February 6th: Day 1
“A million workers on the Pacific Coast are ready to fall in line behind Seattle. We will show them a magnificent example of solidarity.”
Quote from “General Strike Or?” leaflet, 1919.
Industrial Workers of the World Seattle Joint Branches records. Accession no. 0544-001, Box 9. Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
On February 6, 1919 more than 65,000 union workers walked off their jobs. They were joined by non-union workers, Japanese American labor unions, and non-AF of L unions like the Industrial Workers of the World. Shipyard workers refused to work until their needs were met and other workers in Seattle joined in a solidarity strike. This set of five cases features a timeline of the six-day strike, from Thursday, February 6 to Tuesday, February 11. The cases feature reproductions of the meeting minutes of the General Strike Committee and its Executive Committee, showing how the workers organized the general strike. They also highlight the day-to-day management of the strike, including the stocking and staffing of strike kitchens, the battle between conservative and pro-union journalists, and the distribution of literature amongst the workers.
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Asahel Curtis photograph collection. PH Coll 0482, Item 37055. University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
The image in the background shows Seattle’s shipyard workers assembled and preparing to leave the Skinner and Eddy shipyard on strike. Workers in the rest of the city were preparing for the general strike.
Industrial Workers of the World Seattle Joint Branches records. Accession no. 0544-001, Box 9. Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
This strike leaflet of unknown authorship calls Seattle workers to action. The language of the leaflet is combative and polemic and includes such phrases as “smash the shipyard workers,” “to eat labor piece meal,” and “the bosses will cry for mercy,” suggesting the radical undercurrents present within the general strike’s organizers.
Seattle Union Record (Seattle, WA). University of Washington Libraries Microforms & Newspapers.
The strike edition of Seattle’s labor paper, the Seattle Union Record, includes a call for the strikers to maintain peace and order.
King County Labor Council records. Accession no. 1940-001, Box 15/19a. Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
The minutes of the General Strike Committee and its Executive Committee for the Seattle General Strike provide a day-to-day record of the planning, administration, and decision-making involved in the strike. Each of the five timeline cases feature reproductions of the meeting minutes for that day, apart from Sunday when the committee did not meet. The minutes give insight into the underlying social, cultural, and economic state of Seattle at the time. The people, communities, and workers missing from the minutes help us to understand the solidarity felt between some workers and the limits of that solidarity due to racial, gender, and ethnic discrimination.
King County Central Labor Council records. Accession no. 1940-001, Box 17. Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
The minutes of the Seattle Central Labor Council from February 5 show the votes of various unions to support or not support the general strike.
King County Labor Council records. Accession no. 1940-001, Box 15/19a. Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.