In the Spirit of 1919: Workshop & Gathering
Victoria Park 1919
a central meeting place for workers during the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike.
Monday 17 April 2023
AT THE UKRAINIAN LABOUR TEMPLE
Sunday 16 May 2021
Strategic Non-Action
May 15, 1919. At 7am workers started walking out of their workplaces across the city. By the end of the week the city was shut down by the workers in what became a historic moment for Canada, though they did not know it yet.
From the book Magnificent Fight, “There was a huge cast of players in the drama that was acted out in the Winnipeg General Strike, mostly divided by class but with many cultural, ethnic and gender alliances or antagonisms providing a complex script. The issues that motivated the protagonists were both simple and complex, some contentious and others confused. All of which stimulated different perspectives of what was at stake in The Strike. Ultimately the drama ended in a violent confrontation that left the Winnipeg working class disappointed but not defeated.”
The Strike represented issues still at play today. The workers were fighting for the right to organize in unions and for a living wage. Veterans were protesting their treatment by the government. Immigrants wanted respect and a fair place in society. The main strategic action promoted by the strike leaders was to withdraw their labour, to stop working. As William Ivens wrote in the Western Labor News on May 21, that the “only thing that the workers had to do to win The Strike is to do nothing”.
Today workers are also consumers. And there is power in what we buy, when, where and how.
Today there is a strategic suggestion from The Strike. In addition to taking a public stand on what we believe, also withdraw participation in what is exploiting us. Don’t shop!
Just think the reaction we could have when we refuse to buy products wrapped in useless and wasteful plastic (covid restrictions showed how quickly the air could be clearer). Think what we can tell business leaders if we don’t shop at Walmart or Tim Horton’s (which I admit would be difficult for me). Think what power we could have if we seriously and vigorously buy local, not imported. Think what will happen when we cancel Netflix.
There are instructions and inspirations in our history. What we do with history is up to us.
Wednesday 20 May 2020
Time for 'Living Wages"
Once again, a hundred years later, is the call for a living wage.
One of the main demands of the 1919 strikers was to establish 'living wage' for workers. They knew it was important to pay a fair or decent wage so families could meet their daily needs. They also knew a living wage was good for the local economy, as it would keep money circulating and generally lifting the well being of communities.
Now in the time of covid19 there is a renewed call for a living wage. Fortunately the public and politicians now see how important workers - front line, service, support - are to our economy and public health. Will the public and politicians now also realize how important it is to pay these workers a living wage?
Saturday 25 May 2019
Victoria Park
Victory Park has its own brass plaque.
After 100 years, the location of the park is marked by a tiny plaque on Waterfront Drive between Pacific and James Avenues.
But if going by you may miss it. It is on the south side of the condominium building, accessible by a sidewalk going west.
It was put up this spring, without notice. When the developer was given the land, it was required to post a commemoration of the location, which was not done until this year.
Friday 30 November 2018
100th Anniversary of The Strike
Here are some of the events that took place, engaging an estimated 10,000 people:
Songs for next Century Concert June 8, Old Market Square
STRIKE the musical June 19 - July 9, Rainbow Stage
Sympathetic Strike Tour May 26, North/South End/Exchange
Thursday 22 November 2018
Walker Theatre Meeting sets Stage for 1919 Winnipeg Strike
Video Statement
Introduction to Victoria Park
Friday 1 June 2018
2018 STRIKE Tour
To register for the 2019 Strike Tour, contact commgroup@mts.net or call/text 204 793 3289.