extended beyond Sacramento. In Yolo County, Indivisible Yolo held its own No Kings event, where “We are the Power! Somos el Poder!” echoed through the crowd.

The event was timed to honor the 60th anniversary of the historic farmworker march from Delano to Sacramento.

“Whatever brought you here today, we are here in shared struggle,” said Antonio De Loera-Brust, United Farm Workers Communications Director and Yolo County Democratic Party Executive Director.

That thread of shared struggle—connecting farm workers, care workers, teachers, and nurses—was the defining current running through the entire day.

As Freitas put it simply in his speech on the steps of the Capitol, “This is the land of the free. For all.”