What is May Day?
May Day, which is also called International Workers’ Day, originated from the American labor movement’s fight for an eight-hour workday. On May 1, 1886, an estimated 500,000 people around the country went on strike asking for a shorter workday. The epicenter, in Chicago, saw almost 80,000 people over several days take to the streets to demand better working conditions. A protest rally on May 4 at Haymarket Square turned violent when a bomb was thrown, causing police to fire into the crowd and resulting in multiple deaths of both police and workers.
Although this slowed progress for a short time, labor unions were able to get the 8-hour workday mandate passed along with abolishing child labor, guaranteeing the right to form unions, creating Social Security, and ending racial and gender segregation in the workplace. Over the years, May 1 has become a day for workers’ demonstrations and rallies worldwide, celebrating all that has been accomplished and pushing for further reform.
How can I participate in May Day?
This year, May Day falls on Friday, May 1, and CEA has compiled many ways members can celebrate before, during, and after the labor-centric holiday
- Wear your solidarity swag. Don your CEA and union gear on May 1 and proudly show your support of the labor movement in school and around town. Send photos to [email protected] or tag us for a chance to be featured on our social media channels.
- Follow and interact with CEA online. Speaking of social media, our accounts are a great way to not only find out what’s going on within CEA, but also to learn about the state of education and labor in Connecticut. Be sure to like, comment, and share our posts so we can spread the word far and wide.
- Contact your legislator. With only weeks left in the legislative session, the time is now to make sure our legislative priorities are at the top of lawmakers’ minds. Keep an eye out for action alerts and send emails, write postcards, make phone calls, and post to social to get their attention. Be sure to read the CEAGo on Fridays and our Action Alerts to be informed on important legislative news.
- Attend an event. Several events are happening on May 1 around the state as part of the May Day Strong movement. Find one close to you and join in.
What are some wins CEA has accomplished over the years?
It is always great to remind ourselves of the “why” behind events like May Day and look at the success rallies, lobbying, and fighting for what we believe in have gotten us in the past. These are just a handful of the successes CEA has seen in the past 50 years.
- Won collective bargaining with binding arbitration in 1979.
- Secured higher salaries and encouraged teacher recruitment with the Education Enhancement Act in 1986.
- Led the fight to repeal WEP/GPO to remove Social Security penalties for educators and other public servants across the country.
- Organized to ensure strong and competent school leaders in cities and towns across the state. Recent examples include pushing back against administrators who were failing teachers and students in Norwich, Bridgeport, and Stamford.
- Organized to pass budgets that fully and appropriately fund schools. Recent successes include New Milford, Bethel, and East Hampton.
- Overhauled educator evaluations by decoupling standardized tests from evaluation ratings, eventually removing teacher ratings entirely.
- Fought for better working conditions and school climate including a 30-minute duty-free lunch, raising the kindergarten start age, and bringing back play-based learning strategies.
