May Day 2004 Photos

Should have mentioned these are from the rally in Portland, OR, USA.

Was it just me, or was there something different about this years May day march?
I started the day reading the Oregonians comment page where a march organizer ranted against previous organizers of the march, and how we need to co operate with the police.
I was appalled at a lot of the content of this article. What violence has there been over the years?
Some of us have not forgotten the violence of the first May Day march. And that violence came from the cops, not the marchers.
This years march seemed smaller than in previous years, and less energetic. But did we really need to have the cops being IN the march. This is that organization that has shot and killed many workers in their struggles over the years. The cops will always side with the bosses. They may shake your hand with one hand (not mine) and have the mace, club or gun ready in the other.
I wouldn't even let them help my 70 year old mother cross the road. I've seen how PDX cops treat 70 year+women (Eunice Crowder)
Though I arrived a little late I heard no mention of the police killing of James Jahar Perez,
who came from the working class. Black workers suffer more from oppression. We should be standing up for workers (you don't have to be working to be a worker) not the cops who shoot them down.
If you didn't read the comment here it is.


May Day message of 1886 still relevant

Saturday, May 01, 2004

Gene Lawhorn


IN MY OPINION Gene Lawhorn



I n 1884 the United Brotherhood of Carpenters introduced a resolution on the convention floor of the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions. It called for a general strike to begin on May 1, 1886, for gaining the eight-hour workday as a standard for all workers in the United States.

During that period there was a nationwide movement in the United States for the eight-hour day. Most workers toiled for better than 12 to 16 hours on average, seven days a week, with no overtime, insurance or workers' compensation protections.

So it is little wonder that in response to the call for the general strike on May Day of 1886 more than 350,000 workers walked off their jobs. The general strike was peaceable up to the third day, when six pickets at the McCormick Harvester plant in Chicago were killed by company agents. The outraged leaders of the Chicago eight-hour movement organized a protest meeting in Haymarket Square the next day. During the meeting a bomb was thrown into a squad of police, killing seven. More than 200 of the participants were wounded when panicking police opened fire into the crowd.

As a result, four leaders of the Chicago eight-hour movement were hung for advocating ideas that led to the bombing. The historical debate of whether the bomber was an anarchist or an agent provocateur matters little. The lesson is that the violence worked against us as a movement, setting us back decades. This is one of the principal reasons that we in the Carpenters Local 247 got involved in organizing the May Day March in Portland. We were tired of the message of May Day being overshadowed by the violent activities of some of the participants. We were also disturbed at the self-righteous attitude of some of the past organizers who proclaimed they didn't have to get a permit and refused to work with the Portland Police Bureau.

We at Carpenters Local 247 felt it was important to work with the police to ensure that peace was maintained and that the flow of traffic was routed safely around the march. We found that the Portland police have been very cooperative in working with us, and for that we are very grateful. Our goal is for all participants of the May Day March to feel safe.

Workplace issues are as relevant today as they were in 1886, whether you're a policeman, construction worker or minimum-wage fast-food employee. We find ourselves working longer hours with less pay and less or no health care, and competing on a global scale for jobs.

May Day is our day to affirm our connection with the past and reaffirm our commitment to solve these problems in the future by taking action today.

Gene Lawhorn of Salem represents Carpenters Local 247.

'Historical debates' might matter little to Lawhorn, but thats where we draw our lessons from.
It's labor bureaucrats that have set back the labor movement, with decades of give backs and sell outs.
Yes violence has worked against the movement, that is POLICE VIOLENCE.