ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Hundreds gathered in Pack Square on Monday for a Labor Day rally and march, joining a nationwide movement calling for stronger protections for workers and limits on corporate influence in government.

The event, organized by Indivisible Asheville WNC, was part of the “Workers Over Billionaires” campaign. Participants heard from speakers before marching through downtown, chanting and carrying signs.

Organizers said their demands include halting “the billionaire takeover” of government, defending Social Security and Medicaid, fully funding public schools, expanding access to health care and housing, ending discrimination against marginalized communities and prioritizing investments in people over war spending.

Carolina Forward, a statewide progressive group, said Labor Day is more than a long weekend; it’s a reminder of the dignity of work and the dignity every worker deserves.

Carolina Forward’s Our Daily Bread report showed that wages in many industries fall far short of what it takes to live.

“This Labor Day, let’s honor workers not just with words, but with action,” the group said in a social media post.

Just Economics of Western North Carolina also highlighted local labor efforts, including unionization by Mission Hospital nurses, who joined National Nurses United in 2022, and recent gains by the Asheville City Association of Educators, which secured the right to “meet and confer” with district leaders.

Just Economics of Western North Carolina noted that more than 400 businesses across Buncombe, Henderson and Transylvania counties have been certified as living-wage employers but said rising housing costs continue to outpace wages.

“Just Economics aims to improve the lives of workers across this town by pushing the need for a living wage that businesses offer their employees,”  community organizer Mike Holmes said. “We know that cost of living is rising here and we need to make sure wages are matching those rising costs.”