Ken's Labor Book Reviews From The Archives

"May Day: A Short History of the International Workers' Holiday, 1886-1986." By Philip S. Foner. International Pub., 1986. 184 p. $14, $6.95 pa.

On May 1, 1886, hundred of thousands of American workers across the country followed the lead of the newly formed American Federation of Labor by engaging in a one-day general strike for the eight-hour day. As a result of the protests and general strike, working hours were reduced for over 200,000 workers in the U.S. Follow-up citywide demonstrations included one in Haymarket Square in Chicago, where on May 4, after an unprovoked police attack on people demonstrating in support of a local strike, a bomb was exploded. When the smoke cleared, eight people had died from the explosion and police bullets. In the red scare that followed, eight radicals were arrested and four were executed on conspiracy charges. None was proved to have any direct links to the bomb. But that's just part of the story. On the whole, May Day was such a success that AFL President Samuel Gompers planned to do it again. This time May Day would climax a year-long series of demonstrations. One national union, the Carpenters, would lead the way by striking on May 1, 1890, while protesters around the country would support their strike for the eight-hour day. The Marxist 2nd International Socialist Congress, held in Paris in 1889, joined in the plans, calling for protests on an international scale for the eight-hour day. Gompers welcomed this internationalization of May Day. On May 1, 1890, protests and strikes were staged around the world. Worldwide May Day celebrations, protests and strikes continued to grow and the holiday is celebrated to this day. But conservatives in the U.S. argued against the militant nature of May Day. When the AFL took a right turn in the late 1890s, most unions abandoned May Day in favor of Labor Day. May Day in the U.S. made a strong comeback in the '30s and '40s with the resurgence of the left and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, only to be all but stamped out in the red scare of the 1950s. Recently, May was designated by President Clinton as Labor History Month, following the lead of New York State. Philip Foner's "May Day" is a valuable reminder of the roots of May Day and of the U.S. labor movement. Author of more than 110 published works on labor history, Foner died late last year. His brother Henry, past president of the Fur Workers, is continuing Philip's series on American labor history. Another brother, Moe, is director of the Bread and Roses Project whose beautiful posters adorn DC 37's lobby this month. --Ken Nash, Ed Fund Library, Rm. 206

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