"Beware the organization that sings; it is invincible" - IWW

Three years after my maternal grandfather was born, ten miners were executed by the state during a bitter miners dispute in the US. The "Molly McGuires" paid the ultimate price for promoting unionism. A few years later, during the Eight Hour Day Movement that led to an explosive increase in unionism, the employers again resorted to violence to crush a movement. After a violent police attack in which seven policemen and four workers were killed, four more leaders of the working class were hanged in Cook County Jail in Chicago.

That was the culminating incident that led AFL leader Sam Gompers to appeal to the Workers International to designate May 1 as International Workers Day/May Day. Since then millions of workers around the world have celebrated the advance of organized labour on this day.

Today, the Steelworkers Union is on the front line of organized workers fighting to defend hard won gains by Canadian labour, this time against a huge transnational corporation, Vale/Inco, that would return us back to much darker days. They would use every means at their disposal including compliant politicians and laws to destroy an important bastion of unionism, if not entire communities.

Myself and some other labour musicians are celebrating May Day by holding a concert at the Tranzac Club in Toronto on Thursday April 29th in solidarity with the Steelworkers fighting the good fight for all of us. We hope to raise money for the strikers, but just as important to spread the word even further that this is everybody's fight.

In all my touring this year, I intend to make the Steelworkers fight, my fight in whatever way I can, until they win a fair deal. I hope those of you in Toronto area will join us; or for those in other areas look for me on the road and stay tuned for tour dates.