Labor Day Rally, sponsored by Vallejo-Benicia Indivisible
Monday, September 1 – 10:30am – 12pm PDT Benicia Gazebo Park, 150 Military, Benicia, CA [MAP]
Join Indivisible Vallejo and Benicia this Labor Day as we come together in solidarity with communities across the country. Working people built this nation, and we know how to take care of one another. We will not back down—we will never stop fighting for our families and the freedoms that ensure opportunity and a better life for all.
FOOD DRIVE – We’ll also be collecting donations for the Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano—help feed our neighbors and support families in need. (The Food Bank cannot accept glass containers, food one year past its ‘best by’ date, open or partially-used products, alcohol, food without nutrition labels, or any frozen or refrigerated foods.)
NON-VIOLENCE – A core principle behind all Indivisible events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.
LABOR DAY RALLIES – IN BENICIA
& ALL OVER THE BAY AREA…
Benicia Gazebo, corner of First & Military Streets
>> IN BENICIA / VALLEJO: September 1, 10:30am at the Gazebo in Benicia City Park (map: First and Military Streets) – see more above.
> ALL OVER THE BAY AREA: Go to MOBILIZE.US for info about Labor Day rallies in El Sobrante, Pittsburg and Oakland.
Nearly 1,000 ‘Workers Over Billionaires’ Protests Planned Across US for 2025 Labor Day – Common Dreams
“This is about workers showing up and demanding what workers deserve all across the country,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
Unions and progressive organizations are planning nearly 1,000 “Workers Over Billionaires” demonstrations across the United States this Labor Day to protest President Donald Trump’s assault on workers’ rights.
“Labor and community are planning more than a barbecue on Labor Day this year because we have to stop the billionaire takeover,” the coalition says. “Billionaires are stealing from working families, destroying our democracy, and building private armies to attack our towns and cities.”
Since coming into office, the Trump administration has waged war on workers’ rights. Among many other actions, his administration has stripped over a million federal workers of their right to collectively bargain in what has been called the largest act of union busting in American history and dramatically cut their wages.
He has also weakened workplace safety enforcement, eliminated rules that protected workers against wage theft, and proposed eliminating the federal minimum wage for more than 3.7 million childcare and home workers.
Despite Trump’s efforts, Americans still believe in the power of collective action. According to a Gallup poll published Thursday, 68% of Americans say they approve of labor unions, the highest level of support since the mid-1960s.
“Just like any bad boss, the way we stop the takeover is with collective action,” the coalition says on its website.
The May Day Strong coalition previously organized hundreds of thousands of workers to take to the streets for International Workers Day, more commonly known as “May Day.” On Monday, rallies are once again expected across all 50 states.
Four months later, their list of grievances has grown even longer, with Republicans having since passed a tax cut expected to facilitate perhaps the largest upward transfer of wealth in US history, featuring massive tax breaks for the wealthy paid for with historic cuts to the social safety net.
“There are nearly 1,000 billionaires in the country with a whopping $6 trillion, and that is still not enough for them,” said Saqib Bhattie, executive director of the Action Center on Race and the Economy, another group participating in the protests. “They are pushing elected officials to slash Medicaid, [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] benefits, and special education funding for schools in order to fund their tax breaks. We need to claw back money from the billionaire. We need to push legislation to tax billionaires at the state and local levels. We need to organize to build the people power necessary to overcome their money.”
The group also plans to respond to Trump’s lawless attacks on immigrants and his militarized takeovers of American cities.
“This Labor Day,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, “we continue the fight for our democracy, the fight for the soul of our nation, the fight against the vindictive authoritarian moves Trump and the billionaire class aimed at stealing from working people and concentrating power.”
“This is about workers showing up and demanding what workers deserve all across the country,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. “This Labor Day is really different, because it’s not just labor unions, as important as we may be to the workers we represent. It has to be all workers and all working families saying enough. Workers and working families deserve the bounty of the country.”
May Day Strong will host a national “mass call” online on Saturday. The locations of the hundreds of protests on Monday can be found using the map on May Day Strong’s website.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to protest the Trump administration again on Thursday, the fifth anniversary of the death of civil rights leader and former congressman John Lewis. [Details for the Benicia rally below.]
Why it mat#belowters: Lewis was one of the most vocal critics of President Trump during his first administration. Trump’s 2017 inauguration was the first that Lewis missed during his three-decade tenure in Congress.
By the numbers: 56,000 people RSVP’d for more than 1,500 events across the country as of Friday, organizers said.
What they’re saying: “Good Trouble Lives On is a national day of action to respond to the attacks on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration,” the protest website said.
“Together, we’ll remind them that in America, the power lies with the people.”
The other side: “Nearly 80 million Americans gave President Trump a historic mandate to Make America Great Again and he is delivering on that promise in record time,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement.
Context: Lewis, the son of sharecroppers, grew up in rural Alabama. The civil rights leader was arrested more than 40 times and injured repeatedly but remained an advocate for nonviolent protest, per the Library of Congress.
“Rosa Parks inspired us to get in trouble,” he said in 2019. “And I’ve been getting in trouble ever since. She inspired us to find a way, to get in the way, to get in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.”
Indivisible, a leading protest organization group, launched a project ahead of the protest to train a million people in non-cooperation, community organizing and campaign design.
Zoom out: In March 1965, Lewis led more than 600 peaceful protesters across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. What was meant to be a push for voting rights became known as “Bloody Sunday” after state troopers attacked the marchers.
He was elected to the U.S. House in 1986, representing most of Atlanta, and served until he died in 2020.
“Lewis was a formidable legislator who exerted moral and political leadership within the Democratic Party and never forgot his roots as an activist,” a biography said.
You are cordially, personally, and expansively invited…
…to a Vallejo and Benicia Day of Action – Good Trouble Lives On, commemorating the July 17, 2020 death of Rep. John Lewis. Together, we will advocate for freedom and democracy in the Trump era. RALLY in CITY PARK,Thursday, July 17th, from 5-6 pm at the Gazebo, corner of First & Military in Benicia.
Rep. John Lewis – “When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.” (July 30, 2020)
Crowd at the Gazebo, Roger Straw – Benicia Independent
Benicia California — On Thursday, July 17, community members in Benicia and Vallejo will join Americans at hundreds of events nationwide to honor the legacy of Congressman John Lewis and fight back against the growing attacks on our civil and human rights.
The local action in Benicia is part of Good Trouble Lives On — a nationwide day of peaceful, nonviolent action rooted in the legacy of the civil rights movement and inspired by John Lewis’ call to make “good trouble, necessary trouble.”
Participants from Vallejo and Benicia will gather to demand an end to the authoritarian attacks on our freedom to vote, protest, and organize — and to stand united against efforts to criminalize our communities, roll back our rights, and slash vital public programs.
Speakers include Dr. Tonia Lediju, Vallejo City Council and Kari Birdseye, Benicia City Council
The rally will also provide opportunity for voter registration, information about Unite and Rise 8.5, and 5Calls, and other ways to participate in the democratic process, plus a canned food drive for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano counties.
>> For the food drive please bring one or more of the following items: Peanut butter, Canned Tuna or chicken in water, Boxed mac and Cheese, Shelf stable milk, Applesauce, Beans/lentils (dry or canned), Rice, Whole grain cereal/crackers, Whole wheat/grain pasta, Canned soups/vegetables/tomato products, Canned fruits, cartons of 100% juice, non-perishable ready-to-eat meals (chili, ravioli, etc.)
Bring your homemade signs, gather around the Gazebo with banners, hear the speakers, visit a popup canopy with tables for people registering to vote and signing up to get involved, leave your food items in the drive barrels.
Benicia Gazebo, corner of First & Military Streets
>> IN BENICIA / VALLEJO: July 17th GOOD TROUBLE LIVES ON! 5-6pm at the Gazebo in Benicia City Park (map: First and Military Streets) – see more above.
>> IN FAIRIELD: Thu, Jul 17
5:00 PM — 6:00 PM, Garamendi’s Office Building, Fairfield, CA . Here’s a map.
>> IN NAPA: Thu, Jul 17, 5:30 PM — 7:00 PM PDT, Veterans Memorial Park, Napa, CA.
> ALL OVER THE BAY AREA: Go to goodtroubleliveson.org and enter your zip code. Then click a city on the big map to get details.
U.S. Representative and beloved activist John Lewis…
“From a small farm in Alabama, to life-risking service in the civil rights movement, to three decades in Congress, he was always ‘walking with the wind,’ steered by a moral compass that told him when to make good trouble and when to heal troubled waters. Always true to his word, his faith, and his principles, John Lewis became the conscience of the nation.” – Former President Bill Clinton and Former Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton, Associated Press, July 18, 2020
By Richard Fleming, M.D., Benicia resident and author, Older But Wiser. June 9, 2025
Richard Fleming, M.D., Benicia, CA
The new tax and budget bill signed into law July 4 will have substantial negative impacts on almost everyone in the country, except for the wealthy. Lower-income people will take the biggest hit. The bottom 20% of families will lose about $700 per year, while the top 20% of families will gain $5,700 per year (data from Yale Budget Lab). The new law orchestrates one of the biggest transfers of wealth from the poor to the rich in U.S. history.
While the new law will have widespread economic, social, and political effects, I want to focus this post on several ways seniors will be impacted. The consequences on our lives will likely be big, and they will not be beautiful.
For decades, we old folks have been able to rely on helpful government programs as we navigate the challenges of our post-retirement years. We have been able to count on benefits we earned through decades of hard work. In particular, both Social Security and health care – especially Medicare and Medicaid – have been programs we could depend on to provide a measure of stability in our senior years.
Well, those days appear to be over and the support we receive from those programs is on shaky ground. Let’s look at what we oldsters are now facing.
Social Security
The Trump administration proclaims that its new law “eliminates federal income taxes on Social Security benefits for most beneficiaries.” Simply stated, this is not true. The new law actually makes no changes to taxes on Social Security. What the law does is temporarily increase the overall personal withholding amount for people 65 and older. Individuals who earn less than $75,000 per year or couples earning less than $150,000 can claim an extra $6,000 or $12,000 personal deduction. These amounts taper down to zero as income rises. So, for people with moderate incomes, they will see a temporary reduction in federal taxes on total income, not specifically on Social Security payments.
But a closer look shows how limited this tax change really is. Currently 64% of seniors pay no tax on their Social Security benefits because their income is too low. So they will experience no benefit from the new law. Some seniors earn more than the income limits, and they too will see no change in their taxation levels. Only 24% of all seniors on Social Security will benefit from the new law (data from the White House’s Council of Economic advisers). And it will be modest and temporary. Three quarters of seniors on Social Security will see no tax reduction.
But misrepresenting the new law as “no tax on Social Security” is not the worst problem. The law actually inflicts serious damage to Social Security itself. It reduces the money going into the Social Security Trust Fund by $30 billion per year, meaning the program will run out of money earlier. In 2032, unless something changes, everyone’s Social Security benefit will be reduced by 24% across the board. This is mandated under current law.
We seniors have been around the block a few times. We know the carnie barkers and fancy-talking shills promising us no taxes on Social Security are just blowing smoke.
Medicare and Medicaid
Almost all seniors get their health insurance through Medicare, and about 10% of seniors have what is called dual coverage, receiving benefits through Medicaid and Medicare. Both programs are seriously threatened by the new budget law, and seniors will probably suffer as a result.
The law reduces Medicaid spending by more than a trillion dollars over the coming decade. The most immediate impact will be on people who rely on Medicaid for their health care, and it is predicted over 10 million people will lose their health insurance as a result. Seniors with dual coverage will remain insured through Medicare, but will have much less coverage.
But here is an important fact that is not receiving much attention. The adverse impact of the drastic cuts to Medicaid will not be limited to Medicaid recipients. All seniors, as well as younger people, will be affected. Why do I say this? Many rural hospitals are primarily funded by Medicaid and are at risk of closing. The impact on everyone living in rural areas, including all seniors, could be devastating.
Even in urban and suburban areas, every hospital receives substantial funding from Medicaid, and this income will be reduced by the new law. What will be the result? Hospitals will feel pressured to increase billing charges across the board. Copays for insured patients will likely increase. Seniors will end up having to pay more for their health care even if they are not on Medicaid. Quality of care and service could also suffer as hospital revenue declines.
Long term care facilities will face similar financial pressures as Medicaid funding is slashed. Many old folks reside in these care facilities, or will need to as our years accumulate. The new law also allows nursing homes and long term care facilities to reduce staffing levels. Having fewer facilities available, at higher costs, with less staff, is not a prospect most people would describe as “beautiful.”
While Medicare is not explicitly targeted, the new law forces a $490 billion reduction in Medicare spending between 2027 and 2034. This decrease is not optional. It is mandated by a 2010 law known as S-PAYGO. What will happen when Medicare spending is reduced? I’m not a rocket scientist, thank goodness, and you’re probably not either. But we learned how to do subtraction in grade school. We know that when you take money away, you end up with less.
* * *
I have just scratched the surface of how old folks will fare under the new law. Almost 5 million seniors are dependent on SNAP food benefits, and this program is being scaled way back. In-home care services will become harder to access and of lower quality. And other problems are waiting in the wings.
So, my fellow seniors, we have our work cut out for us. We need to speak up and speak out, in defense of our future. And in defense of our children’s and grandchildren’s futures. We old folks carry a certain air of, shall we say, gravitas which enables us to speak more powerfully than the volume of our voices.
The cuts made by the new law do not go into effect until after the 2026 midterm elections, which confirms the architects of these cuts knew how unpopular they will be. Our job is to make sure the new Congress elected next year will put a stop to these cuts before they start. We need to make sure the legacy we leave the future generations is not a return to the 19th century.
………Dr. Richard Fleming’s ……….OLDER BUT WISER >> You can see “Older But Wiser” Comments, Archives, and Subscribe to Dr. Fleming’s posts at olderbutwiser.com.
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