A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1919 WINNIPEG GENERAL STRIKE

NORTH DAKOTA AFL-CIO 60th CONVENTION

A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1919 WINNIPEG GENERAL STRIKE

WHEREAS:     The 100th Anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike is being celebrated this year, 2019, by our neighbors to the north and our family in union, the Manitoba Federation of Labor; and

WHEREAS:    Mass unemployment of returning soldiers, low wages, inflation, lack of basic labor rights and working class resentment over war profiteering all fueled the class conflict smoldering in Winnipeg in spring of 1919; and

WHEREAS:    The courageous workers of Winnipeg brought business and industry to a halt for six weeks, organizing peaceful protests, and coordinating essential services over these many injustices; and

WHEREAS:    The elites of Winnipeg commerce formed a “Committee of 1000” to conspire to persecute, harass, and beat striking workers, culminating in the events of “Bloody Saturday” and the deaths Mike Sokowolski and Mike Schezerbanowicz; and

WHEREAS:    The Winnipeg General Strike 1919 is an important event in the history of the  Winnipeg labor movement, the Manitoba labor movement, and the Canadian labor movement; and

WHEREAS:    The power of labor solidarity between working people is by nature trans-border; and

WHEREAS:    The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 is an important event in the history of working people of the Red River, the working people of North America, and the working people of the world; and therefore be it

RESOLVED:    The North Dakota AFL-CIO honors the sacrifices of the 1919 general strikers and reflects on the power and lasting implications of their collective actions; therefore be it also

RESOLVED:    The North Dakota AFL-CIO commends the Manitoba Labor Federation and their partners for their commitment to labor education and the preservation of working peoples history as they celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike.