While the term “mayday” might cause panic for fighter pilots or confusion for non-European observers, May Day is a public holiday recognized around the world.
Author: Kyle Anderson, Articling Student
However, May Day or “International Workers Day” remains largely unobserved in North America. May Day has deep connections to the international labour movement which celebrates key labour rights that we North Americans often take for granted.
On May 1st, major working standard improvements, including the 8-hour workday and the 5-day workweek are commemorated. These hard-won rights arguably form the foundation of our modern work-life balance, permitting us our cherished “weekends,” that we often rely on for rest, quality family-time, and other forms of fulfillment outside of the workplace.
However, many may be surprised to learn that these standards were not peacefully achieved and that May Day runs red to its roots. Historically the 8-hour workday was violently fought for, and violently opposed; resulting in numerous deaths. May Day’s socialist origins and its celebration across post-Soviet societies have also contributed to its “red” associations.
But what exactly is May Day? Why is it celebrated? Why is it so often ignored in North America? And what lessons should Canadians take from it?
The Origins of May Day
Celebrated annually on May 1st (not to be confused with the European May Day holiday marking the midpoint between the spring equinox and summer solstice), the modern May Day is commonly traced back to the 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago.
At the time, workers across the industrialized world — including the United States and Western Europe — typically worked six days a week, often for 10–16 hours a day, with only the Sabbath off. Worker protections were minimal to non-existent; employees could be overworked, fired, or even blacklisted for pushing back.
On May 1st, 1886, over 30,000 workers in Chicago launched a general strike demanding an 8-hour workday. Two days later, on May 3rd, a peaceful rally at Haymarket Square turned deadly when police killed two demonstrators. The following day, an unknown individual threw a dynamite bomb at police attempting to disperse another rally, killing several officers and civilians. In the chaos that followed, police opened fire on the crowd, though accounts of the event differ.
In the weeks after the Haymarket Affair, authorities clamped down hard on labour leaders: dozens were arrested without due process, union halls were raided, and activist meetings were violently dispersed.
The Global Legacy of May Day
Despite the harsh suppression that followed, labour activists around the world took inspiration from the Haymarket Affair. May 1st became an international day of commemoration. By 1889, the first International Workers’ Day was held with rallies across Europe, including in Paris.
Meanwhile, the United States moved in a different direction: in 1894, the U.S. government established Labour Day as a federal holiday, deliberately distancing it from the more radical, socialist-linked International Workers’ Day.
The fight for better working conditions continued internationally. By 1919, the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted the Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, calling for the 8-hour day and 48-hour workweek as a global standard. Over 52 countries ratified the Convention between the 1920s and 1980s.
By the 1930s, socialist movements worldwide had embraced May Day as a day of mass labour demonstrations, and it was formally adopted as a public holiday in many Communist and post-Communist countries such as China, Vietnam, Cuba, Hungary, Poland, and East Germany. Today, International Workers’ Day is officially recognized in most countries around the world.
Why May Day Still Matters
Although May Day is not recognized as a public holiday in the United States or Canada, labour organizations and activists continue to hold rallies and demonstrations on May 1st each year.
Reflecting on May Day reminds us that the labour rights we often take for granted, our weekends, the 8-hour workday, workplace safety laws, were hard-won rights achieved by activists who risked their livelihoods, and often their lives. While some may dismiss May Day because of its socialist and communist associations, the broader labour movement has achieved benefits that have positively impacted workers of all political ideologies, globally.
This May Day, take a moment to remember how much we have gained through collective action, and consider the work that remains to ensure fairer working conditions and protections for future generations.
