Happy May Day!
Happy International Workers Day! Today is a celebration of the laborers and working classes across the world.
The Origins of May Day
May 1, 1886 was chosen to be the beginning of a general strike in support of the 8-hour work day. The violent repression of this strike culminated in the Chicago Haymarket Riots, in which 7 police officers and 38 civilians were killed and hundreds more wounded. In 1889, the American Federation of Labor proposed May 1 as a day of commemoration of the Haymarket Riots and the continued push for the 8-hour work day. The date was officially adopted by a worldwide group of socialist and labor unions. The first May Day celebrations took place in the United States on May 1, 1890.
May Day in the US
Due to the socialist roots of May Day, in 1894 the United States officially moved “Labor Day” to the first Monday in September. In its stead, in 1955 at the height of the Red Scare, Congress officially declared May 1 to be "Loyalty Day" (Child Health Day had to be moved to the first Monday in October because it conflicted with the new Loyalty Day). However, May 1st is still widely recognized internationally as a time for celebrations and rallies in support of laborers and the working classes.
Coming from a family of proud union workers (operating engineers and iron workers), I personally benefitted from the struggles of labor unions and their members. So on this day, and again in September, I salute all the laborers and working classes in the US and abroad.
Labor omnia vincit!
There is power in union.
Money speaks for money
The Devil for his own
Who comes to speak for the skin and the bone?
What a comfort to the widow
A light to the child
There is power in a Union
Happy May Day!! And a toast to all of those who fought and are still fighting the battle for workers and laborers across this country and the world.
The hell with the Russian Satan and his May Day! Glory to Ukraine!
Solidarity forever!
Solidarity Forever!
Sorry, this is all very interesting and a good primer on the history behind today. But I can't get this meme out of my head.
It may be gonna?
Proud union member (not sure if it still counts, having not paid dues in many years)
It probably still counts! My father was a proud member of the IBEW and died recently after being retired for about a decade. They were kind enough to send our family words of support (including a copy of the meeting minutes where they had a moment of silence. I thought that level of bureaucracy was kind of funny). More importantly is that they negotiated for a good pension for their retirees and the spouses they may leave behind, so my mother doesn't have to return to work now that her husband died.
Peace to your family.
Anyone else read Mothers Day and freak the F out for half a second?!? 4 young kids here. Would not have been good.
True story. I used to be employed by a union, but I was not a member of the union nor any other union. Their headquarters in Lansing had a parking lot where they would tow "foreign" vehicles. I'm not sure if they understood that many "foreign" automakers make more of their cars in the US than the "domestic" automakers.
Unionism produced some of the ugliest racist behavior this country has seen. I saw it myself with intensely anti-Japanese sentiment in SE Michigan.
Really? Uglier than, checks notes, slavery? Jim Crow? Were there lynchings of Japanese in Michigan in the 70s and 80s?
You don't like unions. We got it. Thanks for sharing. But stop with the hyperbole.
While Vincent Chin may not have been lynched, he was beaten to death in the early 80’s right here in SE Michigan. So yeah, racism existed and likely stoked by the auto unions in the 70s and 80s.
"likely" doing a lot of work in that sentence
Good thing right-wing cranks have never produced ugly, racist behavior in this country.
Haymarket was caused by an anarchist throwing a bomb at police officers.
Most of the people who celebrate May Day in the US never worked a day of labor in their life. Just like Karl Marx.
Only people who won’t have to concern themselves with physical ailments later in life can romanticize work that had taken a toll on human bodies for thousands of years.
Manual labor fucking sucks.
Signed,
Manual Laborer
Also using the language of a genocidal empire that had a slavery-based economy to express solidarity is hilariously oblivious.
Reminds of the old Jimmy buffet song called ‘it’s my job’. Lyrics in part go:
“…writing songs and sleeping late
any manual labor I’ve done
is purely by mistake”
Farming is a little more mechanized than it used to be.
But - Margaritas and farming don't mix very well. The manure gets in the margarita mix!
kidding aside, farm work can be some of the most dangerous work you might ever do. i would never, ever have any booze and operate machinery, or for that matter, go sort cattle or sheep, etc. just way too many ways to have it go bad even on a normal day.
If only there existed organizations of workers who used their power to demand safer working conditions.
Also, we’re living in a country that was a genocidal empire that had a slavery based economy so 🤷🏻♂️
I'm a proud union member.
Work is still bullshit however
But at least I make a living wage
I have a different point of view of this date.
To many, this is the day to celebrate the solidarity of the working men.
To me, it's the day to celebrate one specific working man: my Dad, who died 33 years ago, five days after his 60th birthday.
I'll honor the day like he would have spent it: doing some yard work, then cracking open a beer. Maybe two.
Here's to you, Dad.
PS: Fuck cancer. (Also what he would have said.)
I'll honor the day like he would have spent it: doing some yard work, then cracking open a beer. Maybe two.
That's a nice tribute to your father. Thanks for sharing.
Fuck cancer!
MGoBloggers of the world, unite!
Of course. Every day is Mark May Day.
OP history of May Day is too short-sighted.
Prior to the appropriation of May 1 as the socio-politically motivated holiday to celebrate labor/socialism/communism, the *true* "May Day" was (and still is) celebrated for thousands of years as a holiday celebrating the rites of spring. The origins of this "May Day" as celebrated in Northern Europe date back to the Celtic holiday of "Beltane" and is the antipode festival of Celtic "Samhain" celebrated Nov 1... which became the modern holiday of Halloween.
So, enjoy the *true* May Day everyone - get outside and welcome the spring!
May 1 is also Law Day, I believe. Any lawyers out there to confirm?
Workers of the World UNITE!
Dyslexics of the world, UNTIE!
We have nothing to lose but our chains!
Always remember... Greed is Good!
Thank you Gordon Gekko.
Unless it's labor who want to get paid more. Then they're just a bunch of lazy asses that want to get paid to sit around.
Am I doing this right?