Overview

• May Day traces its origins to Chicago in 1867, where the eight-hour workday law was enacted and celebrated with mass demonstrations.
• The Haymarket affair in 1886, marked by violence and deaths, became a pivotal moment in labor history, inspiring the international adoption of May Day.
• Italy reinstated May Day as a public holiday in 1946 after its suppression under Fascism and has since celebrated it with events like the Concertone in Rome, organized by major unions and broadcast live by RAI.
• Critics argue that May Day has become overly commercialized, overshadowing its original purpose of advocating for workers' rights and addressing labor issues.
• Commentators highlight a modern shift in labor concerns, with worker shortages now replacing unemployment as a key challenge, prompting calls for renewed focus on labor conditions.