Protesters in cities and towns across Wyoming gathered on May 1 to demonstrate about the importance of worker’s rights and to voice their opposition to Trump administration cuts to the federal government.
May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, is typically an occasion used to champion the rights of workers and the progress of labor movements in countries across the globe.
This year, the Wyoming chapter of the protest group 50501 advertised May Day protests in cities like Jackson, Buffalo and Sheridan as an opportunity for Wyomingites to express their discontent over Pres. Donald Trump’s policy agenda. Protests were also held in Laramie, Cheyenne, Casper, Rock Springs, Lander and Pinedale.
Demonstrators in Laramie and Cheyenne who spoke to Wyoming Public Radio journalists cited the dismemberment of federal programs by the quasi-governmental DOGE agency, U.S. military aid to Ukraine, Trump’s plans for Palestine, worker rights and concerns about American democracy as just a few of their reasons to brave a snowstorm and protest.
In Wyoming, federal employees at agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and the National Parks Service have been put on leave or fired in recent months. Some have been hired back, while others’ fates remain uncertain.
“A lot of people came out to support workers and workers’ rights,” said Peggy McCrackin, a retiree who helped organize Laramie’s May Day protest. “But people are [also] here to save democracy, people are here for DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion], people are here for all kinds of rights: voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, civil rights. People are here for the slashing of budgets, the slashing of NSF [National Science Foundation], NIH [National Institutes of Health], USDA [U.S. Department of Agriculture]. So there’s a number of reasons why people are here.”
About 100 Laramites held aloft signs that read things like “Hands Off,” “Funding Cuts Kill” and “Get the MuskRats OUT of MEDICINE,” an apparent reference to billionaire Elon Musk and cuts to services like the federal Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program. A speaker system played songs like Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” Soon after the demonstration began, the sky darkened and snow began to dust protesters’ coats.
For others who showed up outside the Albany County Courthouse, like Wyoming Education Association (WEA) Albany County Co-President Bryon Lee, reasons to protest started with Wyoming’s state government. WEA is an education union.
“It’s standing up for education, first and foremost,” said Lee. “Our state Legislature this year tried to pass a bill where anyone over 18 who could pass a background check could become a teacher. That’s really frustrating, because then we start degrading the work that we do and the services that we provide.”
WPR asked one protester if they thought Wyoming’s lawmakers at the state and federal levels are doing enough to address the Trump administration’s actions.
“No, I don’t,” said Sarah Gorin, a Laramie resident. “I don’t think the congressional delegation is doing – I mean, they’re aiding and abetting the horror. And I don’t think state [legislative] officials have done nearly enough to stand up for the interests of their constituents. Is it in our interest to not have healthcare? I don’t think so.”
Also on May 1, U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming) spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate about what she believed were Trump’s significant accomplishments in his first 100 days.
“When I go home to Wyoming each weekend, people approach me everywhere, from restaurants to the feed store, eager to discuss the positive changes happening in Washington,” said Lummis. “The overwhelming sentiment is enthusiasm for what Pres. Trump is accomplishing for everyday Americans.”
Lummis mentioned the president’s executive actions on energy development and definitions for biological sex as two examples of “positive changes.”
In Cheyenne, over 100 protesters met outside the state Capitol building for the day of action.
Madi Oates, a labor organizer who helped to unionize a Cheyenne Starbucks a year prior, said she’s protesting for her daughters.
“I have three daughters, so their [abortion rights], they were born with that right, and now, that's gone. Or… threatening to be taken away from them.” said Oates.
William Overling was one of the few counter-protesters in Cheyenne to show up. He parked a truck next to the Capitol and had signs in defiance of what he called “socialist” policies, like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sander’s (I-Vermont) recent Medicare-For-All plan. Overling, with an AI-created flag of Trump and Elon, was pleased with Trump's first 100 days. He cited cuts to federal agencies as a step away from “communism.”
“The cutting of USAID … It was pushing a political, social philosophy that doesn't have anything to do with American values,” said Overling. He said he believed that protests thus far wouldn’t give Trump any electoral backlash.
“The guy’s been in office for 100 days, [and] they’re not even giving the man a chance,” he said. “They yell and scream about tariffs, but tariffs take time to work. You’ve got to give him a chance.”
According to protest organizers in Cheyenne, 50501 Wyoming has plans for another protest next month on June 6, otherwise known as D-Day.
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
