(NEW YORK CITY) - Under a City Council resolution that was just passed, the Department of Education (DOE) would mark May as Labor History Month in public schools across New York City.

The month of May includes International Workers Day, known as May Day, celebrated every May 1st, that honors the commemorates the 1886 Haymarket Riot in Chicago. 

The resolution was sponsored by Council Member Alexa Aviles who called it “crucial” to pass so that young Workers can have knowledge of past labor struggles when they enter the workforce.

“We owe so much to the Labor Leaders of history who have stood up to demand protections we take for granted now - two-day weekends, Child Labor Laws and workplace safety protections, to name a few. Students deserve to be educated on the history of Organized Workers in our country. It’s important to champion awareness for Workers' collective power,” she said.

The resolution’s passage does not automatically create the commemorative month.

In order for Labor History Month to become official, the DOE would have to establish the designation itself.

New Yorkers can fill out a form to express support for the DOE doing so on-line. 

According to a CUNY (City University of New York) School of Labor and Urban studies report published last year, just under 22% of Workers in New York City are Members of Labor Unions, slightly higher than the statewide figure of 21.5% - that’s more than double the national figure of 10%. 

The majority of Unionized Workers in both the City and the State are part of the Public Sector, as over 65% of Civil Servants in the City and State are Unionized - while just 11.6% and 13.7% of Workers in the Private Sector are Unionized in the State and City, respectively.  

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Graphic Courtesy Of Traliant.com.