Encore Presentation: WTF Is International Workers' Day And Why Should We Care?

This encore episode of Well... That's Interesting dives deep into the origins and significance of International Workers' Day, observed globally on May 1st. Host Jill Chacha traces the history of the labor movement from the 19th-century fight for the eight-hour workday, spotlighting the pivotal Haymarket Affair in Chicago in 1886—a tragic event where police violence against striking workers led to deaths, mass arrests, and the wrongful execution of labor activists, including August Spies. Despite the suppression that followed, the Haymarket Affair became the symbolic birth of International Workers' Day. Chacha contrasts this forgotten history with the American celebration of Labor Day in September, which she critiques as a commercialized, hollow observance. The episode then features a TED Talk by political economist Margaret Levy, who argues that unions are essential not just for workers’ rights, but for building democracy, reducing inequality, and creating a dignified middle class. She highlights how unions have historically secured weekends, health insurance, Social Security, and workplace safety, while also addressing modern challenges like union decline, anti-union legislation, and the rise of gig economy work. Levy advocates for reinventing unions through worker cooperatives, digital organizing platforms like Coworker.org, and inclusive, community-based solidarity that transcends race, class, and geography. The episode closes with a call to action: reviving the labor movement to reclaim dignity, equity, and power for workers in the 21st century.