The Brief Origins of May Day

May Day, Labor History, and Holidays

• Commenters highlight May Day’s roots in US labor struggles (e.g., Haymarket) and note the irony that the US shifted its official labor holiday to September to avoid radical associations.
• Some emphasize that many worker protections today were won through deadly confrontations, and that this history is often forgotten or sanitized.
• Others remind that May Day also predates modern labor movements as a seasonal festival (e.g., Beltane).

Police, State, and Violence in Labor Conflicts

• One view: police are “the muscle of the state” and historically aligned against workers and organizers.
• Counterview: this is an overgeneralization; police also protect the public from crime and hooliganism, and their role depends on the quality of the state and democratic control.
• A middle position argues that police power is necessary but must be tightly constrained.

Contemporary Labor Conditions and Work Models

• Some see huge gains since the 19th century (hours, safety, rights), especially in Europe, but point to backsliding via gig work, zero‑hour contracts, tipping, and weak minimum wages.
• There is strong interest in 4‑day weeks, better work–life balance, and remote work; others emphasize the value of in‑person serendipity and criticize open-plan, distraction-heavy offices.

Globalization, Trade, and Worker Power

• Offshoring, H‑1B dependence, and undocumented labor are cited as tools to undercut local workers and unions.
• Some argue trade barriers can protect labor; others respond that tariffs raise prices and effectively tax domestic consumers without solving structural issues.

Tech Workers, Class Identity, and Unions

• Repeated debate over whether well-paid tech workers are “working class,” “labor aristocracy,” or petit bourgeois; many argue anyone living off wages, not capital, is working class.
• Organizing in tech is seen as weak because: high pay, individualistic culture, job-hopping as self-advocacy, belief in meritocracy, and identification with management or future founder status.
• Others insist tech has far more in common with meatpackers than with executives; layoffs, RTO mandates, and AI-driven commoditization may eventually radicalize the field.

Union Critiques and Conflicts of Interest

• Several commenters report negative experiences with unions: perceived corruption, focus on seniority over performance, protection of “lazy freeloaders,” or prioritizing factory jobs over engineering roles.
• Some suggest separate white- and blue‑collar unions; others argue this undermines cross-class solidarity and accepts a zero-sum view among workers.
• Supporters point to powerful unions in high-paid fields (sports, entertainment) as evidence that unions are not just for the desperate.

Ideology, Extremes, and Historical Lessons

• One thread criticizes anarchist or absolutist anti-hierarchy positions, arguing for mixed systems and “balance”; a reply calls this a shallow “moderation fetish” that ignores material conditions.
• Marxism, revolutions, and the Bolsheviks are discussed as historically understandable responses to entrenched injustice, even if they led to new forms of oppression.
• There is recurring tension between calls for broad class solidarity and arguments that real conflicts of interest exist between different worker groups and between workers and small owners.

HN Meta: Moderation, Flags, and Speech

• Multiple comments complain about posts being flagged and characterize moderation or user flagging as suppressing leftist or “regressive” views.
• Moderators reiterate rules against flamewars, political battle, and personal attacks, stressing curiosity and substantive engagement, especially on divisive topics.