Bill Lee
May 20, 2019
On May 1, 1919, the Winnipeg's building and metal workers went on strike for higher wages. Two weeks later, the Winnipeg Trades and Labour Council appealed for a general strike in support of the metal workers. They were demanding an improvement in their poor, filthy and unsafe, working conditions, inadequate wages and the refusal by many employers to recognize and negotiate with unions. Reflecting the tenor of the times1 , the response was overwhelming, a strike committee was formed and on May the 15th a general work stoppage took place. For six weeks (38 days) the workers’ committee virtually ran Winnipeg. 
May 15 of this year marked the 100th anniversary of the beginning of remarkable and brave action by men and women (it was women, specifically the 500 operators, the “Hello Girls”, of the Telephone system that started it off by walking out at 7:00 am) who stood together as working people against the grinding class injustice that they, and workers all over the country were experiencing. Soon there were 30,000 or more unionized and non-unionized labourers out and peaceful, non violent protest actions were undertaken all over the city2
Though there were a wide range of participants, including returning soldiers form the war and members and organizers of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). There were also immigrants and women. Interestingly most of the strikers and those who acted in solidarity however were, contrary to the fraudulences put
about by the City élites that it was all the work of immigrant "Bolshie's" from Germany and Russia, Canadian men of British decent. The strikers and their allies were fiercely opposed by the so-called “Committee of 1000” set up by Alfred J. Andrews, A Winnipeg business leaders and politicos like acting federal Conservative Justice Minister at the time, and future Prime Minister, Arthur Meighen. The strike ended on June 25 with a bloody attack led by the North West Mounted Police abetted by vigilantes hired by the Committee of 1000 which resulted in two deaths and countless injuries.
In reading about it over the years, though it seems there were, and are, many things to take away. Five elements strike me as useful for considering in these days of the renewed class attacks on working people by the obscenely wealthy and there proxies in government.
1. Solidarity
First was the solidarity that existed among the working class people - men, women, Canadians, immigrants and soldiers - who sacrificed their wages to support what they believed was a just cause. Even the Winnipeg police who were told to break things up refused to attack people who were not breaking any law, though they said they would carry our lawful arrests where warranted.. They were immediately fired.
2. Class Struggle
The second was the clear understanding, on each side that this was a part of the class struggle, the panic, the resolve and the viciousness of the owners and political class to crush the strike at all costs. This resolve suggests the determination of the state and business interests to maintain, by any means necessary, the working class, in their place of subservience, assuring their own privilege. After the strike was ended a number of show trials of people, like William (Bill Prichard) a well know socialist who gave at least one speech to a huge and appreciative crowd, but whom had hardly been in Winnipeg during the time.
3. Money and Violence
Third, and linked to the understanding of a class war, it demonstrated the vile depths to which the moneyed classes would, and will, descend in pursuit of their perceived interests and privilege. The red baiting and demonizing of unionized workers, activists and immigrants as well as the use of violence by those vigilante groups created by the captains of industry were central to the strategy of the Committee of 1000.
4. Women's Place is on the Line
Fourth, the women, unionized or not, played a very significant role. Paula Armstrong was one of the most prominent of the women who for example created a soup kitchen that prepared and served 1,500 meals a day for the strikers who were receiving no or little pay. She was also an able speaker and was arrested a number of times on trumped up charges that she was attempting to incite violence.
5. Aftermath
Finally, though the strike was ruthlessly crushed by state violence at the behest of business interests (Andrews, got the federal government to do their dirty work) to violently quash the job action by using the NWMP, and punish the strike organizers through the courts. Further, vengeful business leaders made sure that many strikers were blacklisted in the city.
On the other hand over the 38 days of its existence, the strikers and
their allies demonstrated the strength of working people when we act in solidarity. As indicated the strike was resisted and wealthy elites used the media to generally demonize the strikers. On the other hand, the resistance to corporate and state oppression was also noted by many3 and it also stimulated movements of reform led by individuals like J.S. Woodsworth, a founder of the CCF (and precursor to the NDP) that survived and brought forth important social legislation, like the right to form unions and Medicare. In the 1920 provincial election, Manitoba's socialist and working-class groups came together to run a united campaign, resulting in 11 labour candidates being elected. Three of the strike leaders were still in jail when they were elected. Labour candidates from Winnipeg enjoyed similar electoral success at the civic and federal levels. Meanwhile, the Conservatives found themselves facing backlash and suffered a heavy defeat in the 1921 Canadian election, losing every one of their seats on the Prairies. The incoming Liberal government pledged to work closer with labour and its concerns and, two years after the strike, Canada mandated its first minimum wage.
We should remember and honour the men and women who stood for principle and against oppressive class power. The elements and principles outlined above are not the end of what we could use today to frame our own thinking about the neo-liberal and neo-conservative ideologues and their attempts to role back most of the social, political and economic gains that have been made. Nor are they the final word in thinking about the strategies we need to develop in order to resist the onslaught against the rights of workers, Indigenous people, women, immigrants, and racialized and marginalized people. On the other hand it seems to me that the strikers and their allies, and there stories still have a great deal to tell and show us today.
Sources:
* Bernhardt, D. (2019) Winnipeg General Strike was 'large and difficult defeat' in 1919 but benefits workers today. (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-general-strike-legacy-1.5137684?cmp=rss).
* Brodbeck, T. (2019) How the city's business elite secretly crushed the Winnipeg General Strike. The Winnipeg Sun. May 15. (https://winnipegsun.com/opinion/columnists/brodbeck-how-the-citys-business-elite-secretly-crushed-the-winnipeg-general-strike).
* Canadian Public Health Association (2019. Fighting the good fight: Winnipeg general strike of 1919. (https://www.cpha.ca/fighting-good-fight-winnipeg-general-strike-1919).
* Hoye, B. (2019). “Desperate Times”. (https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/winnipeg-general-strike-vulcan-iron-works?fbclid=IwAR0--6sqzQi1PVroZtwLKiFHtp_UjWG-b3mJZBWkl9VMbQ0bMn23rOrAunc).
* Jokinen, T. (2019) What the Winnipeg General Strike Can Teach Us About Class, Capitalism, and Greed. The Walrus. April. (https://thewalrus.ca/what-the-winnipeg-general-strike-can-teach-us-about-class-capitalism-and-greed/).
* Naylor, J. (2019). “Standing Together”. Canada’s History. April-May. pp. 20-30. Public Association. (www.cpha.ca).
* Reilly, J.N., (2006). Skikavich, J., Baker, N. (edited 2019) Winnipeg General Strike of 191
* Ward, M. (2019). “Tipping Point”. Canada’s History. April-May. p. 31.
___________________________
1 There was a good deal of dissatisfaction and unrest left over from the obscene excesses of the Gilded Age, the carnage of WWI. and the callous disregard of the sacrifices of veterans and their families who had returned form the war. The Russian Revolution had taken place, the Tsar had been murdered and there were a number of socialist and communist democratic election victories in Europe. All of these had fired the indignation and imagination of working people and alarmed the rich.
2 As well, there were a number of strikes undertaken in sympathy all across the nation
3 McKenzie King, not yet in politics, observed the events and is said to have come to the conclusion that state violence could never work to achieve or maintain social peace in the long term. They framed his views in terms of social legislation when he became leader of the Liberal Party. Clearly and unfortunately, his position has not lasted among many politicians and corporate leaders.
Comments
Post a Comment