Greetings, and welcome to the Spring ’26 edition of “And Another Dam Thing,” the UAOSU Newsletter.
In this edition of our newsletter, you will find:
- A message from Marisa Chappell, our union’s executive vice-president on the history of May Day
- Info about UAOSU events related to May Day
- May Day events hosted by our labor allies
- Upcoming labor film nights at the Darkside co-sponsored by UAOSU
- Additional upcoming events
May Day’s Legacy
A range of union, civil rights, peace, and other progressive organizations are calling for mass nonviolent action on May 1, 2026 to protest federal assaults on democracy and economic security, and to demand expanded labor rights, civil rights, and economic justice for ordinary Americans. In embracing May Day, these coalitions hope to tap into a powerful but largely forgotten history of class-based militancy that holds important lessons for our current moment.
May Day was an American invention. As the rise of industrial capitalism created intolerable labor conditions by the late 19th century, American workers formed unions and battled with employers and the state to regain control over wages and working conditions. On May 1, 1886, massive demonstrations in at least a dozen cities focused on winning an eight-hour workday. Three years later the Second International, a Marxist congress in Paris, adopted May Day as International Workers Day.
The embrace of May Day by socialists and communists exposed fissures in the racially, ethnically, and ideologically diverse American working class. The American Federation of Labor, whose militant craft unionism prioritized white, native-born skilled workers, distanced itself from “foreign radicalism” by embracing an alternative holiday, Labor Day, and emphasizing workers’ fealty to conservative “law and order” patriotism. This reflected the politics of many native-born skilled workers; it was also defensive, as vigilante groups and the government cracked down on leftist radicals and left May Day celebrations smaller and more risky by the early twentieth century.
May Day resurged amidst the broadening appeal of radical critiques of capitalism during the Great Depression. Communists built powerful, racially and ethnically diverse working-class movements and allied with liberals and leftists in a broad-based “Popular Front” championing antifascism and labor and civil rights. Radicals of various stripes constructed a working-class Americanism that combined socialist visions of class equality and international working-class solidarity with celebrations of America’s democratic revolutionary heritage. This vision, and these mobilizations, were crucial for securing New Deal regulatory, redistributive, and labor reforms.
Then the Community Party of the USA’s fealty to Soviet policy and an intensely anticommunist postwar political culture sidelined May Day again. Patriotic organizations launched Loyalty Day on May 1, 1950 to drive radicals from the streets and promote an unflinchingly pro-free enterprise nationalism. Employers and their political allies wielded anticommunism to narrow political discourse and marginalize critiques of capitalism. May Day was dismissed as a relic of dangerously radical foreigners.
Today’s efforts to revive May Day build on this history and its lessons. When immigrant rights activists chose May Day for a massive “Day Without Immigrants” protest and economic boycott in 2006, they reclaimed the holiday’s history as a tool to assert the value and dignity of workers – paid and unpaid – and challenge repressive state power. May Day’s history shows us that building shared visions for a better world and mobilizing to fight for those visions is no small task. It requires much more than showing up at a protest, but showing up does matter.
I encourage you to look for a way to tap into this year’s May Day happenings – at the very least, wear your UAOSU shirt on May 1 as a message of solidarity and resolve. And think about how you might marshal your time and talent in service of the larger struggle for democracy and economic justice in this critical historic moment.
In solidarity,
Marisa Chappell
Executive Vice President, UAOSU
Associate Professor of History
UAOSU Events for May Day
- General Membership Meeting – Wednesday April 29, 5:30 – 7pm, MU Journey Room & Zoom – Please RSVP at: uaosu.org/springgmm
- Union Shirt Day – Friday May 1 – Show your solidarity with workers across sectors by wearing your union shirt. If you don’t have one yet you can pick one up at the GMM or by reaching out to info@uaosu.org.
- Lunch with writer Brian Merchant – Friday May 1, 12-1pm, UAOSU Office – Join members of our Generative AI work group for lunch and informal conversation with writer and journalist Brian Merchant. Merchant’s reporting focuses on the intersection of AI, automation, and labor issues. Registration is required. More info at uaosu.org/GAI
- ICE Watch & Know Your Rights Training – Monday May 4, 5:30 – 7:30pm, MU Journey Room – All UAOSU members and our campus allies are invited to join, please RSVP at: uaosu.org/icewatch
May Day Events Organized by Labor Allies
- Salem – PCUN, Oregon’s farmworker union, is organizing a May Day/International Workers’ Day March at the Oregon State Capitol, with events from 11am-5pm
- Portland – A coalition of labor unions, including our state affiliate AFT-Oregon, are holding a Workers and Migrants Unite rally and march on the South Park blocks, with events from 12-5pm
- Corvallis – Local community space Manyworld is hosting a May Day/Beltane gathering 5-7pm
Labor Film Nights at the Darkside Cinema
Co-hosted with the Willamette Valley IWW, join union members from around the community for screenings of these newly restored labor films at the Darkside Cinema. Union members can attend for free, and tickets are $10 for non-union members. Both screenings start at 6pm.
- Sunday May 3 – Harlan County USA – add this event to your calendar
- Sunday May 10 – American Dream – add this event to your calendar
Additional Upcoming Events Hosted by Your Union!
- Generative AI Discussion Sessions – How is generative AI like ChatGPT affecting your work? From shifts in pedagogy to changes in workload, these new technologies are starting to have concrete effects on how we teach and do research. Come share your concerns and questions with your colleagues and hear about the labor management committee about generative AI established by our most recent contract. All academic faculty are welcome, registration is required. Please register at uaosu.org/GAI.
- Wednesday May 6, 12-1pm in person at the UAOSU office
- Wednesday May 6, 12-1pm on Zoom (this is a separate discussion)
- Thursday May 14, 6-7pm on Zoom
- Generative AI Discussion Sessions – How is generative AI like ChatGPT affecting your work? From shifts in pedagogy to changes in workload, these new technologies are starting to have concrete effects on how we teach and do research. Come share your concerns and questions with your colleagues and hear about the labor management committee about generative AI established by our most recent contract. All academic faculty are welcome, registration is required. Please register at uaosu.org/GAI.
- Instructor Promotion Session – Tuesday May 12, 12-1pm, MU Thought Lab & zoom – If you’re starting to think about promotion, working on your materials, or want to get started on your second promotion, you’re invited to join this discussion about promotions for Instructors. RSVP at: uaosu.org/instructors
Odd Friday Faculty Social Hours – Fridays during odd weeks of the term (5/1, 5/15, and 5/29), from 4:30-6:30pm at Common Fields – All faculty are invited to join this drop in, biweekly happy hour to connect with faculty across campus and building community. Click here to add these to your calendar.