Dear John,

When workers in Chicago gathered in early May 1886 to push for radical change, they could hardly conceive the ensuing ripple effect their actions would have. For too long, their employers denied working people basic rights on the job and workers were fed up. They joined together, organized meetings and took action, all in support of what was considered a radical demand of its day--the 8-hour workday!

Tensions reached a boiling point on May 4, 1886 in Haymarket Square when a crowd of workers gathered in response to police violence aimed at strikers. When a bomb was lobbed towards the officers, police fired into the crowd, leaving dozens of people wounded or dead. The events of the Haymarket Massacre, now known as May Day, or International Workers' Day, are memorialized in speeches, art, and events throughout the world as a celebration of courage, collective action, and worker power in the face of violence.

The spirit of May Day remains alive and vibrant 135 years later, as working people across the country organize for fair pay, protections on-the-job, and a democratic voice in the workplace. This is especially true for essential workers, who continue to fight for critical health and safety protections more than one year after the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Last year, Jobs With Justice and an array of partners from around the country launched the Always Essential campaign to help tackle the numerous challenges essential workers face. The campaign leverages the idea of "essential work" to create new pathways for working people to directly set and enforce health and safety standards across sectors--now and beyond the pandemic. Through policies like essential workers bills of rights, and the creation of essential worker taskforces, working people can expand their voice and power in new ways to control their destinies. 

We are at a critical turning point; a once-in-a-several-generations opportunity to address the chronic undervaluing and insecurity of what have always been essential jobs. 

So please, support Jobs With Justice as we join together and celebrate the legacy and spirit of May Day. Together, we will continue to fight for real long-term change that ensures essential workers are always seen as essential, so they enjoy the dignity they have long deserved. 

Happy May Day! 

Smiley

Executive Director

Jobs With Justice