On a brisk and sunny day in New York City, Christy Thornton stood at the corner of Broadway and 31st streets.

“We’re facing the same issues as everyone else…high unemployment, mountains of debt and a lack of opportunity,” said Thornton, a doctoral student in history at New York University. “I’m here to stand in solidarity with the labor movement and all working people.”

Thornton is a member of the NYC Student Assembly, which formed this fall when students came together at Occupy Wall Street in lower Manhattan.

Standing in the shadow of the Empire State Building, Thornton mixed with an assortment of New Yorkers—union members from the Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the UAW, as well as three retired men who reminisced about strikes back in the 1940s.

They marched alongside thousands of janitors, nurses, taxi drivers, electricians and students. The March for Jobs and Economic Fairness continued to Union Square.

“Enough is enough,” said New York City Central Labor Council President Vincent Alvarez. “It’s time to end the unfair economic policies in this country that benefit the few, and leave everyone else behind.”

“I’m here to support my fellow people,” said Dalphine Williams, a retired social worker and member of AFSCME Council 37. “We care about good jobs with benefits. That’s not too much to ask.”