Baltimore IMC : http://www.baltimoreimc.org
LOCAL News :: Protest Activity
Baltimore Celebrates May Day
Baltimore peace and justice organizations join with the Student Labor Action Committee (SLAC) at Johns Hopkins to hold a May Day rally on the Hopkins campus calling for a living wage for all Baltimore workers and an end to the war on terrorism. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful event.
On a beautiful May Day several Baltimore peace and justice organizations joined with the Student Labor Action Committee (SLAC) at Johns Hopkins to hold a May Day rally on the Hopkins campus calling for a living wage for all full time Baltimore workers and for an end to the war on terrorism. About 60 students and activists attended the rally on the "beach" in front of the Eisenhower library. They had colorful banners and signs and noise makers too. One sign said "Money for wages, not for war."
Some speakers gave a history of May Day pointing out that Baltimore workers participated in the first May Day on May 1, 1886 which called for an eight hour work day and that May Day started in the U.S. Hundreds of thousands of workers demonstrated across the country in 1886. The struggle for an eight hour day spread to other countries and led to May Day becoming the International Workers' Day.
The demand in 2002 is for a living wage and for an end to the war which some speakers denounced for wasting billions of dollars and killing workers and poor people in many third world countries. Already more civilians have been killed in Afghanistan than people were killed in the attacks on Sept. 11.
Max Obuszewski who works for the American Friends Service Committee condemned the Applied Physics Lab at Johns Hopkins which receives $400 million a year to conduct weapons research. He said it's among the top fifty defense contractors. But Hopkins says that it can't afford to pay a living wage to its workers. The U.S. military budget was increased by $48 billion which is larger than the total military budget of any other country stated Obuszewski.
After the rally the participants marched down Charles St. and went onto the median strip and stood with their banners and signs and distributed leaflets which gave a history of May Day. A lovely banner said "May Day: Demand a Living Wage" and a sign said "Baltimore Celebrates May Day, International Workers' Day."
The organizers of the rally were happy with the great event and also happy that there was another May Day action in Baltimore. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) held a rally at the Ravenwood Nursing Home because the corporation that owns the home refuses to pay its workers what other nursing homes pay. For Baltimore to have two May Day events was wonderful. The organizers of the SLAC rally hope that it will become a tradition to have a celebration of May Day in Baltimore and that there will be a bigger event next year. Happy May Day!
Some speakers gave a history of May Day pointing out that Baltimore workers participated in the first May Day on May 1, 1886 which called for an eight hour work day and that May Day started in the U.S. Hundreds of thousands of workers demonstrated across the country in 1886. The struggle for an eight hour day spread to other countries and led to May Day becoming the International Workers' Day.
The demand in 2002 is for a living wage and for an end to the war which some speakers denounced for wasting billions of dollars and killing workers and poor people in many third world countries. Already more civilians have been killed in Afghanistan than people were killed in the attacks on Sept. 11.
Max Obuszewski who works for the American Friends Service Committee condemned the Applied Physics Lab at Johns Hopkins which receives $400 million a year to conduct weapons research. He said it's among the top fifty defense contractors. But Hopkins says that it can't afford to pay a living wage to its workers. The U.S. military budget was increased by $48 billion which is larger than the total military budget of any other country stated Obuszewski.
After the rally the participants marched down Charles St. and went onto the median strip and stood with their banners and signs and distributed leaflets which gave a history of May Day. A lovely banner said "May Day: Demand a Living Wage" and a sign said "Baltimore Celebrates May Day, International Workers' Day."
The organizers of the rally were happy with the great event and also happy that there was another May Day action in Baltimore. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) held a rally at the Ravenwood Nursing Home because the corporation that owns the home refuses to pay its workers what other nursing homes pay. For Baltimore to have two May Day events was wonderful. The organizers of the SLAC rally hope that it will become a tradition to have a celebration of May Day in Baltimore and that there will be a bigger event next year. Happy May Day!
Views
Information
Search
This site made manifest by dadaIMC software