Friday, May 02, 2014

Friday, May 2, 2014...I missed May Day -- again

I remember, back in childhood days in the early 50s, celebrating May Day. We had displays and activities out on the playground and even set up a May Pole for kids to dance around. The people of the United States appreciated the unions and the workers for bringing up their standard of living.

Excerpt from article By Justin Doolittle,Truthout| Op-Ed Thursday, 01 May 2014

“On May 1 - or May Day - citizens of more than 80 countries will officially celebrate some version of International Workers' Day. Many more will do the same in an unofficial capacity. It is a day to thank and honor workers and the labor movement for their immense contributions to our societies.
Sadly, we can be certain that millions of Americans have never even heard about this, as May Day has never been seriously recognized in the United States and probably never will be, despite the fact that it was Chicago's infamous Haymarket riots and their aftermath that became the inspiration for the holiday.

Not only is May Day not recognized here, but it was rejected with extreme prejudice by the US government, on the grounds that it had communist overtones and was too strident in its celebration of labor

First proposed by the American Bar Association, "Law Day" was also meant, at least in part, to "suppress the celebration of May Day." On "Law Day," we are encouraged to celebrate the rule of law, for some reason. Thankfully, "Law Day" and "Loyalty Day" - it's difficult to even write the latter without cringing - continue to be largely ignored by the public.

Not that American workers have much to celebrate. Unions have been beaten into submission: Fewer than 7% of private sector workers now belong to a union; membership peaked at around 35% in the 1950s. Workers' voices are effectively shut out of the political process; a recent, high-profile study out of Princeton University showed that the United States' political system is, for all intents and purposes, oligarchical, with wealth and influence being all that really count when it comes to shaping policy.”

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So, we don't get to celebrate May Day and honor workers and the labor movement. Maybe the Owners are afraid to let the people think of the difference the workers and the labor movement has made for the common person.

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