‘Workers over Billionaires’ at Chester rally on Labor Day Peaceful protest follows organizers' rules

Drone video by Scott Wunderle

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC

More than 200 people turned out on the Chester Green on Labor Day for a rally for workers’ rights and in opposition to the policies of the Trump administration.

As a continuous stream of upbeat songs played on a large sound system, demonstrators displayed signs, waved to passing cars and cheered as drivers who agreed with their views honked their assent.

While there were many anti-Trump placards, billionaires came in for a large share of the vituperation. Signs saying “Workers over Billionaires” were plentiful both printed and handmade.

The event, organized locally by the Chester Town Democratic Committee, was part of a nationwide network of as many as 1,000 rallies in large cities and small towns put together by the AFL-CIO and other labor groups. Chester’s event featured as speakers state Sens. Becca White and Joe Major and representatives of state labor organizations Leona Watt and Alison Sylvester. Rally goers weren’t just from Chester but included residents of Ascutney, Proctorsville, Andover, Grafton and other area towns. There were also rallies nearby in Bellows Falls and Walpole. See Axios for national coverage of the rallies.

And although many of the placards were combative, even hostile, the mood on the Green was relaxed and amiable with people meeting and chatting while holding up their messages.

Dan Fisher of Andover held up one of the more artistic signs of the day bearing the title “The Reckoning 2025.”  He describes it as an angry woman raising her fist against a dangerously orange sky. In actually, that image was a painting he created in 1989, also called The Reckoning, while living in Asheville, N.C.

Wendy Regier of Cavendish brought a hand-made three-dimension puppet of a snake with the words “Don’t tread of me” written on it.

And Chris Elders and Theresa Hatin of Ascutney said that this was one of several protests they intended to attend this week alone.

Chester Democratic Committee chair Heather Chase noted the turnout, saying, “180 to 200 people on a Labor Day is great. People are expressing their opposition to his (Trump’s) policies and the energy is great.”

Organizers including Steve Dock and Robert Nied obviously took critiques of earlier rallies to heart. Monday’s Labor Day rally was only on one side of Main Street and cones and other barriers were along the curb to remind attendees to stay on the Green and not on the street.

Also in the past, shopkeepers on the Green have complained about such demonstrations saying that those gathering there were taking up all of the available parking spaces and making it difficult or impossible for customers to get to them. But on Monday, signs along Common Street announced that parking was for shoppers and at 11:30 a.m., a large section of parking spaces were empty.

Cynthia Prairie contributed to this article.