Teamsters rally against Home Depot on May Day, as hundreds join Atlanta march

Hundreds of Atlantans — carrying a giant Trump puppet and signs reading “No War But Class War” and “Tax the Rich” — joined about 3,500 “May Day Strong” rallies nationally on May 1. The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and a coalition of unions organized the evening May Day March from Historic Fourth Ward Park to Ponce City Market. 

That followed an International Brotherhood of Teamsters rally outside Home Depot’s Atlanta headquarters earlier on May Day to push Home Depot subsidiary Temco Logistics to negotiate a contract with newly unionized drivers.

“They haven’t been trying to come to the table, they haven’t been trying to negotiate a contract, and they’ve been trying to get rid of a lot of union supporters,” said Temco driver Jaree Beatles, 35, as he demonstrated outside the Home Depot office located at at 2455 Paces Ferry Road SE.

The Teamsters rally drew dozens of union members and supporters, including local elected officials like Atlanta City Councilmembers Kelsea Bond and Jason Dozier and state Rep. Gabriel Sanchez (D-Smyrna). Several Democratic political candidates also joined the picket to support 79 Temco flatbed drivers who voted to unionize in February — a first for any Home Depot company.

“I think that there’s nothing to be afraid of when it comes to treating workers fairly,” said Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jason Estevez, when asked his message to Home Depot and billionaire co-founder Arthur Blank, a major Democratic donor. “There’s a lot more to gain by working together than working in opposition,” he said.

Temco drivers said they want a contract that guarantees safe working conditions and better pay. “We want safety first, better work conditions, better benefits, better retirement plan, better sick plan – just better off,” said Abran Fowler, 64. 

Fowler and other Teamsters drivers accused Temco of trying to purge pro-union drivers over minor policy violations. Fowler said Temco had suspended him without pay when his commercial drivers license was temporarily suspended over a 2024 speeding violation, instead of reassigning him to non-truck-driving duties, like operating a forklift. “They got plenty of work — enough for me to do, other than driving the truck,” he said. 

Another unionized Temco driver, Victor Roman, 42, alleged the company has been recruiting workers to spy on union activity in exchange for preferential treatment and promotions. “They’re causing a hostile work environment, using people to snitch on the union members and make reports to management,” he said. 

Temco declined to comment and Home Depot did not respond to a request for comment. 

Michi Sanchez, a Democrat running for labor commissioner, said Temco’s collective bargaining negotiations with the newly unionized drivers are overseen by the federal government, not Georgia, but added that the Georgia Department of Labor “needs to be reimagined.” 

“It does nothing to protect workers,” she said. For instance, Sanchez said, the Georgia Department of Labor doesn’t employ any investigators to probe allegations of state labor law violations, such as wage theft. If elected, Sanchez said, she would change that.

Nabilah Parkes, a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, also came out for the Teamsters rally, along with statehouse hopefuls Mathewos Samson and Bentley Hudgins, and Mo Ivory, who’s running for Fulton County Commission chair.

May Day March rallies progressives, leftists and unions

About 400 Atlantans turned out for the evening May Day March, which was backed by unions including the Teamsters, the Union of Southern Service Workers, United Campus Workers, and EmoryUnite! in coalition with the DSA and the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). 

At Historic Fourth Ward Park they broke into small groups to talk about labor organizing, after speeches from several union organizers. 

“For too long, the billionaires and the capitalists and their political puppets have tried to tell us what’s possible,” said Michael Bearman, a Delta Air Lines flight attendant and organizer for the Association of Flight Attendants, which has been trying to unionize Delta’s flight attendants for years. 

“These planes could not take off without us. We know we deserve higher pay, a fair sick policy, full and free health care and more — and we know we can win them all,” Bearman told the crowd. “But it’s not just flight attendants — everyone here knows who makes Atlanta run: It’s all of us,” he said. 

That was followed by a march up the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail to Ponce City Market, as bewildered restaurant and bar patrons gawked, along with residents of the upscale apartments that line the Beltline.