Throughout the month of May, we shared a quote a day from memorable champions of the labor movement. We kickstarted this campaign on May 1st, International Workers’ Day, in tandem with #TheBigFightBack, our 2022 Massachusetts ballot campaign. #TheBigFightBack unites support for the proposed Fair Share Amendment with opposing the Gig Worker Question, two powerful opportunities to strengthen Massachusetts communities and worker stability. May 1st symbolizes the struggles of both the labor movement and silenced voices in our history, and to us, getting out on the streets to grow our movement is the best way to honor the memories that inspire us.
Figures from history may seem superhuman from the lens of the present, and it’s all too easy to forget that each of them in their own time were just ordinary people who felt injustice and took action. That’s all that’s really between each of us in 2022 and the inspirational champions of the past: taking action. We shared powerful words from folks who organized at crucial moments in our history, from the 1880s movement for the 8-hour workday to casino worker strikes in the 1990s, from the 1960s Delano grape strike to labor victories against Amazon in 2022. We celebrated these incredible snapshots from labor history in conjunction with #TheBigFightBack because amazingly, the 2022 Massachusetts ballot is an open chapter in the centuries-old story of progress.
Have you ever wondered what you might’ve done at key moments in history? The Haymarket Affair or The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire? Or the Lowell textile mill strikes here in our own state? Look around: all across the country, workers are uniting to take on some of the most seemingly formidable forces of exploitation – and winning. This November, the fight’s coming to our home turf.
Well, we’re going out there and meeting this moment head on.
Are you coming with us? Our people and communities in Massachusetts need you. Take the pledge to defend our state this November: https://bit.ly/thebigfightback
In one question we have the Fair Share Amendment, a proposed 4% surtax on any annual income over $1 million that will fund roads, public transportation, and schools. In the other, we have Big Tech’s attempt to codify a problematic loophole and misclassify their employees as contractors, a transparent maneuver to avoid their own fair share of taxes and employer responsibilities. These aren’t separate struggles. Big money is pervading every corner of our lives, draining resources from our communities while our roads crack and workers suffer. These ballot questions will not only have an immediate impact on workers, but also play a pivotal role in shaping the state of Massachusetts as we rebuild from a debilitating pandemic and decide what kind of life we want for ourselves and for posterity.
So, as spring draws to an end, that’s a wrap on celebrating labor history.
Now let’s go make some – together.
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An easy way to get started? Like and share your favorite labor history quote from our Instagram! Maybe it’s Joni Christian on gender expression, Rose Schneiderman on bread and roses, or A. Philip Randolph on the continuous struggle for freedom? Leave a comment to let us know what inspires you!
