Today, KRA celebrates May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day (IWD), honoring laborers around the world for their pivotal contributions to society, and recognizing their role in driving global prosperity and stability.
A global demonstration of solidarity—in 95+ countries—May Day/IWD is a reminder of the historical struggles for justice and fair-labor laws, standards, and practices in the workplace, i.e., protections against exploitation, fair and decent wages, safe working conditions, and many more of the fundamental workers’ rights we enjoy today.
May Day/IWD—which also serves as a global day of action for workers to fight for collective-bargaining rights—traces its roots to 1886 and the violent Chicago Haymarket Affair, a protest of workers striking for an 8-hour workday that turned deadly when a bomb was thrown at police, leading to multiple deaths and a controversial trial of “anarchist” leaders.
While May Day is not a national or federal holiday in the U.S., Hawaii, Montana, Puerto Rico, and Texas celebrate the occasion with educational, cultural, recreational, and social activities and events.
KRA believes that every day—not just May 1—presents an opportunity to appreciate the hard-won achievements of all individuals who build society and drive economic progress, and to reflect on the power of workers worldwide as the essential driving force behind cultural progress, economic growth, and the daily functioning of our global society.