The May Day History The Government Doesn’t Want You To Know

Workers bled and died for rights that are now being taken away. Watch the latest episode of Aggressive Progressives here: “Seventy years of attacks on the right to unionize have left the union movement representing only 10 percent of workers. The investor class has concentrated its power and uses its power in an abusive way, not only against unions but also to create economic insecurity for workers. At the same time, workers, both union and nonunion, are mobilizing more aggressively and protesting a wide range of economic, racial and environmental issues. On this May Day, we reflect on the history of worker power and present lessons from our past to build power for the future. In most of the world, May Day is a day for workers to unite, but May Day is not recognized in the United States even though it originated here. On May 1, 1886, more than 300,000 workers in 13,000 businesses across the US walked off their jobs for the first May Day in history. It began in 1884, when the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions proclaimed at their convention that workers themselves would institute the 8-hour day on May 1, 1886. In 1885 they called for protests and strikes to create the 8-hour work day. May Day was part of a revolt against abusive working conditions that caused deaths of workers, poverty wages, poor working conditions and long hours.“* Read more here: Follow Jimmy Dore on Twitter: Follow Steve Oh on Twitter: Follow Malcolm Fleschner on Twitter: Follow Ron Placone on Twitter: