May Day
Today, Saturday, May 1st the Riverwest Co-op is closed in honor of May Day. May Day’s earliest observations were rooted in the celebration of the return of spring. With the efforts of the US labor movement in the 19th century May 1st also became known as International Workers Day. This holiday honors workers and the sacrifices of those in the labor movement. May Day has been a holiday observed by the Co-op since its inception.
On May 1, 1886 unions across the United States went on strike, demanding an 8-hour workday. The Haymarket Square riot in Chicago is often referenced when discussing the history of International Workers Day. But more local to us here in Milwaukee were the events of the Bayview Massacre. On May 1 1886 peaceful protests escalated into a general strike in Milwaukee for workers demanding an 8 hour work day. All major factories in Milwaukee shut down except for the Milwaukee Iron Company Rolling Mill in Bay View. By May 3rd over fourteen thousand mostly Polish workers marched on the rolling mill with the express purpose of getting the workers there to join the strike. A day later the strikers returned to march on the mill, they were met by 250 national guardsmen under orders from Republican Governor Jeremiah M Rusk to “Fire on them”. An officer commanding the guardsmen gave a more direct order “Pick out your man, and kill him.” The riflemen lined up and fired a volley into the crowd. As a result, several were injured, and seven men were killed including a thirteen year old boy. Every year on the anniversary of the Bayview Massacre, union and community leaders gather at the historical marker in Milwaukee in memoriam of this atrocity, and the names of the fallen are read. If you’ve ever watched John Gurda’s The Making of Milwaukee Series on PBS you may already be familiar with this tragic event.
“In 1889 an international federation of socialist groups and trade unions designated May 1 as a day in support of workers, in commemoration of the Haymarket Riot in Chicago (1886). Five years later, U.S. Pres. Grover Cleveland, uneasy with the socialist origins of Workers’ Day, signed legislation to make Labor Day—already held in some states on the first Monday of September—the official U.S. holiday in honour of workers. Canada followed suit not long afterward.”
The efforts of the strikes in 1886 laid the groundwork to give workers an 8-hour workday. The struggle for labor rights is still ongoing and May Day is a day often featuring protests and rallies. Including a May Day March in Milwaukee organized by Voces de la Frontera Action and VDLF Essential Workers Rights Network, here’s the signup form to participate!
by Jess Poisl & Ian Gunther (Co-op member)