Happy May Day!
"May Day, celebrated by workers across the globe as International Labor Day, falls on May 1.
But you'd be forgiven if that's news to you. While the day traces its origins to an American laborers' fight for a shorter work day, the U.S. does not officially recognize International Labor Day.
Like other countries that mark Labor Days on different dates, the U.S. and Canada celebrate their Labor Day in September.
U.S. resistance to celebrate International Labor Day — also called International Workers' Day — in May stems from a resistance to emboldening worldwide working-class unity, historians say.
"The ruling class did not want to have a very active labor force connected internationally," said Peter Linebaugh, author of The Incomplete, True, Authentic, and Wonderful History of May Day. "The principle of national patriotism was used against the principle of working-class unity or trade union unity." NPR
We've been inspired by the efforts of workers at Amazon and Starbucks to unionize. Watching the minimum wage stay stagnant for decades it is necessary for workers to fight for what they are entitled to. A huge shout out to Christian Smalls and all the organizers across the country fighting for workers rights.
"He Came Out of Nowhere and Humbled Amazon. Is Chris Smalls the Future of Labor?" TIME
"On April 1, almost exactly two years after Amazon fired him, Smalls, 33, helped the ALU win the vote to unionize at the Staten Island warehouse JFK8, the largest facility serving New York City and the surrounding area. It was the first crack in Amazon’s formerly impenetrable anti-union armor. Smalls and his friend and co-organizer Derrick Palmer did it without any professional organizing experience, without any formal affiliation with established organized labor, and without big money behind them. Their union raised roughly $120,000 on GoFundMe, compared to the $4.3 million Amazon spent trying to beat them." TIME
We believe in the value of unions and the need for a more just and equitable means of providing for everyone. The wealth inequality in this country and around the globe is unsustainable. We have a collection of items supporting the Democratic Socialists and the ACLU and their efforts fighting for equity.
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