Taking part in May Day? Share any notes or pictures with comms@usworker.coop so we can feature it!
On May 1st, 1886, labor unions in the United States led a general strike for the eight-hour workday, demanding “eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will.” In Chicago, after three days of mass unrest and an explosive thrown at police, eight workers were charged with conspiracy and seven were executed, despite no evidence to prove they had committed the act. Since the “Haymarket Affair,” every May Day, workers around the world rally to celebrate and demonstrate on the issues of the day.
On January 23rd this year, in response to the occupation of Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the murder of activist Renée Good, a coalition of labor, community, and faith organizations led a one-day general strike, dubbed the “Day of Truth and Freedom.” The strike turned out more than 100,000 people and saw hundreds of businesses close for the day in solidarity. A week later, on January 30th, across the US, people heeded the call for “no work, no school, no shopping,” demonstrating the public’s outrage at the authoritarianism of the Trump administration. On March 28th, the third “No Kings” protest against Trump’s wars at home and abroad was the largest in US history, turning out more than eight million people across the country.
The next mass mobilization is set for Friday, May 1st, where the May Day Strong coalition is demanding:
- Tax the rich.
- No ICE. No war.
- Hands off our vote.
The US Federation of Worker Cooperatives is proud to stand in solidarity with these demands and the organizations leading this work in our communities. We call on the cooperative sector to join the mobilization on Friday, May 1st.
Worker cooperatives are in a unique position with calls for a general strike and boycott. Cooperatives are businesses owned and controlled by their membership for the purpose of mutual aid, with worker cooperatives in particular organized for their shared need for sustainable and dignified employment. Worker co-ops in the US today are concentrated in low-margin and low-capital industries, and a single day of closure or lost sales may have a significant impact on the workers’ ability to pay their bills. While we encourage co-ops to show up and demonstrate, we recognize there are more flexible and creative roles to play as we show what an economy based on mutual aid can look like in practice.
So what can co-ops do this May Day? Below is a menu of options for you to consider with your co-workers. In January, during the occupation by ICE, we saw how Minneapolis co-ops put some of these into practice and supported their community,
- Shut down and go to your local May Day rally. Make explicit your purpose in doing so. Show up visibly with signs, swag, and statements naming your co-op’s solidarity with workers around the world.
- Coordinate mutual aid (e.g. food, transport, care). The essential work of taking care of each other still has to happen during any kind of mobilization, and co-ops who are organized in these sectors may be able to play a uniquely impactful support role. Invite new volunteers to participate.
- Donate your business’s surplus toward immigrant justice and anti-war organizations. If it is a hardship to close your doors, consider instead donating a portion of your revenue on May Day toward organizations leading the work on the demands.
- Host an event for art-making, political education, and fun that brings workers together. Co-ops with physical space, especially those serving as “third spaces,” can play a key role in bringing your community together and making May Day a meaningful moment.
- Speak out in solidarity with workers across the world fighting back against authoritarianism. Make a statement through your organization’s social media, newsletter, and in your physical space. See May Day Strong’s communication materials here.
Beyond May Day, there is much work to be done to bring the cooperative community further into the labor movement. The USFWC is currently calling on co-ops to publicly pledge their commitment to “labor neutrality,” leading as workplaces where workers can expect their right to organize will be respected. Organizations can sign on here.
The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is being threatened by billionaires and may even be nullified by the Supreme Court, making it important as ever that we have other strategies ready for organizing workers. In 2023, after their historic “Stand Up Strike” against the Big 3 automakers, the United Auto Workers called for unions to align their contract expiration dates in order to have a coordinated national general strike on May 1, 2028. We hope demonstrating for May Day this year builds practices, relationships, and coalitions toward joining this opportunity in two years to transform the economy.
