“peace and new,
' dreamed of, vistas of social pro-

This May Day Labor will partade“and assemble in monster meetings

proudly taking its position as a respected section of the nation;

By FERGUS McKEAN

enjoying a position of prestige and influence never before attained

jin DAY 1945 will be a historic day in the age-old struggle of the working class ior

economic and social betterment.
ose a new epoch in world history ;

_ ened its position all over the world.

The struggle of world labor
against tyranny and oppres-
pression is reaching a yictori-
ous conclusion. May Day this
year will not only be observed

in Moscow, New York and

London but alse in Paris,
Brussels, Warsaw, Bucharest,
Belgrade, Budapest, Rome,
Vienna and in that very cita-
del of fascist barbarism, Ber-
lin. Yes, May Day 1945 will
be observed in Berlin by the
‘yietorious troops of the Red
Army.

All over- the world May Day

-1945 will. be observed by mil-

lions of workers as a day pres-
nant with promise, for complete
yictory over reaction, a stable
hitherte un-

2ress for all mankind. <é

' World labor has made giant
ee alone the path of eco-
nomic, social and political pro-
gress since May Day was first
observed on May i; 1886, as a
day of ‘strugele for the eight-
hour day. Both American and
Canadian labor may well be

proud of the fact that it was”
they.who first designated May”

1 as the day of labor.

=I¢ was on October 7,
that the “Federation of Organ-
ized Trades and Labor Unions
of the United States and Can-
ada” (later “known under the
abbreviated name of American

é “Federation of Labor)’ at their

fourth “convention adopted the
following historic resolution es-
tablishine May 1 as labors’

1884,

Day: “Resolved by the Federa-
tion of Organized Trades and
Iabor Unions of the United
States and Canada, that eight
hours shall constitute a legal’s
day's labor from May 1, 1886,
and that we recommend to la-
bor organizations throughout
their jurisdiction that they so
direct their Jaws as to conform
to this resolution by the time
named.”

This resolution was a call to
strugele, to down tools on May
1 to enforce the demand for the
eight-hour day through legal

enactment.
Three years later in 1889,
May Day was -adopted by the

World labor movement as an In-
ternational Labor Day.

N July 14, 1889, the hundred-

th anniversary of the fall of
Bastille, there assembled in
Paris ‘leaders from organized
revolutionary proletarian move-
ments of many lands, to form
once more an imternational or-
‘Sanization of workers, pattern-

-€d- after the one formed 25
‘years earlier by their» great
teacher. Karl Marx.

Those assembled at the foun-—
dation meeting of-what was to
become the Second Internation-
al- heard trom the American
delegates about the struggle in
America for the eight-hour day
during 1884-1886, and the re—
cent rejuvenation of the move-
ment. Inspired by the example
of the American workers, the
Paris Congress adopted the fol-
lowing resolution:

“The Congress decides to
organize a great internation-
a] demonstration, so that in
all countries and in alj| cities
on one appointed day the toil-
ing masses Shall demand of

May Day this year will be observed at the dawn
an epoch in which labor has consolidated and strength-

the state authorities the legal
reduction of the working day
to eight hours, as well as the
carrying out of other de-
cisions of the Paris Congress.
Since a similar demonstration ~
has already been decided
upon for May 1, 1890, by the
American Federation of La-
bor at its convention in St.
Louis, December 1888, this
day is accepted for the inter-
national demonstration. The
workers of the yarious coun-

tries must organize this de- —

inonstration according to con-
ditions prevailing- in each
country.”’ :

Following its adoption as an
international day of labor, May
Day demonstrations were held
throughout Hurope oftentimes
in the face of savage police sup-
pression. May Day more and
more came to symbolize the or-
ganized strength of labor and
the determination of the work-
ing class to achieve social pro-
egress. In line with the militant

sentiments of the workers the

Gongress of the International
held in Zurich, Switzerland, in
1893 adopted the following re-
solution:

“The demonstration on
May First for the 8-hour day
must serve at the same time
as a demonstration of the de-
termined will of the working
class to destroy distinctions
through social change

only read leading to peace for
all peoples, to international
peace.”

As May Day more and more
became recognized as the day
in which labor demonstrated it’s
class solidarity, ‘other signifi-
eant slogans besides the slogan
of the eight-hour day were add-
ed, such as: International
Working Class Solidarity; Uni-
versal Suffrage; War Against

and ©
thus enter on the road, the -

~ shal Tito.

April 28,

1945 —— Page 11

War; Against Colonial Oppres-
sion; the Right of the Streets;
Freeing of Political Prisoners;
and the Right to Political and
Economic Organization of the
Working Class.

OLLOWING the achievement
of political power by the
working class of €zarist Russia.
May Day became’ a public holi-
day throughout the Soviet Un-
ion in which millions of organ-
ized workers and the Workers
and Peasants Red Army dem-
onstrated their solidarity with
the international working class
and the achievements of the
world’s first socialist state.

Many of the demands of labor
advanced as May Day slogans
have today been partially or
fully realized in country after
country. Certainly Internation-
al Labor Solidarity has been
more fully achieved during the
present year than ever before
in history. The recent World
Trade Union Conference held
in London representing 60,000,-
000 workers headed by the

27,000, 000 Al] Union Gouneil of -
- Soviet —Trade Unions,

signified
the tremendous” organizational
gains which world labor has
made in the past few years.
With -restoration of the free
trade unions in the balance of
the liberated countries of Hur-
ope and the inelusion of the
unions of the American Federa-
tion of Labor, the new World
Trade Union Congress, when it
convenes in September in Paris,
will undoubtedly be representa-
tive of 75,000,000 or more or-
ganized workers:

For the first, time in history
the working elass of practically

all countries will be united on
an international

scale. This
new organization of interna-
tional labor unity will be a
powerful influence’ in the post-
war world: It’s pronouncements
can and willeomniand the -re-
spect and attention- of the gov-

S ermments of all states; not only
“on labor

and- economic ques-
tions, but on all issues affect-
ing the working people, social-
ly, politically and culturally.

Labor sinces fRe- beginning of
the war has acquired'a new sta-
tus in national and internation-
al relationships. The role which
labor has honorably played in
the battle line, in the resistance
movements and on the produc-
tion front has earned for it a
new position of authority and
respect nationally and interna-
tionally.

In practically all of the lib-
erated countries of Hurope, la-
bor today shares political power
with other classes of the popu-
lation. In these countries labor
has its own cabinet ministers,
in many cases selected from the
ranks of the Communist Parties
of Europe, participating in the

-formation of national policies.

Most outstanding of labor’s re-
presentatives in the govern-
ments of the liberated countries
of Hurope is the famous and be-
loved leader of the Yugoslav
Partisan Army, Premier Mar-
The former outlawed
leader of the Communist Party
ef Yugoslavia is today com-
mander-in-chief of the armed
forees and Premier of his coun-
try. In the Yugoslay cabinet of
28, labor is represented by six

ig Communist ministers.

1945

tries all over

. FERGUS McKBAN
LPP Provincial Leader

ON this May .Day labor will
not. celebrate the occasion
under conditions of police sup-
pression aS was all too often the
case m past years. In coun-
the world labor
will parade’and assemble in
monster meétinges and proudly
take its position as a respected
section of the nation and in
most countries with its own
sovernment representatives in
attendance. Im most countries
labor has already achieved the
position: Of partnership in gov-—
ernment. ;

In the intérnational arena la-
bor will also enjoy a position
of prestige and influence neyer

before attained. The World
Trade Union Gonference at
Iondon unreservedly endorsed

the Crimea Charter for inter-
national cooperation in the
postwar and the further streng-
theninge of United Nations’
unity. World labor will have
its own representatives in at-
tendance at the historic San
Francisco Gonference which
will be im session on May Day.

May Day meetings all over
the world will undoubtedly send
greetings to the San Francisco
Conference wishing the dele-
gates success in their endea-
yors to establish a world or-
ganization for the preservation
of peace. and for international
economic planning and expand-
ing world trade between nations
in the postwar.

The Ganadian labor
ment fully subseribes to the
principles of the Crimea Char-
ter and endorses the proposal
for a permanent world organiz-
ation for the preservation of a
stable \ and prolonged peace.
Ganadian labor will summarily
repudiate both the schemes of
the Tories for an empire trad-
ing bloc, to compete with other
countries rather than cooperate,
and the cynical isolationism ex-
pressed by the leadership of the
CCF. The CCF Provincial Con-
vention of April 18 to 15 re-
pudiated practically every ef-
fort to set up an effective peace
organization or an international
organization for the recoustruc-

_tion of Hurope and an expand-

ing world trade in the postwar.
As regards the Dumbarton
Qaks proposals for the world
peace organization the CCE
Gonvyention stated, they “may
lead to another world war.”
Dealing with the Bretton Woods
—Continued on Page 14

move- ~