WHY MAYDAY? 

May 1st is a day of special significance for the labour movement. Its a day of 
worldwide solidarity. A time to remember past struggles and demonstrate our 
hope for a better future. A day to remember that an injury to one is an injury 
to all. But why Mayday? What is its history? 

Over a century ago the American Federation of Labour adopted a historic 
resolution which asserted that "eight hours shall constitute a legal days 
labour from and after May 1st, 1886". 

All across America in the months prior to this resolution, workers in their 
thousands were starting to struggle for ashorter week. Skilled and unskilled, 
men and women, black and white, immigrant and native were all fighting 
together. 

Chicago was the main centre of agitation. Over 300 000 workers came out on May 
1st. It was here that Mayday was born. 

THE ANARCHISTS OF CHICAGO 

It was the activities of the anarchists in the Central Labour Union and on the 
streets that made Chicago the centre of the eight hour movement. 

The anarchists thought that the eight hour day could only be wonthrough direct 
action and solidarity. They considered that struggles for reforms, like the 
eight hour day, were not enough in themselves. They considered them as only 
one battle in anongoing class war that would only end by social revolution 
andthe creation of anarchism ( a "free society based upon a co,operative 
system of production" in the words of their programme. 

It was with these ideas that they organised and fought. The anarchist unions 
were based on direct rank and file control from the bottom up, reflecting the 
type of society they were aiming for. 

The American ruling class saw its profits and power being undermined by united 
working class direct action. They met this threat with violence. 

THE HAYMARKET 

On May 1st, in Chicago, one half of the McCormick Harvester Company came out 
on strike. Two days later the police opened fire on the pickets, killing one 
and wounding several more. Outraged,the anarchists called a protest meeting at 
the Haymarket for the next day. 

The meeting was peaceful and rain soon sent away most of the large crowd. When 
only 200 people remained, a police column of 180 men moved in and ordered the 
meeting to disperse immediately, even though, according to the Mayor of 
Chicago, "nothing looked likely to require police interference". 

At that moment a bomb was thrown into the ranks of the police, killing one and 
wounding about seventy others. The police openedfire on the spectators, 
killing and wounding many. 

A reign of terror swept over Chicago. Meeting halls, union offices, printing 
shops and private homes were raided (usuallywithout warrants). Many suspects 
were beat up and some bribed."Make the raids first and look up the law 
afterwards" was the public statement of J. Grinnell, the States Attorney. 

The raids and repression, backed and encouraged by the press,weakened the 
eight hour movement. A major source of worry and fear for the ruling class was 
removed and both the American Labour and Anarchist movements suffered set 
backs. The raids had solved part of the problem, now scapegoats had to be 
found. 

THE TRAIL 

Eight men, all anarchists and active union organisers stood trail for murder. 
No proof was offered by the state that any of the eight had anything to do 
with the bomb. In fact, three had not even been at the meeting and another was 
there with his wife and children. A biased judge and jury and a hysterical 
press ensured that all eight were found guilty. Their only "crimes" were their 
anarchist ideas, union activity and the threat these held for theruling class. 
Grinnell made it clear, "Anarchy is on trail...these men have been selected... 
because they are leaders". 

In spite of world wide protest, four of the Haymarket Martyrs were hanged. 
Half a million people lined the funeral cortege and 20 000 crowded into the 
cemetery. In 1893, the new Governor ofIllinois made official what the working 
class in Chicago and across the world knew all along and pardoned the Martyrs 
becauseof their obvious innocence and because "the trail was not fair". 

In 1889, the American delegation attending the International Socialist 
congress in Paris proposed that May 1st be adopted as a workers' holiday. This 
was to commemorate working class struggle and the "Martyrdom of the Chicago 
Eight". Since then Mayday has became a day for international solidarity. 

NOW 

It is a sad comment that the only reason that Mayday is being celebrated on 
the right day this year is because May 1st happenedto fall on a Sunday. The 
events that gave birth to it show that its real meaning is not a stroll 
through the town followed by thespeeches of Labour politicians and trade union 
bureaucrats. 

It is not surprising that the real history and meaning of Maydayare hidden. If 
the anarchist ideas of the Chicago Martyrs became better known and put back 
into practice, the trade union bureaucrats and labour politicians who run the 
labour movement would be out of a job! The "Chicago Idea" of the Martyrs shows 
that there is a real, practical alternative to both the presentlabour movement 
and the present system. That idea is revolutionary anarchism. Labourism and 
Marxism have failed. Onlyanarchism points the way to freedom and equality. 

Mayday, like the Labour movement itself, must be rescued from all those with a 
vested interest in the present system. Mayday mustagain be a day to remember 
the past struggles of working class people and a day to show solidarity with 
present struggles. Butwe must not stop there, we must made every day a 1st of 
May! The future of the Labour movement lies in reclaiming its hidden past. We 
must create a real, fighting alternative and build the newworld in the shell 
of the old! 

