About International Labor Day in China

DESCRIPTION:

International Labor Day recalls the Haymarket Martyrs in Chicago in 1886.

It was 1886 when the workers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company in Chicago went on strike. The farm equipment manufacturing factory had begun mechanizing, putting the highly skilled metal workers out of work. Those remaining went on strike to demand an eight-hour workday. In the 1880s, workers typically worked 60 hours a week. In response, the company locked out the workers and hired scabs.

On May 1, 1886, a large May Day parade was held in Chicago. On May 3, a riot at the factory saw two men killed by the police, leading to a mass rally in Haymarket Square the following night.

Most of the rally was a peaceful event, with over 1500 people in attendance. After the last speaker, the police tried to break up the crowd. The crowd resisted, and someone set off a bomb. The violence escalated. Police began firing into the crowd. Seven policemen and four protesters were killed, and over 100 were injured.

The riot was blamed on the labor movement, and its leaders, "the anarchists," were rounded up. In June 1886, they were brought to trial, and seven were sentenced to death despite never proving who threw the bomb. Two would later have their sentences commuted to life.

The aftermath of Haymarket put unions in a negative light. Still, it led to the formation of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), which would take the drive to unionize into the 20th Century.

May 1 is internationally recognized as Labor Day or Workers Day in over 80 countries. Some, like the United States, have a separate holiday set aside. For China, this is a significant state holiday that may move dates if May 1 falls on a Tuesday-Thursday so workers can enjoy a three-day weekend.