PRINTER'S NO. 1555
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
283
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY ROEBUCK, RABB, MURT, BIZZARRO, HARKINS, HENNESSEY,
CALTAGIRONE, PASHINSKI, DiGIROLAMO, FREEMAN, SCHLOSSBERG,
KINSEY, DONATUCCI, SCHWEYER, McNEILL, MILLARD, TOOHIL,
V. BROWN, ROZZI, BULLOCK, NEILSON, KIRKLAND AND MARSICO,
APRIL 25, 2017
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
APRIL 25, 2017
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing May 1, 2017, as "International Workers' Day" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, "International Workers' Day," or "May Day," is a day
of remembrance that celebrates the lives and accomplishments of
workers; and
WHEREAS, On May 1, 1886, in response to workers being forced
to work more than 12 hours a day, the Federation of Organized
Trades and Labor Unions passed a resolution urging that eight
hours legally constitute a day's work; and
WHEREAS, When employers refused to recognize this demand,
workers went on strike across the United States in protest; and
WHEREAS, The bloody 1886 Haymarket Square massacre in
Chicago, Illinois, quickly became a rallying point for workers
in the struggle to attain the eight-hour workday; and
WHEREAS, Initially, workers organized to achieve the key
elements of a safe and sustainable work environment beginning
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with an eight-hour workday, minimum wage and basic physical
protections; and
WHEREAS, Workers evolved to organize for the right to family
leave and medical leave and protection against discrimination;
and
WHEREAS, The International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights pledges that every human being has core labor
rights that include equal pay for equal work, a right to rest
and leisure and a right to form and join trade unions; and
WHEREAS, The right to unionize remains a struggle, with union
organizers continually facing violence and threats; and
WHEREAS, Factory workers in Bangladesh, Coca-Cola workers in
Central America and South America and day-to-day laborers and
migrant workers in the United States and around the world have
experienced this struggle; and
WHEREAS, As workers confront new attempts to undermine
traditional labor protections such as collective bargaining and
right-to-work laws, unions play a more significant role in
safeguarding the rights of workers; and
WHEREAS, Each year, millions of workers take to the streets
on "International Workers' Day" in protest and celebration; and
WHEREAS, "May Day" is a national holiday honoring workers in
more than 80 countries but is not observed in this nation; and
WHEREAS, Failure to celebrate the legacy of "May Day" in this
nation denies the historical and current significance of labor
movements, the progress on behalf of social justice and the
importance of workers' rights; and
WHEREAS, Social justice unionism and progressive unions link
workers' struggles for racial equality as well as equality in
all aspects of the labor movement in the United States and
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around the world; and
WHEREAS, The next generation of workers is charting a bold
political course and using new tactics to agitate for increased
wages, safe working conditions, equal pay for all classes of
workers, immigrant rights and robust benefits for workers and
their families; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize May 1,
2017, as "International Workers' Day" in Pennsylvania; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That Pennsylvanians honor and celebrate the
manifold achievements of workers and the historical and
continuing struggle of labor movements for justice and fair
working conditions.
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