Hi Julie,

I think this is quite strong and will appeal to your readers. 

I have three suggestions:

- say 'some 30,000' rather than 'more than 30,000' since we don't know for sure but do have archival photo evidence that the strikers themselves said 'We are 30,000 against 1,000'.

- add a sentence about what some of the strike leaders aspitred to - The 'dreaming of what might be' part

- mention that the conference is one part of a much larger program of commemorative activities planned for next spring in and that further information can be found on the MFL website

Best,

Sharon



Sharon Reilly

On Sat, Oct 20, 2018, 5:02 PM Julie Guard, <Julie.Guard@umanitoba.ca> wrote:

Dear colleagues:

The UMFA newsletter –UMFA Fast facts – wants to include a note about the 1919 conference. I have prepared a short description, most of it copied shamelessly from the website. The union wants to publish the newsletter early next week, so if you can respond with your comments, suggestions, additions, subtractions, and whether you approve the inclusion of this note in the UMFA email to members (aka newsletter) by Monday, that would be helpful. thanks!

 

1919 Winnipeg General Strike Centenary Conference, 8-11 May 2019

 

This conference commemorates the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, a landmark moment in North American working-class history. In May and June that year, over 30,000 workers ceased work for six weeks. Provoked by the inequities of industrial capitalism, the authoritarianism of their workplaces, the brutal experiences of the First World War, rising prices and stagnating wages, an insecure economic outlook, intransigent employers, and a federal state that responded to their demands with growing repression, the city’s workers stood together in an astounding display of unity. The conference explores the history and continuities of those struggles, many of which continue to confront us today.

The conference website is http://1919-2019.com/. Registration will begin soon. Please plan to attend!

 

 

Julie Guard

Professor, History and Labour Studies

Office: 117 Isbister Building

Mailing address: 218 Isbister Building

University of Manitoba

183 Dafoe Road

Winnipeg MB R3T 2N2

Phone: 204-474-7110

Email: julie.guard@umanitoba.ca

Please note that as of 1 July 2018 I am no longer Labour Studies Coordinator

 

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