Labor Day: Rally, Take Action

Aug 29

This Labor Day Weekend Do More Than BBQ

Actions to Take TODAY

The next big congressional showdown is funding the federal government before the shutdown deadline on September 30th. Want to know more about the month long battle ahead? From the Indivisible Policy Team, a great explainer that includes resources to help you call our Senators and your House members.

1. Call Senator Schumer

The dynamic of this fight could not be more different than when we tried to stop Trump’s Big Ugly Bill. In that fight, Republicans used the reconciliation process to bypass the 60-vote filibuster and do whatever the hell Trump wanted -- like gutting Medicaid and SNAP to supercharge ICE.

But this time, the GOP absolutely needs votes from Democrats to get a bill to Trump's desk. A united Democratic front has the power to block extreme MAGA policies and even reverse some damage Trump has done.

Sounds promising… but Democrats have a history of rolling over. During the last shutdown deadline in March, Republicans walked away with nearly everything they wanted after Chuck Schumer and nine other Dems surrendered. Republicans fully expect Dems to roll over again, so they’re plotting a dangerous budget that could lock in healthcare cuts, defund our schools, funnel our tax dollars to ICE, and hand Trump more unchecked power.

We’re here to tell Republicans and Democrats alike: Stop the cuts. Stop the chaos. And today we're starting with the Democratic Leader, our NYS Senator, Chuck Schumer.

TELL CHUCK SCHUMER: We need courage, not cowardice! You need to unify Dems and FIGHT LIKE HELL -- or step down for a leader who will.

Leading up to the Schumer Surrender in March, most Democrats were ready to do whatever it took to block Trump’s far-right funding plan -- but Schumer gave in to Trump’s wishes and divided his own party. That’s not what a brave leader does, and it absolutely cannot happen again. This time, Schumer must say early, often, and loudly that Democrats WILL NOT SURRENDER ONE VOTE for a budget that funds Trump’s chaos or locks in his healthcare cuts. We need you to contact him and demand that he make that pledge publicly.

Call Schumer to tell him he cannot cave to MAGA brinkmanship again! He has to unify Dems and hold the line against far-right funding schemes.

2. Email the Smithsonian Board of Regents.

Check out this action organized by Indivisible’s BIPOC caucus. Indivisibles can use this resource to tell the Smithsonian Board of Regents to reject demands by the Trump regime to whitewash history. When you fill out the contact info on the landing page, an email is sent to the Board of Regents.

Labor Day Weekend Rallies!

While you are out and about this weekend visiting family, hiking, enjoying some R&R--stop by and join some rallies!

Saturday, August 30th, 12:00 -1:30 pm, Stand Up for Labor in Rome–Peaceful Protest, Fort Stanwix National Monument, E. Dominick St. Meets Black River Blvd. Hosted by Rome Concerned Citizens and Indivisible Mohawk Valley . Bring your favorite signs and noise makers. And you might need a jacket!

Monday, September 1st, 10am-12pm, Labor Day Workers Over Billionaires March, Downtown Lowville, Park in public parking and join us walking up and down State St., All welcome! Please, no profanity or vulgar images on your signs. Sponsored by Lewis County Democrats.

Monday, September 1st, 5–6:30 pm, Workers over Billionaires Rally in Hamilton, NY, part of Labor Day Protests nationwide. Hamilton Village Green. Theme: Families Over Billionaires.

IMV Climate Crisis Working Group

Please Join IMV Members on September 21st in Albany for the SUN DAY Event ***

If you are interested in car pooling please contact Maggie Reilly at margaret_reilly@mac.com

SunDay is a day of action sponsored by a coalition of groups, including Third Act and 350.org, celebrating the unstoppable rise of clean energy and the movement to leave fossil fuels behind. We’ll come together to showcase the power of the sun and wind, the energy sources that can power our world without pollution. More information and SIGN UP.

***Check out Bill McKibben talking with Chris Hayes about Sun Day, advancements in solar power, and his book, "Here Comes the Sun."

Upcoming Zoom Events with NYS Indivisibles

September 10th

Indivisible OneNYS statewide call. 6:30-7:30pm. Register here. All Indivisibles in NY are welcome to join us for a conversation on great topics. Our agenda includes hearing from special guest Kimberly Tucker from Indivisible to share more details about the awesome new Solidarity in Action mutual aid fund program we have available to groups so you can decide if this is something helpful for your group. We will also be talking about the upcoming mass mobilization day of action on October 18th, getting your input on the upcoming social media masterclass series, and sharing ideas about how to support and equip volunteers.

September 15th

“Are we having 2026 Elections?” 6-7pm on Zoom. Register here. Many Indivisibles wonder if we are going to have elections in 2026. Join Dustin Czarny (Onondaga County Board of Elections Commissioner), who is an expert in election administration in NYS, for a conversation to help us learn more about elections and answer your questions. Knowledge is power!

You're Invited: Support Our IMV Friend, Heather for Utica Common Council

Invitation from Heather Wasielewski: "I’m excited to invite you to an afternoon fundraiser in support of my campaign for Utica Common Council At-Large — a chance for neighbors to come together, enjoy light refreshments, and talk about the future of our city.

Sunday, September 7, 2025
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
The Beer Hub, 2643 Genesee St

Tickets: $50 per person

RSVP: Please email Heatherforutica@gmail.com or call/text 315-520-8696.

How to Donate:

Online: ActBlue Link
By mail: Make checks payable to Friends for Heather Wasielewski and send to 407 French Rd, Utica, NY 13502.

Your support means so much — together we can bring every voice to the table in Utica. I would be honored to see you there."

Sum Up and Inspiration

Here's what you need to know about what's ahead:

1) Things are getting bad. Yes, the MAGA march toward fascism is accelerating at a pace that many people didn't anticipate and with an intensity that most Americans do not yet understand.

2) Indivisible groups--thousands of them nationwide, Indivisible national, and our many allies are working hard to build our numbers, train our members, and mobilize strategically. After Labor Day, we will focus aggressively on those activities. The next big mass mobilization is scheduled for October 18th. There will be a lot more information coming. Save the date and ask your friends and family to do the same. We need this event to be significantly bigger than No Kings in June. It has to show that opposition to Trump's MAGA Fascism and Project 2025 is growing.

3) We have electoral work to do this fall. We will need volunteers to register voters, write postcards to voters, knock doors, phonebank, and more. We have to build both our skills and voter agency (feeling like you can make a difference by voting) and we need to build hope by taking action. The skill building is critical because we need to be ready to go in 2026 to win congressional and other key elections. In 2017 IMV did lots of skill building in local elections, and as a result, we were prepared in every possible way to do the work to flip NY22 Blue. And we did.

4) Our September IMV meeting will be back in large group format after some months of smaller community circles. (Keep the community circles going, though, please!) Steering Committee has been hard at work on an agenda to make it worth your time, and make sure everyone has a clear purpose and next steps when the meeting ends. Register now! We want to see at least 250 people there!

Wednesday, September 17th, 6:00-7:30 pm,
Indivisible Mohawk Valley September 2025 Meeting,
Alumni College Center, MVCC Utica Campus,
1101 Sherman Drive, Utica
Sign up here

5) IMV has several activities that occurr regularly every week. We strongly encoruage you to participate in one or more those in order to stay connected and engaged as the noose tightens around the neck of democracy. We need each other. We need to support each other. We need to work together to breathe, and to PUSH. Here are those weekly events:

Thursdays --Rally in Utica 4-5 pm. Currently at 10 Broad Street, but will start to rotate to other locations in order to be visible to more commuters and communities.
Fridays-- CAFE Fridays, 9:30 am on Zoom. Seee the calendar below.
Saturdays-- Rally in Rome, 12-1:30 pm, near Ft. Stanwix where Black River Blvd meets Erie Blvd.

Also, on Thursdays, Indivisible's Co-founders do a one hour Zoom meeting, What's the Plan?, where they offer perspective and have a Q&A with Indivisibles from across the country. If you sign up, you can often get a sense of strategy ---and you'll get an email with the video recording of the call if you miss it.

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Labor Day is a celebration of the power of people to join together, organize, and prevail over billionaires, big money, and corporate interests.

In the face of apartheid, war, and starvation in Gaza;
deadly gun violence in Minneapolis and communities across America,
the militarization of our cities and the mass firing of the government workforces who have kept our country safe and functional,
and the persecution, terrorization, and detentions of countless immigrants who trusted their lives to the safety and protection and promise of America,
it can be hard to celebrate that power.

But we must continue to honor it.

Because the power of the people, organized for freedom and solidarity, is our greatest power against the forces that threaten us now.