NO KINGS!

I had the honor and the privilege of speaking at today’s Cincinnati “No Kings” Rally. These are my comments:

No kings rally – remarks (03-28-2026)

Good afternoon, sisters and brothers,

My name is Brian Griffin. I am the executive secretary of the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Central Labor Council.

And I have the awesome and distinguished honor to stand here today on behalf of our 108-affiliated unions and the 40,000 working families we are proud to stand with and represent.

About one year ago, we stood together at another rally – a no kings rally!

And we spoke about what might come.

We raised our voices.

We asked hard questions.

We warned that something was shifting in this country.

And now, one year later,

We are no longer asking what might happen.

We are living it.

We are living it in our homes…

We are living it in our workplaces…

We are living it in the quiet conversations people are having every day

About how hard it has become just to hold on.

Because working people are still doing everything right.

And still…Too many are falling behind. Still…

That simple promise… That if you work hard, you can build a life… That feels further out of reach than it ever has… and more than it certainly ever should.

So let us be clear. This is not about politics. This is about whether working people… we the people…

Can still build a life with dignity, In the country we built. In the country we sustain.

Now, this rally is called “no kings.”

And we don’t have kings in this country.

But let us speak plainly.

We have power that behave like kings.

We see it when wealth writes the rules.

We see it when corporations avoid accountability.

We see it when decisions are made in remote, lofty places, far above the lives they impact.

And working people know it…

Because we are living it.

And let me say this plainly: There is nothing pro-worker about an economy that treats working people… As disposable. Nothing.

Now, you hear a lot about freedom.

But freedom is not the freedom to exploit.

Freedom is the right to earn a fair wage.

To come home safe.

To retire with dignity.

And freedom is the right of working people

To stand together and be heard.

Now let me speak to something we all feel.

Division.

You can feel it in our communities…

In our conversations…

In the way people are being pulled apart.

But hear me: Working people are not each other’s enemy… we the people…We were never meant to be divided against ourselves.

Our struggles are shared.

Our pressures are shared.

Our hopes for our families are shared.

That division…is a distraction.

And we will not be distracted.

Because when working people stand together… Things change.

They have always changed.

And we must all remember this:

Work is dignity.

Work is pride.

Work is how we build our lives and our communities.

Everything that works in this country

Does so because working people showed up

And did the work.

Everything!

So where do we go from here?

We go forward with purpose.

We invest in people.

We demand that public dollars create public good.

We reward work, not wealth.

And we do it together.

Now I will tell you what I feel.

I feel a restlessness.

I feel people beginning to see clearly…

To speak more boldly…

To stand more firmly.

I feel the winds changing.

And when those winds change…

They move.

And so must we.

Because the work before us is not finished.

It has never been finished.

And now… it is our turn.

Our turn to stand.

Our turn to speak.

Our turn to build something better.

Because when working people come together…

When they refuse to be divided…

They can change the course of this country.

And we can do it again.

We must do it again.

Not someday.

Now.

Because we are not powerless.

We are not alone.

And in moments like this, the question is not complicated.

There is an old bible passage that asks… what is required of us?
To do justice.
to love mercy.
and to walk humbly…

And if we are honest…

That is exactly what this moment is asking of us now.

So let the message go forward from this place.

No kings!

No crowns!

And by god… no one above the people who do the work!

Let the word go forward from this place…

Let it go forth from every street…
from every job site…
from every shop floor…
from every home where working people are doing their best to simply hold on…

Let it be heard…
that work has value.
that people have worth.
that dignity is not negotiable.

Let it be known…
that we will not be divided.
we will not be dismissed.
we will not be left behind.

And let it rise…
from every corner of this country…
until every working person knows…
we are not alone!

And now i’m going to ask something of you.

Right now.

Look around you.

Look at the sisters and brothers standing beside you.

Look at them. Because these are your people.

Turn to someone near you… and let them know—

You’ve got their back.

Tell them.

Because this is where it starts.

Right here.

Right now!

Between us.

It is said that if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together!

So let us make a promise to one another.

That we will not let the least among us fall behind.

Not one.

That we will lift each other up.

Every time.

That we will bring each other along.

All the way.

Because we are in this together.

And we are not backing down.

We are standing together…

We are fighting together…

And we are going to win this…

Together!

No kings. Just working people… we the people… Standing shoulder to shoulder.

And moving forward. Together.

And when we stand together, there is no force strong enough to pull us apart!

Thank you. And may the creator of us all bless and keep you.

Solidarity forever!