May Day, Thursday, May 1, 2025, saw another day of protest. Once more, First Reader and I helped line the street. This time, the entire world joined the fray.

What first began as a worker’s uprising in the 1880s has grown to worldwide recognition of workers and workers’ rights around the world—May Day, or International Workers Day. The first May Day strike happened on May 1, 1886, when over 300,000 workers in 13,000 businesses nationwide walked off the job.

Long before we in the United States began complaining about the 8-hour, 5-day work week, Unbridled Capitalism was King. The rich dictated low wages and long workdays under dangerous conditions. A typical workday lasted sixteen hours, leaving little time for more than the employer. The pay, barely enough to stay alive. By the early 20th century, those obscenely wealthy businessmen were known as ‘Robber Barons.’ Today, we call them ‘plutocrats.’

For those of us who’ve studied History, the warning signs of a return to that ‘Golden Age’ slapped us in the face. Hard. Those days were good for a handful of people. The rest of the population suffered. And it’s one reason we’re Resisting as hard as we can.

It’s time to move forward, not fall back to the last gasp of a bygone past that has no place in the future.

Resources:

May Day
International Workers’ Day
What to know about May Day and how it has grown over the years
May Day demonstrations in US and around the globe protest Trump agenda
The Brief Origins of May Day
Trump Policies Draw Outrage at May Day Protests Across the U.S.
History of May Day