the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
May 4, 2026
The largest federation of unions in the U.S., the AFL-CIO, sponsored May Day rallies in cities across the country. Likely at every rally, top union bureaucrats paid tribute to those who died to fight for the 8-hour day.
Did any union official at any rally propose to fight TODAY for an 8-hour workday? Did speeches describe today’s outrageous conditions of union workers on mandatory overtime, 12-hour workdays and 7-day workweeks?
Did any union official say that workers need not wait for the next election? That workers need not wait for the next contract to mobilize?
What was NOT said is telling. Since no proposal was made to mobilize at multiple workplaces, the default logic in capitalist society is that elections are somehow, magically, the answer to workers’ problems.
The national AFL-CIO asked that workers on strike be invited to these May 1 rallies. That was a great thing. In Detroit, nurses came to speak from Genesys Hospital in the Flint, Michigan area. On strike for over 200 days against Henry Ford Health, these striking nurses displayed a seriousness and readiness for struggle—a militancy—that the bureaucrats lacked. These nurses described their fight as one for humane medical care. They explained that the only force for patient safety, in a health care system cutting costs at every turn, is healthcare workers.
So far, there have been three No Kings rallies since the re-election of Donald Trump. The May Day rallies were the latest event to voice opposition to Trump Administration actions. At all four of these events, the Democratic Party politicians were not the main speakers. But they were the main beneficiaries.
In a political system dominated by Democrats and Republicans, both parties, between elections, have always set up forums that keep voters engaged. A few problems get discussed, dissent is expressed, and then by default, voting is presented as the only option for workers and the population to have a better life. As if!
It is good to express dissent. It is a way to live an honest life in an oppressive society. But even better is to build a working-class party that prepares working-class people for the fights that are coming. A party that increases understanding of the powerful leadership role the working class can play.