May Day rally/march/action planning meeting
dirty...@riseup.net
5:00pm, Sunday, February 26, 2012
Downstairs meeting room,
Durango Coffee Co.
730 Main Ave., Durango, CO
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May Day is known the world over as International Workers Day, a day
commemorating violence by police and strike-breakers against workers
engaged in a general strike to bring about the 8 hour work day. This
struggle was not the end goal for those who put their lives on the line in
Chicago in 1886, but it was part of a broader aim of destroying the very
means of our oppression— capital and the state. This war continues. So too
the general strikes of 2012 will establish a decisive drive towards the
materialization of a social force to be feared by bosses and politicians
the world over.
It’s time to multiply – to become a global social force capable of
attacking our enemies when and where it hurts and sustaining and defending
each other in this transformative global moment; a force able to fight and
win.
Previously, the ruling classes had slaves and indentured servants, forcing
labor relations through brute force. Today they still have us as slaves
and servants through wage labor and debt. At work, at home, at school or
in prison we organize to become a collective force able to determine our
own futures.
May Day Worldwide General Strike 2012 (May 1st)
https://www.facebook.com/MayDay.GeneralStrike.2012
Occupy May Day - General Strike
https://www.facebook.com/events/337068492974144/
Occupy May Day
https://www.facebook.com/events/270243609695753/
Student Walkout - May 1st
https://www.facebook.com/events/344970068856254/
Strike Everywhere! Global General Strike
http://strikeeverywhere.net/
Occupy May 1st General Strike
http://www.occupymay1st.org/
In most European countries, May 1st is traditionally a ‘Workers’ day – a
day of Labor Solidarity, and a public holiday. In Los Angeles, it’s a day
to celebrate and march in support of im/migrant rights. In protest against
the corruption of the worldwide marketplace, which has led to illegal
foreclosures, mass unemployment, low wages, high taxes and a penalization
of all those who do not own the ‘1%’ of the world’s resources, and in
solidarity with the im/migrant movements of May 1st, OLA decided to
declare May 1st, 2012 a People’s General Strike. Instead of calling upon
unionized Labor to make a specific demand (illegal under Taft-Hartley),
OLA is calling upon the people of Los Angeles and the United States of
America to take this day away from school and the workplace, so that their
absence makes their displeasure with this corrupt system be known.
On December 19th, 2011, Occupy Los Angeles General Assembly consented upon
the following statement:
“Occupy LA supports in principle a General Strike on May 1, 2012, for
migrant rights, jobs for all, a moratorium on foreclosures, and peace –
and to recognize housing, education and health care as human rights, and
calls for the building of a broad coalition to make that a reality.”
Occupations across the world have made similar calls for a General Strike,
or day of economic disruption, in direct response to Occupy Los Angeles,
or through a synchronicity of thought, a buzzing hive mind that feels the
need to express solidarity with movements and people throughout the world
who honor May Day and see this years expression of that as our next major
step.
How can I participate?
If you are part of unionized labor, and your contract is up for
negotiation, you can officially strike on May 1st. If you are not – call
in sick. Take a holiday. Don’t show up to school. March with us, or join
in one of the many events that will be taking place on May 1st, either in
the day or in the evening. Block parties, rallies, protests, marches,
family BBQ’s – this is a day when we take a stand against the way the
system has enslaved us and burdened us with unmanageable debt, incredibly
long working weeks, unfeasibly expensive healthcare — by taking a day for
ourselves, being human again, spending time with our families and friends.
Our bosses dictate everything to us — but not our holiday. The holiday of
the working class, the 99%.
If you can’t participate on #M1GS, you can contribute in other ways.
Spread the word. Poster your neighborhood. Help form Strike Committees in
the workplace. Agitate. Tweet. Like. Donate here (Occupy Los Angeles) to
help us get the word out, for logistics — and for TENTS.
STRIKE for:
IM/MIGRANT RIGHTS
ECONOMIC, SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE and LABOR RIGHTS
PEACE WITH JUSTICE
CIVIL LIBERTIES — END THE POLICE STATE
HOUSING, EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE AS HUMAN RIGHTS
WOMEN’S RIGHTS & GENDER EQUITY
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May Day - the Real Labor Day
May 1st, International Workers' Day, commemorates the historic struggle of
working people throughout the world, and is recognized in every country
except the United States, Canada, and South Africa. This despite the fact
that the holiday began in the 1880s in the United States, with the fight
for an eight-hour work day.
In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions passed a
resolution stating that eight hours would constitute a legal day's work
from and after May 1, 1886. The resolution called for a general strike to
achieve the goal, since legislative methods had already failed. With
workers being forced to work ten, twelve, and fourteen hours a day,
rank-and-file support for the eight-hour movement grew rapidly, despite
the indifference and hostility of many union leaders. By April 1886,
250,000 workers were involved in the May Day movement.
The heart of the movement was in Chicago, organized primarily by the
anarchist International Working People's Association. Businesses and the
state were terrified by the increasingly revolutionary character of the
movement and prepared accordingly. The police and militia were increased
in size and received new and powerful weapons financed by local business
leaders. Chicago's Commercial Club purchased a $2000 machine gun for the
Illinois National Guard to be used against strikers. Nevertheless, by May
1st, the movement had already won gains for many Chicago clothing cutters,
shoemakers, and packing-house workers. But on May 3, 1886, police fired
into a crowd of strikers at the McCormick Reaper Works Factory, killing
four and wounding many. Anarchists called for a mass meeting the next day
in Haymarket Square to protest the brutality.
The meeting proceeded without incident, and by the time the last speaker
was on the platform, the rainy gathering was already breaking up, with
only a few hundred people remaining. It was then that 180 cops marched
into the square and ordered the meeting to disperse. As the speakers
climbed down from the platform, a bomb was thrown at the police, killing
one and injuring seventy. Police responded by firing into the crowd,
killing one worker and injuring many others.
Although it was never determined who threw the bomb, the incident was used
as an excuse to attack the entire Left and labor movement. Police
ransacked the homes and offices of suspected radicals, and hundreds were
arrested without charge. Anarchists in particular were harassed, and eight
of Chicago's most active were charged with conspiracy to murder in
connection with the Haymarket bombing. A kangaroo court found all eight
guilty, despite a lack of evidence connecting any of them to the
bomb-thrower (only one was even present at the meeting, and he was on the
speakers' platform), and they were sentenced to die. Albert Parsons,
August Spies, Adolf Fischer, and George Engel were hanged on November 11,
1887. Louis Lingg committed suicide in prison, The remaining three were
finally pardoned in 1893.
It is not surprising that the state, business leaders, mainstream union
officials, and the media would want to hide the true history of May Day,
portraying it as a holiday celebrated only in Moscow's Red Square. In its
attempt to erase the history and significance of May Day, the United
States government declared May 1st to be "Law Day", and gave us instead
Labor Day - a holiday devoid of any historical significance other than its
importance as a day to swill beer and sit in traffic jams.
Nevertheless, rather than suppressing labor and radical movements, the
events of 1886 and the execution of the Chicago anarchists actually
mobilized many generations of radicals. Emma Goldman, a young immigrant at
the time, later pointed to the Haymarket affair as her political birth.
Lucy Parsons, widow of Albert Parsons, called upon the poor to direct
their anger toward those responsible - the rich. Instead of disappearing,
the anarchist movement only grew in the wake of Haymarket, spawning other
radical movements and organizations, including the Industrial Workers of
the World.
By covering up the history of May Day, the state, business, mainstream
unions and the media have covered up an entire legacy of dissent in this
country. They are terrified of what a similarly militant and organized
movement could accomplish today, and they suppress the seeds of such
organization whenever and wherever they can. As workers, we must recognize
and commemorate May Day not only for it's historical significance, but
also as a time to organize around issues of vital importance to
working-class people today.
As IWW songwriter Joe Hill wrote in one of his most powerful songs:
Workers of the world, awaken!
Rise in all your splendid might
Take the wealth that you are making,
It belongs to you by right.
No one will for bread be crying
We'll have freedom, love and health,
When the grand red flag is flying
In the Workers' Commonwealth.
This article written and distributed by: l.ga...@m.cc.utah.edu
From http://flag.blackened.net/daver/anarchism/mayday.html
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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!
By Anarcho, from
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/anarchism/writers/anarcho/history/maydayagain.html