"Mayday! Mayday!"
Across America, the AFL-CIO is celebrating May 1st, International Workers Solidarity Day. Americans will host international labor leaders on-line at 10AM. Click to register. There are other on-line celebrations throughout the day.
Americans usually think “Mayday” means that a disaster is impending, and that seems relevant on the first day of Governor Abbott’s new edict. But for most of the world, May First has been Labor Day since 1886. That year, workers all over the world went on strike for the 8-hour day. The main organizers were in Chicago.
During that first May Day, police killed some of the strikers. Police struck again at a protest rally in Haymarket Square on May 4th. Eight policemen and an unknown number of protesters were killed. In retaliation, police arrested all of the May Day organizers, whether they were at the rally or not. After a Kangaroo Court, four of them were hanged, but working families all over the world remember them to this day.
Workers are Newsmakers
Dallas AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Mark York was featured on Channel Four on the day before May Day. He painted a picture of continuing government repression against working families and the bright light of hope that is our labor movement.
Dallas AFL-CIO delegate and APWU officer Katina Range was featured in the Dallas newspaper on the day before May Day. Her local union president and the president of NALC letter carriers all commented on government efforts to take advantage of the Covid pandemic to undermine and eventually privatize the nation’s best-loved government institution, our post office. Sign a petition to save the post office.
On the day before May Day, the Dallas newspaper also ran important news from the Teamsters’ fight against inequality. They are taking a stand against high executive salaries at a company that has cut back on health care employees and facilities during the pandemic. Transportation workers from TWU and ATU are coming together to protect at-risk workers.
Due to repressive government policies, most American working families do not have union protection. Despite all odds, many of them are fighting back. An article in the People’s World says that wildcat strikes by Amazon, Walmart, Fedex, Target, Instacart, and Whole Foods workers will take place around the nation on May Day. Even though they are not reported in the commercial news, labor actions are becoming common.
Here, we are led by the Texas AFL-CIO in fights for workplace safety, paid sick leave, Medicaid expansion, unemployment benefits, and vote-by-mail democracy. The Texas Alliance for Retired Americans asks everyone to call Congress at 1-866-828-4162 to lower the cost of drugs that might curtail the pandemic. Their petition for vote-by-mail is up. National retiree leader Rick Fiesta says, “At the start of Older Americans Month, seniors are more at risk for their health and economic security than they have been in decades.”
Join Us! Do All You Can!
Dallas labor is doing as much as possible to help guide working families through the crisis. We held a special Workers Memorial Day event on April 28, just after Governor Abbott issued a decree to begin re-opening Texas for business. Along with a lot of other vital information, the video is on the Dallas AFL-CIO Facebook Page.
Say in touch with us on-line. To get on our emergency texting service, please text the word “action” to the phone number “235246.”
More Actions Coming Up
May 1, 10A: May Day celebration on-line with national AFL-CIO
May 5, 6P: Rally on Facebook for Medicaid Expansion https://www.facebook.com/events/238194957262799 CPPP
May 10: Mother’s Day
May 20: Deadline for AFL-CIO scholarship applications for union member families with graduating seniors
June 22: Dallas AFL-CIO Golf Tournament
Jun 20: Poor People's Campaign is planning a Moral March on Washington
