This year, for the first time ever, the Canadian Labour Congress and its affiliate federations are endorsing and organizing May Day events. While the CLC has called for the institution of a statutory holiday on May 1 for years, and has traditionally made symbolic statements on the day, this year they are organizing marches throughout the country, including here in Vancouver. Seven Oaks investigated the change of heart on the part of the labour movement’s leadership, and spoke to an expert on the significance of the shift, in this the final installment in our three-part series on the workers’ holiday.

Historically, as Seven Oaks has described, May Day has been the international day of action for radical working class activists. In 2004, for the first time in recent memory, the Canadian house of labour, represented here in BC by the BC Federation of Labour (BC Fed), will be organizing actions on May 1. They join major labour organizations like the Vancouver and District Labour Council in supporting events, as well as a variety of social justice activists who have worked to emphasize the importance of May Day for a number of years here in Vancouver.

Professor Mark Leier, the head of Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Labour Studies and a scholar of labour past and present, explains that May Day celebrations are a key part of a vibrant workers’ movement that pushes for improvements in workers’ lives. “May Day is very significant,” he told Seven Oaks via email, “as it represents the realization that the struggle for workers’ rights started in the streets and needs to go on there still.”

Although Leier believes such protest is important even when governments are friendly to labour, he suggests they are more important in conditions such as those in our province today. “In climates such as the one in BC, where the government lies, rips up contracts and refuses to listen to workers, it is more important than ever that labour remember that protest is an essential part of democracy.”

In a society labouring under the liberal consensus, the co-operation of labour and government is often emphasized. For the Canadian Labour Congress, one of the ways that this has historically manifested itself is in its open endorsement of September’s labour day as the acceptable, and state-recognized, workers’ celebration. This year, however, the CLC is celebrating May Day, the holiday generally believed to mark the more radical stance. Leier believes it is the more radical for a specific and important reason. As he explains, “May Day . . . unlike Labour Day, is not officially sanctioned by the state. It represents the opportunity labour has to declare its own holidays and to carry on its own traditions without the blessing of government or employer. May Day is about empowerment – another lesson labour needs to remember and cherish.”

The change for the Canadian Labour Congress, while small, may be symptomatic of a larger shift in perspective. Leier thinks so, mostly because of May Day’s power as a uniting force among working class people. After all, “the CLC is a federation of unions; its power is limited and it represents unions that sometimes have very different agendas and problems. So it is encouraging to see it moving forward and supporting May Day.”

The BC Fed has been outspoken in its criticisms of the Liberal government here in BC, and May Day is certain to continue that trend. Considering the labour movement’s involvement in anti-war protests here in Vancouver and throughout Canada as well, there is undoubtedly a component of this work that will appear in the BC Fed’s May Day schedule. According to Leier, the role of the CLC in May Day is to unite these sorts of protests and represent the interests of working people in both movements, making their endorsement of actions a key addition to this year’s May Day.

“It reflects the growing sense among unions and union members that the labour movement is, in its roots, a movement for struggle. This is its history, and this is its future. Taking part in May Day is a way to help workers see that despite their very real differences, they have some essential things in common, and they need to build on those.”

Information regarding events going on this May Day weekend can be found at mayworks.ca. For info on the BC Fed events, check out bcfed.com. Finally, for a schedule to all the May 1st events check out resist.ca.

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