International Workers' Day
, also known as May Day , is commemorated on May 1 worldwide. It is a day for workers to fight for their rights and express their demands: an 8-hour work day , compensation after work accidents , the banning of child labor , and Sunday break , among other petitions.
On May 1, 1886 , thousands of workers in Chicago got together to protest but were repressed. They were known as the Chicago Martyrs because they were sentenced to death for their involvement on a strike .
That day, workers went on strike and demanded an 8-hour work day. Over 5,000 factories stopped their production and 34,000 workers took the streets.
The protest ended three days later, on May 4, when a bomb exploded at Haymarket . The protestors were persecuted and the union leaders faced charges.
Mexico
started commemorating this day in 1913 . On February 5, 1917 , it was promulgated in the Constitution and its importance was highlighted in the 123rd article.
In 1923 , the Mexican government declared that the International Workers' Day was a mandatory rest day, according to Mexico's General Archive.
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