Happy May 1st Day!

May Day is an official holiday in 66 countries and unofficially celebrated in many more, but ironically it is rarely recognized in the US where it began.

In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (which later became the American Federation of Labor) passed a resolution arguing that eight hours would constitute a legal day's work. The resolution called for a general strike to achieve the goal, since legislative efforts had failed repeatedly. With workers being forced to work ten, twelve, and fourteen hours a day, rank-and-file support for the eight-hour movement grew rapidly.

On May 1, 1886, more than 300,000 workers in 13,000 businesses across the United States walked off their jobs in the first May Day protest in history. Within a few years, the fight was won. But, in the early part of the 20th century, the US government, recognizing May Day's galvanizing potency, tried to curb May 1 celebrations and their radical resonance by establishing an alternative: Labor Day, a holiday devoid of any historical significance--but one offering a paid day off!

This year, around the country, there seem to be a respectable number of May Day events doing honor to the memory of the first May 1 protesters. United for Peace is putting on an old-fashioned march and rally past the United Nations in a call for the abolition of nuclear weapons and a US troop withdrawal from Iraq. The march sets off from 50th Street and First Ave. in Manhattan at 12:00 with the rally scheduled to kick off at the Heckscher Ballfields in Central Park at 2:00. Featured speakers include Daniel Ellsberg, Helen Caldicott, Ray McGovern and the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagaski. Click here for more info and click here to help spread the word.