May Day in the USA: Before & After

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by Laura Lai/Comment

May Day? The 1^st of May? Or the Labor Day? Currently, it’s all of them: the ‘May Day’ commemorates the victims of the workers’ strike in Haymarket Square in Chicago at the end of the 19^th century. It was a movement of the labor unions in the United States demanding an 8 –hour working day. Police clashed with protesters, and victims were on both sides. The 1^st of May is currently still called the ‘Labor Day’, but given the number of protests in many parts of the world demanding more job creation, it may become the ‘Unemployment Day’.

After the political and industrial revolutions of the 18^th century Europe, the American colonies were the first of all European colonies to have obtained independence, but got into a Civil War between the North and the South due to differences of perspective on whether or not to abolish slavery. The war ended in 1865 and the slavery of the black Americans was abolished, but it was replaced with a modern capitalist concept of slavery, which included both black and white Americans. It is in this context of the unfair treatment of the American workers, in general, that the protests of the union movements took place starting with the end of April and ending at the very beginning of May 1886. It is the 2^nd International Socialist Movement which declared the 1^st of May 1889 the ‘Labor Day’.

Two centuries later, the economic picture of the US economy looks far better with a record high of 7,3 million job openings in December 2018, announced by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. There is no wonder that the number of the Americans demanding unemployment benefits dropped to the lowest rate in half a century. The reality of 196,000 jobs beats the 175,000 market expectations, the unemployment rate among adult women is at 3,3% - lowest rate since fifty years, the unemployment rate for Hispanics and for Americans with disabilites are the lowest since polls are made for these segments of population. Although in April 2019, there were 263,000 jobs created (construction sector added 33,000 jobs), the Trump Administration created 5,5 million jobs since it took office.

            It should be the constant strengthening of the economy by encouraging investments, a new and simplified tax code and job creation that made 71% of the Americans to declare in March 2019 that according to them the US economy is in a good shape. In the 2019 State of the Union Address, the US President, Donald Trump, invited all Americans – Republicans and Democrats – ‘to choose greatness’, constantly underlying that the Trump Administration works for all Americans.

I am not American. Therefore, I am not invited ‘to choose greatness’, but this does not prevent me from admiring it: In the 1^st quarter of the year 2019, the US economy grew with 3,2% (in comparison to 1,5% European  growth). I may not be invited ‘to choose greatness’, but I choose to believe that the Trump Administration is unstoppable in implementing an economic agenda of a stronger American middle class – regardless of its political views - , of an energy leadership, of the best infrastructure in the world, etc.

It’s great to see at work an American inexperienced politician trying and actually delivering what he promised, without being paid a cent from the American taxpayers’ money! I wonder if the Trump Administration will pause a bit on the first Monday of September, when the Americans usually celebrate the ‘Worker’s Day.’