We the Many

I get by with a little help from my friends

As I write this, it is May Day — a day when my mother would help me make little goody baskets with these odd sugar dots on waxed paper, and we would hang them on the neighbor’s door and ring the bell and RUN. If they caught us we owed them a kiss I think. Anyway, it was thrilling and fun.

Today, May Day makes me think less of celebrating the delightful pagan spring rituals and more about my fellow workers and union siblings. Since 1886, May Day has also been known as International Workers Day. I am grateful to all those who protested and risked their lives for an 8-hour work day (even if teachers are historically terrible about sticking to it. I have made a concerted effort in the past two years and my mental health is the better for it).

Maybe you, like many others, wonder why the United States celebrates “Labor Day” on the first Monday of September when May Day exists. In 1894, President Grover Cleveland used an injunction and federal troops to break up a railroad strike. After the dust settled, Congress passed a bill declaring Labor Day (in September) as a national holiday and Grover signed it. The move was transparently made to appease the unions, while distancing the federal government from the political flavor associated with May Day.

Ah, but what about that political flavor? Do we really expect the struggle for fair pay and humane treatment to be bloodless and unemotional? Union workers — and nonunion workers who deserve a union — make up the backbone of this country, of this society. Regardless (I guess) of your union-related feelings, you must admit that it is the carpenters, the electricians, the welders, the nurses, the glaziers, the farmers, the city/county/state employees, and the gosh darn teachers that allow our society to function. (I left out about a billion people/careers — apologies!) Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was blueprinted for us, the working class. Attempts to block our access to those rights will not be taken quietly.

Think about the opening to the Preamble to the Constitution: We the People, in order to form a more perfect union…

It seems to me that if you are anti-union, you are anti-democracy. If you are anti-democracy, I don’t understand why you are considering yourself a patriot. If you are anti-democracy, I don’t know how you can accuse my ilk and me of NOT being patriots. That is the biggest question I’m having these days. We can disagree on a LOT of things, but there are a few that are steadfast (in no particular order):

• The United States of America is a democracy, where no one citizen has more rights than any other citizen.

• Oh wait, that’s it.

Go ahead and make all of your money. That’s fine with me. What isn’t fine is when you a) make it at the expense of the health and safety of your fellow citizens, b) believe you are entitled to breaks and privileges not afforded to your fellow citizens, and c) when you refuse to use your good fortune to help make the world a better place.

That last point could be controversial, I realize. Nobody is required to help their fellow human. Other people’s problems are not yours… unless, of course, you realize that happy and healthy people make for a happier, healthier society as a whole. Some might suggest that a couple drops out of the giant money buckets belonging to a few could make life better for the humans who live in the same country as you do. We don’t all begin at the same starting line, and there’s nothing wrong with giving a boost to make it even. Life isn’t a race or a contest.

As I write this, I’m girding my loins to go stand in a May Day protest in the rain. I’m looking forward to being surrounded by humanity, a great group of people who share my values: the values of democracy, freedom, and compassion for each other.

Thanks for reading.

Love, Susie