01/05/2007

May 1 / Labour Day

The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the eight hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. On 21 April 1856 Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne, Australia, stopped work and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight hour day. Their direct action protest was a success, and they are noted as the first organized workers in the world to achieve an eight hour day with no loss of pay, which subsequently inspired the celebration of Labour Day and May Day... (more at Wikipedia)

Labour Day Parade in Toronto in early 1900s (Wikipedia)

Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo, Il Quarto Stato (1901)

Buon primo maggio!
Happy Labour Day!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Though it's the day after, i still appreciate your posting the info and stills. Manythanks for the music and knowledge!