History, politics, people of Oly WA

May Day will Certainly SUCK!!

Honestly, I’ve never been a fan of May Day in any of its forms. I’ve mearly participated as a viewer. It has been a spectacle for me, but a spectacle that I appreciated for what I think everyone took it for: whatever you make of it.

No one person or group defined May Day, so it turned into one big smelly hippy, anarchist thingie that would just happen. Pretty cool, I guess if you’re a hippy with a drum or a anarchist. Anyway. This year the Freakin thing is planned and sponsored. Sponsored by the wobblies, yes, but still…

On Sunday, May 1st the Industrial Workers of the World and the Olympia Workers Association, joined by working class organizations all over Olympia, present International Labor Solidarity Day, at 12 noon at Sylvester Park in downtown Olympia.

For over 100 years May First has been celebrated as International Workers Day: a day for working people to celebrate and remember the power they have when they stand together. 100 years ago workers exercised that power and won the 8 hour workday. In the 20th century the power of labor solidarity won workers victories like the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Now those rights have become so standard we often take them for granted. We celebrate May Day to remember those who died at the hands of business and government to make the worker’s life better. Still, a workers life is hard in Olympia but we still have the power to stand together to fight for the rights all working people deserve: job security, health and child care, and a living wage. Come celebrate May Day at Sylvester Park and stand up for workers rights. By standing together the workers of Olympia are more powerful than Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Come to the park at noon to hear speakers, the music of Harry Levine and Margaret Fortune, and meet local working class organizations. Make picket signs at the park and join us as we take back the streets for the Workers’ Solidarity Parade, leaving at 2:00.

2 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Wow – way to totally ignore my questions and simply re-assert your original prejudices…

    So, now that May Day has come and gone, were you there? What did you think? I liked it, though it was small… and I got great photos and videos of the cops.

    Were you the weird dude in the white tee shirt?

  2. Emmett

    No I wasn’t there, and what I thought was that it was way better back in the day when the Olympian was in hysterics about what would happen, and the chamber of commerce types were counter protesting during Super Saturday. That is what I miss. I’m glad you had fun, for me, I can’t wait for LakeFair.

    Anyway, take care dude.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

© 2024 Olympia Time

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑