On May Day, our fight for a just economy continues
On May Day, we honor the martyrs throughout history who made the ultimate sacrifice in the fight for dignity and justice on the job for every working person. We also remember that the struggle for a just economy for all working people continues.
May 1st is International Workers’ Day, a day filled with marches, demonstrations, and renewed calls for workers’ rights. “May Day” got its start in 1886, when U.S. workers rallied for an eight-hour day, setting May 1 as a deadline to begin mass strikes if employers failed to adopt shorter hours.
In 1886 Chicago, where tens of thousands joined May Day actions and thousands went on strike, police shootings of striking workers escalated into the well-known Haymarket Tragedy. Police raids of union halls and arrests of organizers culminated in a sham trial, eight guilty verdicts, and public hanging of four prominent immigrant, working-class movement leaders.
The trial and executions were followed closely by workers across the country and around the world. In memory of the Haymarket Martyrs, International Workers’ Day was established on May Day, and is now an official public holiday in many countries.
Unfortunately, today’s economy has much in common with that of May Day 1886 — rising inequality, economic upheavals, and a constant battle for basic dignity at work. Worse, many exploitative practices that should be left far in the past are returning, such as new efforts to expand child labor.
In response, workers are increasingly coming together to fight back. Millions of workers in America and around the world are leading an unprecedented resurgence of the labor movement. We are raising our voices, courageously taking collective action to transform our workplaces and demanding a fair shot.
No matter who we are, where we were born, the language we speak or what faith we practice, all working people deserve to be treated with respect and fairness. We are never more powerful than when we are united, and we remain committed to building a just economy that works for all working people.
