1886 May 1st Historic Battles for the 8-Hour Day

 

Remembering those killed in Milwaukee and Chicago, demonstrating for the 8-hour day.

The Eight-Hour Song:

We mean to make things over;

    We're tired of toil for naught

But bare enough to live on:  never

    an hour for thought.

We want to feel the sunshine; we

    want to smell the flowers;

We're sure that God has will it,

    and we mean to have eight hours.

We're summoning our forces from

    shipyard, shop, and mill:

Eight hours for work, eight hours

    for rest, eight hours for what we will. 

Four workers were hanged by the state of Illinois for their participation in the demonstration:  Albert Parsons, August Spies, George Engel, Adolph Fischer. 

Spies is quoted as saying, "Here you will tread upon a spark, but there and there, behind you and in front ofyou, and everywhere flames blaze up.  It is a subterranean fire.  You cannot put it out."

 Lucy Parsons said of her husband, 

"My husband, I give you to the cause of liberty.  I now go forth to take your place.  I will herald abroad to the American people the foul murder here today at the behest of monopoly.  I too expect to mount the scaffold.  I am ready.”

May 1st and 2nd, 2022

Voces de la Frontera is calling for all to stand up for justice with a two-day strike to show politicians & corporate America that immigrants and Latinz workers are essential. 

 

Sunday, May1st:  Milwaukee march to the office of Senator Ron Johnson, meet at 8th & Mitchell11:00 am

 Monday, May 2nd:  Madison Lobby Day at the Capitol, meet at 11:00 a.m.

Jeremy Rifkin's book, The End of Work, presents a challenge in the context of the 8-hour day.  (G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York 1995)