Barry Sheppard, San Francisco
Something that was completely unexpected even five weeks ago will happen this year — marches and rallies of hundreds of thousands of workers on May 1 in more than 100 cities and towns across the country.
May Day, the workers' holiday, originated in the fight for the eight-hour work day in the United States in 1886. It then spread throughout the world. But the US rulers later declared that a Labor Day would be set for early September each year, to counter May Day and its fighting, internationalist, legacy.
For the overwhelming majority of the population, the origin of May Day isn't even a faded memory. What most people have associated May Day with has been TV coverage of military parades in the former Soviet bloc.
How has such a reversal come about? It is the result of the massive movement for immigrant rights that has exploded these last two months.
After the huge march of nearly 1 million people on March 25 in Los Angeles, the organisers of that event called for a "Day of Boycott" on May Day. The call was picked up around the country by the grassroots organisers of the continuing mobilisation of the movement. After March 25 there were massive student walkouts, rallies and further mass marches. On April 10, there were actions in more than 100 cities that involved (by conservative estimates) nearly 2 million immigrants — both those with legal papers and those without — and other supporters.
On April 23 in San Francisco, there was a 10,000-strong march led by religious leaders, a lead-up to a May Day march that will culminate a series of actions early that day in cities around the San Francisco Bay Area.
The theme of the May Day actions is for immigrants not to shop, and to skip work and school. It will also be made a "day without immigrants" to demonstrate the important role that immigrants play as workers, students and consumers.
The idea has also caught on in Mexico, where there is a movement to boycott US goods on May 1.
Momentum for May Day continues to build even though the Bush administration conducted a well-publicised crackdown against undocumented workers on April 19, hoping to strike fear among the 12 million immigrants without papers. But so far this attack has boomeranged, stirring up more anger than fear.
Homeland security secretary Michael Chertov announced the raid at a well-covered press conference. Chertov is known for being one of the architects of the administration's deliberate allowing of the destruction of New Orleans and the dispersal of much of that city's Black population during and after Hurricane Katrina.
Agents swooped down on 26 sites around the country of a company that makes wooden pallets, and arrested more than 1100 "illegals" for deportation.
Differences have emerged within the movement. More conservative forces have urged people not to take off work or school on May Day. Some have attempted to call it off, saying that it would be best not to embarrass the Senate as it continues to debate immigration law.
However, the main demand of the movement that is emerging is for amnesty for all 12 million immigrants without papers. None of the bills that the Senate is considering come anywhere near that. The House of Representatives has already passed a bill that would make felons of immigrants without papers and all that help them in any way. The passage of that bill was the spark that ignited the dry tinder of immigrants' anger.
Democratic Party politicians are urging support for whatever "lesser evil" bill Congress finally approves. Both the Democrats and Republicans are deeply divided over the issue.
The movement is not led by any one force, although the coalition that organised the Los Angeles march probably has the most authority.
A similar coalition has been formed in the Bay Area, called the Alianza Primero de Mayo. Todd Cretien, a spokeperson for the Alianza, estimates that there will be 100,000 people marching in San Francisco. Cretien is also the Green Party candidate for the Senate against the anti-immigrant and pro-war Democrat Diane Feinstein. Although the major English language daily has been silent on the action, the Spanish media has been reporting on it constantly. More than 100 businesses have said they will shut down for the day.
Some unions have joined the movement. One of the largest is the Service Employees International Union. SEIU president Andrew Stern is filing an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the labour department on behalf of immigrants who were fired for participating in April 10.
May Day events will probably vary from city to city, depending on the relation of forces among the organisers.
While representing only one sector of the working class, albeit an important one, May Day this year will have an impact on all workers. It will show that when workers unite and fight for their interests they can make significant gains. Already this movement has shot down the House of Representatives bill and has thrown the ruling class into division, confusion and disarray over the issue.
From Green Left Weekly, May 3, 2006.
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