On this day, 15 May 1919, Canada’s best-known general strike occured when 30,000 workers across Winnipeg, in the public and private sectors, walked off their jobs, bringing the city to a halt.
It all began after talks broke down between workers in the building and metal trades, who wanted to organise into industrial unions, and their employers.
The strike ended June 25, but not before “Bloody Saturday” when mounted police charged a group of strikers, resulting in two deaths, 35 to 45 casualties, and numerous arrests. Seven Winnipeg strike leaders, including one from the One Big Union, were eventually convicted of a conspiracy to overthrow the government and sentenced to jail terms ranging from six months to two years. Sympathetic strikes erupted in major cities across the country.
Although defeated, the strikers inspired other workers, who won significant improvements over the next three decades.
More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8712/Winnipeg-General-Strike
Pictured: Winnipeg strikers topple a scab tram https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=626720332834519&set=a.602588028581083&type=3
The Elm Fork John Brown Gun Clubhas been coming out to successfully defend LGBTQ+ and drag events in Texas from armed bigots for months now. Last month, three of them were arrested while doing just that. The International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund has stepped in to help the defenders defend themselves in court.
Interesting to call this “confiscating” when it’s just making the rich pay their fair share, especially considering all the stolen wealth from the bottom 99% and historic tax evasion.
