April 30th: Update to Membership
The History of May Day (May 1st)
May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, is a holiday that celebrates the working class and the labour movement on May 1st. While not as familiar in North America, it is a well-known holiday in Europe and Asia.
The May Day holiday’s origins in North America stem from a universal work stoppage in 1886 Chicago commonly referred to as the Haymarket Affair. This general strike was centred around a call for an eight-hour workday. The pickets and demonstrations that followed led to police violence and the arrest of labour leaders.
May Day demonstrations were carried out widely in Canada, including Calgary, but they were not well received by politicians and authorities, often ending in forced disbursement. Attempting to avoid more violence, the following year labour leaders in Calgary applied for a permit to have a parade; this was denied by city hall.
While May Day was not well received by officials, it was recognized in both the United States and Canada that there needed to be some recognition of the labour movement. In 1872, the Toronto Typographical Union had gone on strike demanding a nine-hour workday from a 12-hour workday. The strike was widely condemned by The Globe owner, George Brown, who brought in replacement workers, leading to the dismissal of many who went on strike. Despite not getting the desired results, the strike did get the attention of many, including Prime Minister John A. MacDonald, who passed a law to release strikers who were imprisoned. He spoke widely on the need to enact and observe labour rights.
Seeing the writing on the wall, Prime Minister John Thompson passed a law in July 1894 making Labour Day, as we know it today in the Fall, an official holiday in Canada. Many speculate that this Fall date was chosen to distance it from the mass organization and violence that was commonplace during May Day demonstrations and parades, as well as the fact that much of the world celebrates labour in May.
Over the years, Labour Day has come to be associated with family and BBQs and a day off, losing much of its original meaning. With that said, we must not forget the origins of Labour Day and May Day) and the struggles that labour made to earn workers everything we have today: 8-hour workday, the weekend, parental leave, and paid vacation, to name a few. This May 1st, take a moment to honour this day and those who led the way. Learn more about Canadian Labour history at the Canadian Labour Congress website.
In solidarity,
Craig Coolahan
Labour Relations Officer, SAFA