By 1890, May Day was celebrated all over the world. Pioneering feminists like Lucy Parsons and Emma Goldman saw the eight hour campaign as central to the development of their political awareness. Many other radical workers have been inspired by the May 1st general strike. Over the years, workers around the world have won concessions from the bosses, always enduring police violence and government trickery. Conditions in Western countries are more comfortable than they were 115 years ago, but the fundamental problems remain.
Many people spend eight or more hours a day working for someone else.
They spend so much time living for their boss, they hardly have a chance to think for themselves, or to know what they would do if they could choose their lives. For students, the situation is not really different. Modern schools are not designed to enrich the student. They train people to better serve employers. Everyone understands personally how bosses lord it over employees.