LOCAL ACTIVISTS CELEBRATE MAY DAY, INTERNATIONAL WORKERS DAY, WITH RALLIES, TEACH-INS AND A PICNIC

Titled, "May Day - A Day for the 99%", activists from Occupy Rochester and local unions are planning a day of protests, workshops and celebration to mark International Workers Day on May 1st.  The first action of the day is a rally to "Demand a Living Wage and Stop the Attacks on Public Services and Workers", planned for 12:00 pm at City Hall.  

 

Following that, "May Day Teach-Ins" will commence at the SUNY Brockport Downtown Metro Center (55 St. Paul Street) from 1:00 pm - 4:15pm, featuring a keynote speech from Dr. Vincent Serravallo, labor historian and professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology.   Workshop topics will include, "The History of May Day", "The Growth of Economic Inequality", "Know Your Rights at Work", "Immigrant Worker Rights", "Women Worker Rights", "Housing Rights", and a "History of the Sit-Down Strike."  

 

The focal point of the day will be a rally titled, "Voices of the 99% - Speak Out!" starting at 4:30 pm at the Liberty Pole featuring Jim Bertolone, president of the Rochester and Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation (AFL-CIO).  There, other Occupy Activists, Union Workers, Unemployed Workers and Worker's Rights Advocates will give speeches and testimonials about the level of inequality and disrespect that exists for the 99% in today's America.  The rally will be followed by a picnic with music, poetry, spoken word and activities for the whole family at Washington Square Park starting at 6:30 pm.

 

These actions are inspired both by the explosion of the Occupy Wall St. movement AND the long and radical tradition of American workers demanding rights like the weekend, the minimum wage and social security.  

 

While it is celebrated mostly in other countries, International Workers Day began here in the US.  May 1st, International Workers' Day, is the commemoration of a general strike called on May 1st, 1886 by workers demanding an 8 hour work day and a commemoration of the "Haymarket Massacre" that followed several days later, where Chicago police fired indiscriminately on workers after an unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at police lines.  Several demonstrators and several police officers were killed in the ensuing chaos, all from police gunfire.  Eight prominent movement activists were singled out and convicted of conspiracy, although none accused of actually throwing a bomb.  Four were hanged as a result.  

 

May Day is a recognition that workers have always had to fight for their rights, against the employers seeking profits at any costs, and against efforts of the state to protect the interests of the rich and powerful.

 

The Labor Outreach Working Group of Occupy Rochester as well as many workers from the Rochester community feel that its time to recognize the people who actually fought and in some cases, died for the basic job protections and social safety net we enjoy today.  As local activist Sean Maloney says, "In a political culture that focuses on the achievements of the wealthy, the famous, and the absurd, we feel its time to celebrate the work of the 99%, the people who drive the buses, care for the sick, teach our children, and build the infrastructure we rely upon every day.  Every day is a holiday for the 1%, its time we had at least one for the 99%."