but if the recipient caught the giver, a kiss was to be exchanged.
Today, May Day isn't an official holiday in the United States, but it is still celebrated throughout the world, only in many places it is known by a different name: International Workers' Day.
Early European settlers in America celebrated the first of May, or May Day, in a simpler way than their families across the Atlantic. Instead of dancing around the Maypole or crowning the May Queen, a horribly pagan ritual, our puritanical ancestors would make small baskets, fill them with flowers and treats, and leave them on a neighbor's doorstep. They would knock on the door and run away, much like ding-dong-ditch but if the recipient caught the giver, a kiss was to be exchanged.
Today, May Day isn't an official holiday in the United States, but it is still celebrated throughout the world, only in many places it is known by a different name: International Workers' Day.
In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions set May 1, 1886, as the day the eight-hour work day would become standard. As with most disputes between management and labor, things didn't go as smoothly as planned. After a three-day general strike by workers in Chicago, police opened fire and killed four strikers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. plant.
The following day, a rally was organized at Haymarket Square. While the rally was intended to be peaceful, someone threw a bomb into a crowd of police who were trying to disperse the crowds. The resulting police riot left at least a dozen people dead. A sensational show trial led to four anarchists being hanged publicly for their beliefs, not necessarily for any involvement in the bombing. In 1889 the Second International, an organization of socialist and labor parties, chose May 1st to commemorate the Haymarket Affair, as well as the social and economic achievements that labor has made throughout history.
A noble cause, no? These achievements don't count for much at Ohio University.
In early April, The Post reported the university's plan to lay off 90 employees because of budget restraints. Of those employees, 32 are union facilities employees. What that means is every clogged toilet, leaky faucet and water line break will take much longer to repair. Imagine waiting 45 minutes for someone to arrive to fix a broken pipe, all the while with said pipe spewing filthy water over everything.
According to The Post's research, none of these 32 union workers make more than $50,000 a year, with all but three making less than $45,000. In comparison, public records compiled by FutureOU.org show that 100 OU employees make more than $125,000 a year. The biggest earner is President McDavis, who makes $380,000 a year. That's $20,000 less than the president of the United States of America. The president of little old Ohio University, with a population of about 20,000 students, makes a fraction less than the leader of the free world.
Roger Sikes, member of and spokesman for the Ohio University Student Union, advocates the solution that each of those 100 employees making $125,000 or more a year take a 5 percent pay cut to make up for the salaries of the laid-off workers. But apparently that $6,250 a year is more important than the livelihoods of 32 people.
So this May Day, consider filling a small basket with some treats or flowers and leaving it on the doorstep of one of the university's many workers to show your appreciation. Who knows, maybe you'll even get a kiss in return.
Andy Brownfield is a junior studying journalism and a reporter for The Post's campus staff. Send him an e-mail at ab195305@ohiou.edu.
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