Why would anyone declare a holiday for Labor? Here's why...

[Sarah Ibarruri]

Well, actually... Labor Day is a day that commemorates the KILLING of 13 striking union workers and wounding of 57 striking union workers (during the Pullman train strike) by the U.S. military and U.S. Marshalls, who were supporting Mr. Pullman, a rabidly anti-union corporatist.




Information about that:

Pullman Strike

Striking American Railway Union members confront Illinois National Guard troops in Chicago during the Pullman Strike.

Perhaps the most violent and most famous railroad related strike,the Pullman Strike was a nationwide conflict between labor unions and railroads that occurred in the United States in 1894.

The strike was broken up by United States Marshals and some 12,000 United States Army troops, commanded by Nelson Miles, sent in by President Grover Cleveland on the premise that the strike interfered with the delivery of U.S. Mail, violated the Sherman Antitrust Act and represented a threat to public safety. The arrival of the military and subsequent deaths of workers led to further outbreaks of violence. During the course of the strike, 13 strikers were killed and 57 were wounded. An estimated 6,000 rail workers did $340,000 worth of property damage (about $8,818,000 in 2010 dollars).


The rest is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman_Strike

[liberal N proud]

1. Sometimes people need to be reminded of history.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

2. Thank you. I certainly think so! nt

[blindpig]

3. 'Labor Day' ought to be May 1st.

That is the date celebrated in every country but the US. The date itself that of the Hay Market Riot, a seminal event in US labor history commemorated by Socialist of all stripes but not here because our capitalist masters would have us forget the struggle and sacrifice of the past. They would have us forget who we are and what we can be.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

4. I agree with you on that. nt

[socialist_n_TN]

5. I've always heard (but have no proof)

that the government picked the September date for "Labor Day" to seperate it from the REAL labor holiday of May 1st. Fuck it. I've always celebrated May 1st as Labor Day and I always will.

[CatholicEdHead]

8. Same here

I think one of the Red Scares, (post WWI and post WWII) pushed it back. It takes away some solidarity with other union workers around the world yet labor is still tied to the (now pretty defunct) communist scare in many peoples' minds. (alot of old senior citizens who still vote in high numbers).

[Obamanaut]

19. Here's the Wiki explanation

<snip> The September date originally chosen by the CLU of New York and observed by many of the nation's trade unions for the past several years was selected rather than the more widespread International Workers’ Day because Cleveland was concerned that observance of the latter would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair, which it had been observed to commemorate <more at link>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_day

[pnorman]

6. The term "socialist" would also include "libertarian socialists" (aka: "anarchistsa")

All those tried (some hanged) in that infamous frame-up were self-proclaimed "anarchists".

[blindpig]

9. Libertarian socialist is an oxymoron.

Anyone calling themselves that is a regular moron.

Those guys who hung were anarchists. Many Wobblies who were serious about getting something done became communist.

[pnorman]

12. Noam Chomsky & Howard Zinn, are "morons/morans"?

Do tell!

A while back, I posted some videos on "Anarchism in America" in the near moribund DU "Socialist Group". A self-appointed Keeper Of The Flame there went into convulsions over that! He felt it should go in the Ron Paul Appreciation Group! He had professed an admiration for the Scandinavian Social Democratic model, but he apparently had NO problem with the overtly Stalinist postings that occasionally appeared there. Not surprisingly, that DU Group is now all but COMATOSE!

[blindpig]

14. Smart guys who ought to know better.

(yeah, I knew that was coming.)

Failure to recognize the massive accomplishments of the Soviet Union is stupid for a socialist. Accepting the spoon fed propaganda of the Nazis, capitalists and sectarians dishonors the memory of so many. The Soviet Union was not perfect, bad things did happen, but over all it was a great advance for humanity. The bad that did happen has been grossly exaggerated, the good ignored.

It took capitalism 500 or 600 years to supersede feudal society. This first attempt at socialists society was just that and there will be trail and error, this is how we learn. To do otherwise is to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

No doubt you will consider me a 'Stalinist', but ya know that don't bother me at all.

[pnorman]

18. A "TRUE BELIEVER"! And Believing is Seeing" operates with that sort.

My guess is that you'd regard Kruschev and Gorbachev in the same way that Duclos/Foster regarded Earl Browder.

[Starry Messenger]

7. +1

[leftstreet]

11. +1

[TeamsterDem]

10. It warms my heart to read pro-labor posts

After hearing so much on the news and from Republicans about how awful and what a drain on society me and others in the labor movement are. Thank you for this post!

[socialist_n_TN]

13. Working class born and bred here my friend

And I'm talking about for GENERATIONS. I'll ALWAYS be on the side of the working class. It's the reason I'm a commie in the first place. :)

[Sarah Ibarruri]

15. Good! Anti-union people make me sick to my stomach.

It is great to hear pro-union posts!

Personally, I don't consider anyone anti-union to be a progressive, a liberal, or a Democrat. Anti-union people are fascists, no matter what they may be disguised as.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. My opinion we should also celebrate may day

it was AN AMERICAN event.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

17. We should celebrate a lot of holidays, like Europeans do. Instead, they work us like horses nt