‘May Day means solid

May Day, an international day of
workers’ struggle, was born eighty-
eight years ago with the battle in the
U.S. for an eight-hour work day.

It is a day when the working people
of the world can reflect on the great
struggles that were conducted to im-
prove their lot, and it is a day that
has become a symbol of the united
fight by the workers for a better life.

“May Day was conceived in 1884
when the pitched battle for the eight-
hour day was renewed. The American
Federation of Labor (then known as
the Federation of Organized Trades
and Labor Unions of the United States
and Canada) passed the following re-
solution at its convention:

“Resolved by the Federation of Or-
ganized Trades and Labor Unions of
the United States and Canada, that
eight hours shall constitute a legal
day’s labor from May First, 1886, and
that we’ recommend to labor organi-
zations throughout their jurisdiction
that they so direct their laws as to
conform to this resolution by the time
named.” .

International Day

In the following two years the trade
union movement grew rapidly and
eight-hour day leagues sprang up.

The struggle for the eight-hour day

centred in Chicago where the strike
movement assumed its greatest propor-
tions and where on May 3, 1886, six
workers were killed by police at the
struck McCormack Harvester Com-
~pany. The following day, in a protest
demonstration by thousands of work-
ers in Haymarket Square, a bomb was
thrown into the crowd. A battle en-
sued and four workers and seven police
were killed.

Three years later, in 1889, at ‘the

founding meeting of the Second Inter-
national, May Day was declared a day
for international demonstrations by the
working people of the world.

The Second International set the date
for the first international May Day for
1890 and on May | of that year, Engels
greeted ‘the demonstrations and wrote:
“As I write these lines; the proletariat
of Europe and America is holding a
review of its forces; it is mobilized for

-the first time as One army, under One

flag, and fighting One immediate aim:
an eight-hour working day, establish-
ed by legal enactment . . . The spectacle
we are not witnessing will make the
capitalists and landowners of all lands

me
realize that the proletarians of all lands,
are in very truth, united: If only Marx

were with me to see it with his own
eyes.”

Canadian Slogans

In Canada, in 1913, in the mining
and logging camps on the west coast,
the first May Day demonstrations and
meetings were held. In Winnipeg in
1919, the May Day meeting was the
galvanizing point for the great strike
that took place shorily after.

After the Russian Revolution, May
Day became closely linked with the in-
ternational Communist movement and
in Moscow May Day became a symbol

‘ the call on the workers of the

_vador Allende in Chile, and with Tg)

of the advance of mankind to a}
stage of development—to socialis
In the 1930’s, the slogans of ¥
adian workers. on May - Day "
“Jobs, Peace and. Democracy” 4 %&
paraded against Iron Heel Bennett
Prime Minister, against unemplo.
and against fascism. The 308 G
also a time when thousands of

She -
ns Mager ett 6 ST. cae S

of memorial. ; a
This May Day, in 1974, comes als
time of crisis for the entire CAPI i)
world. Inflation is -rampant an te
slogan has been issued to “Defent
Living Standards”. Another sl
“Defend Detente and World Peat

”

‘to stop those who would like 1G
the cold war continued. Since i ie
Day, a fascist coup overthrew Sg

mocratically elected government ° poe
events .still fresh in the memol=y.)
all workers, the slogan “Defent® joj

May Day, Tom Mooney and Wj)
Billings sent greetings from ers I
California, to the Canadian Wot 9@
was a message that can be w =
membered today. \ aiers
“Don’t forget those brave 5® iten |
the working class who have i re
the industrial battle-fields or B@Y" jonh
taken prisoners in the class bh oa
live International labor day; ehrous”
bol of proletarian solidarity ©

out the world.”

By SAM WALSH

History has designated the
working class of Quebec as the
first contingent of the working
class of North America to re-
adopt May Day as a holiday, as
well as the international day of
the workers.

It is to the honor of the Com-
munist Party and of some left-
wing socialists that May Day
was always celebrated in Que-
bec, as elsewhere in Canada and
in the USA, despite the sneaky
substitution of Labor Day in
early September as a day of
class collaboration by the bour-
geoisie and its lieutenants in the
labor movement, :

So that is it with limitless
joy that the Communists surren-
der their involuntary monopoly
of the celebration of this day
of solidarity of the workers of
all countries of the world, while
insisting on the fact that we
have never abandoned this re-
volutionary tradition and that
we have every right to be heard .
in the current celebrations.

Demonstrations of Unity

ing and of splitting.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1974—PAGE 6

sistent opposition of these same

representatives of the bourgeois
- world and the underworld, the

In 1973 the Quebec labor three trade union centres de-
movement succeeded in bringing cided some time ago in favor of
30,000 demonstrators onto the “monster”
street, despite resistance to the tions of unity on May Day.
last moment by the right-wing The
forces, the “champions” of raid- course, will be the fight against
t inflation and its consequences
But this year, despite the per-- on the standard of living of the monopolies, the multi-national

working people. This scourge of
‘the workers is felt throughout
the capitalist world, and the
fight against it demands inter-
national solidarity of the work-
street demonstra- ers. Hence this theme is very
ity appropriate for May Day demon- -
principal slogan, of  strations.
: The guilty parties in gallopin
inflation are above ali the’ bie

to bourgeois burglary.

companies, which slice off from tribute to detente ie to
it profits without precedent and trolling inflation, 9 ,, all

without conscience. Bourgeois of the encouragement Ont a
governments are their accom- tional liberation mover cpiit,
plices, by favoring swollen arms . May our unity, OUt, os jst sil
expenditures as ane form of re- tion and our internation jo
sistence to the progress of inter- rit displayed during OY" eh
national detente; in enacting strations prove OU" bis: ie
anti-union and anti-labor laws to _ of this honor! One
hobble the workers’ resistance On May Day 1974 ae

oh
The workers are terefor. by
liged to defend thems®' opel
a determined effort t ” epl?
collective bargaining aan equi
which don’t contain 4 a aust
cost of living indexing ©
Anti-labor Legislati® - 7
Furthermore the work? pal
called upon to unite Oe le
the adoption of: anti-labOl iy 0
lation like the notorious
which the Quebec
is re-introducing at
session, On the other ®
workers owe it to the i righ
work out a charter Of - 4. pr
of wage workers, SUC
posed by the Part Cone! wh
du Quebec and pubien s
Combat recently. . st "
Finally the workers: Moe
press themselves wae coe
for a policy of peacef¥ en De
ence between countries "a
ferent social system,
the trend to interme vj fe
tente irreversible. “ ig” e
inforce the demand fo ns pr
cant reduction of the # iy
gram, which in turn to ©

g
the CO ine

streets, Quebecois! _