SAO BERNARDO DO CAMPO, Brazil - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva launched his final reelection campaign on Sunday from a storied stadium on the industrial outskirts of São Paulo, evoking the labor movement that transformed him from a factory worker into Brazil's first working-class president.

The 'May 1' stadium in Sao Bernardo do Campo is hallowed ground for Lula and the Workers Party (PT). In 1979, with no sound system, he stood on a table and addressed some 60,000 striking metalworkers, an act that helped ignite a new era of union activism and set him on the path to power. On Sunday, a crowd of around 20,000 supporters, many wearing the red of the PT, gathered to hear him launch the campaign for an election scheduled for October.

Lula, who served as president from 2003 to 2010 and returned to office in 2023, remains a towering figure for many Brazilians. His social programs, including the Bolsa Familia cash transfers, lifted millions out of poverty. But a changing labor market now poses a difficult question to his six-decade alliance with the working class: how to speak to workers who no longer fit the traditional union mold.

"I thank the working men and women of this country who, at one point, believed that someone like them could do more for them than someone different from them," Lula told the crowd.

A Changing World of Work

Five decades after those historic strikes, Lula faces a very different landscape. The industrial working class that formed the backbone of the PT has shrunk, and a new generation of workers is employed through digital platforms, often without formal contracts, union representation, or traditional labor protections. Lula acknowledged that the world of work has changed substantially.

"We need to adapt our message to the world of work that is not limited to formal, registered employment," he said after his government suffered losses in major city elections in 2024.

Data illustrate the scale of the shift. The share of Brazilian workers in formal jobs fell to 38.2% in December from 46.7% at the end of 2010, even as unemployment ended 2025 at a record-low 5.1%. The number of workers on digital platforms reached about 2.1 million by 2025, a 170% increase from 2015, according to a central bank estimate using survey data from Brazil's statistics agency.

The PT is trying to adapt its message. The party is backing a shorter work week and proposing new protections for app-based workers, including rules governing pay, working conditions, social security benefits, and platform algorithms. Yet resistance from technology companies has largely stalled these efforts so far, and many app workers appear skeptical of government intervention.

Voices from the Gig Economy

Darlan Almeida, a 27-year-old delivery driver in Sao Bernardo do Campo, is a typical example of the challenge facing Lula. Almeida's father was a factory worker and a Lula supporter, but Almeida himself identifies as apolitical. He left a formal job because he could earn more delivering for apps on his motorcycle, and he believes the government does not understand his work.

"They don't know what we need or how we work. They should spend a day with us on the streets," Almeida said.

Eduardo Marini, a 51-year-old Uber driver, complains about working conditions but values the flexibility of app work. He fears government regulation could limit his autonomy and push him into a system he rejects. Marini says he is on the right, reflecting a broader trend among platform workers. A 2023 survey paid for by Uber and iFood found 40% of platform workers identified with the right, 40% as centrist, and only 20% with the left.

That political alignment has become a major challenge for the PT. "The prevailing perception is that the state only gets in the way and collects taxes," said Oswaldo Amaral, a public opinion researcher at the University of Campinas.

An Identity Crisis for the PT

Political scientists argue that the PT is experiencing an identity crisis. The party was built around unions and factory workers, but the labor movement has weakened. Brazil's unionization rate nearly halved over the past decade, falling to 8.9% in 2024 from 15.7% in 2014, according to official data.

"The Workers Party lacks a clear message for app-based workers without an identifiable boss," said Marco Teixeira, a political science professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.

The party's president, Edinho Silva, acknowledged the problem. He said unions and left-wing groups need to better understand informal workers and their daily lives. "They aren't talking to them, they aren't organizing them, and they aren't present in their daily lives," Silva said.

Looking for Answers

Lula has tried to address the issue through regulation. His government attempted to regulate app-based work in 2024, but the efforts faltered as major tech companies pushed back and worker distrust mounted. A new bill has stalled in Congress this year.

Yet some workers are beginning to question the gig economy's promise. Rogerio do Santo, 43, drove for Uber for seven years and is now looking for a formal job again. He says low fares have eroded his earnings, and the lack of organized representation leaves drivers with little leverage.

"We don't have anyone from our sector to represent us and seek improvements or benefits on our behalf," he said.

His complaints hint at a potential path back for the PT. Many informal workers reject the labels of employee or union member but still want protections. A survey commissioned by the PT in 2025 found that 65% of informal workers aspire to be entrepreneurs and just 27.5% prefer a formal job. However, 56% said protections like sick pay, injury benefits and a minimum wage remain "very important."

Respondents were mixed about collective organizing: Nearly 40% said having their own union would be beneficial, but the same share said they would not join one.

A Right-Wing Rival

Lula's main right-wing rival, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, is ready to court the same constituents. On Sunday, the same day Lula's campaign kicked off, Bolsonaro launched his presidential campaign on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach before a crowd clad largely in Brazil's yellow and green national colors. He said he would create a program called "My First Company" if elected, without providing further details.

Bolsonaro also said he would promote partnerships between universities and the private sector to boost technology and innovation, so that "young people will not only have a diploma hanging on the wall, but also a job."

Lula, who has served as president since 2003 to 2010 and returned for a new term, continues to command deep loyalty among older workers who remember the social programs he created. But the challenge of reaching younger, digitally connected workers remains. His speech on Sunday emphasized job creation.

"What kind of future do you want if you do not invest in jobs?" Lula asked the crowd. "We have created 10.1 million formal jobs over the past three and a half years. That is what it means to think about the future."

Whether that message will resonate with the millions of Brazilians working through apps and informal arrangements is uncertain. The election in October will reveal whether Lula can bridge the gap between the old industrial working class and the new labor force of the digital era. The PT and its allies will have to craft a message that speaks to workers who do not see themselves as part of the union tradition, but who still want dignity, security, and opportunity in a rapidly changing economy. For now, the campaign has begun, and the job of persuasion is just starting.

Source:MSN News