Workers Day: a story of conquered and other struggles outstanding, I learned the reason for the commemoration



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Workers Day: a story of conquered and other struggles outstanding, I learned the reason for the commemoration

It was in 1886 when a group of anarchist syndicalists, known as the Chicago Martyrs, died on strike, demanding that decent working conditions be performed in the same factory where they worked.

Prior to this date, the workers requested a reduction of the working day to 8 hours as they worked between the ages of 12 and 16.

Under pressure of interruptions, US President Andrew Johnson enacted a law establishing 8 hours of daily work.

However, as the corporate sector decided not to comply, workers in the industrial city of Chicago went on strike on May 1.

A movement led by Albert Pearsons has brought together more than 80,000 workers. It has been described as "scandalous and disrespectful" and as a "delirium of crazy little patriots".

For those who criticized it, the request was "the same as asking to be paid a salary without having worked the least amount of time".

From there, the conflict spread to other cities and ended up stopping more than 400,000 workers in 5,000 simultaneous strikes.

Both the government and the business sector thought they were facing the beginning of an anarchist revolution.

Chicago's Mc Cormik plant did not recognize the workers' victory and, on May 1, police opened fire on protesters at the company's gates.

On the following days, other workers died until day 4 when a bomb exploded against the police during an event called "Haymarket Attack".

On June 21, the trial of 31 workers accused of promoting the conflict began. Two of them were sentenced to life imprisonment, one to fifteen years of forced labor and five to hanging.

These 8 people became the martyrs of Chicago, and for them and for having managed to reduce this working day to 8 am, it was declared that in 1889, May 1st would be International Labor Day.

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