Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-04-24
History Of May Day
BY U. 3.

FIFTY years ago this October a
small organization of workers i'm
Chicago planned the first May Day
demonstration. The main demand
was to be the eight-hour day.
From the very beginning of
American democracy, when Amer
lean bosses granted the American
workers the right to be free and
equal, the working class has fought
the length of the working day. In
1906 the cordwainers struck against
a twenty hour day. In 1927 the first
trade union in the world, the Mech
anics Union of Philadelphia organ
lied against the long working hours.
In 1884 the breadmakers of New
York voted that an Is to 20 hour
day was too long. Gradually the
bosses yielded and the general
working scale became 10 hours.
Not content. however, the work.
ers begsn plans to force an eight
hour day and the meeting of the
infant AFL in Chicago in October,
1884, laid the basis for this fight,
to be climaxed on May First, 1885,
by widespread strikes.
About half the strikes were sue
cessful, but the bosses Embossed
such a reign of terror that the
movement was temporarily checked
In 1888 the now ful-fedged AFL
voted to again start the fight for
the eight-hour day. Once more May
First, this time in 1890, was set
for a nation wide strike.
So popular did the American
workers make their program that
in Geneva, when worker delegates
from the world over gathered to
form the Second International, it
was voted to make of May First
a world wide workers holiday-a
day of struggle, of demonstration,
of protest.
So May Day was born. In Europe
it has become much more of q day
of struggle than in America. 1t is
there truly a workers day. 1t has
become known as Red Day, and the
bosses have learned to look forward
to it with foreboding.
But in America the leaders of the
American Federation of Labor, the
very organization which in its in
fancy had created May Day as a
day of militant struggle, Joined
with the bosses in taking attention
from the day. First the workers
were persuaded that the Sunday
nearest May Day would be a good
day to demonstrate since workers
would not be obliged to down
tools" on that day. Then the day
was turned into a day of rest and
recreation, a day of picnics and
May poles and much oratory. The
bosses Labor day, the first Monday
in September, was deliberately fcs-
tered as an aptidote to the work
ers' Labor day.Still later, tho AFL
Joined with Hoover in making May
First Child Health Day, stating in
its report that May l no longer
will be known as either strike day
or Communist Labor Day." The
text books of our capitalist guided
schools do not mention such q day
as a May First Labor Day.
But the working class movement,
in spite of its misleaders, in spite
of its betrayers, has grown to a
giant strength. In one country only
has that strength been liberated
and put to work building socialism.
In all other countries it is still
bound by the chains OF the master
class. In that country May Day is
q day of great rejoicing, when the
point with pride to their
mighty achievements. In our coun-
try, and in all capitalist countries.
May Day must remain a day of
struggle against those
chains until we break them and can
join with the workers of Russia
in rebuilding society.