February 11, 1919: The Seattle General Strike, led by the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), ends after 5 days, when Mayor Ole Hanson summons federal troops to break it up. There were 39 arrests, but no deaths. It is regarded as America's 1st "Red Scare."
A "general strike" is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organized by large coalitions of political, social, and labor organizations, and may also include rallies, marches, boycotts, civil disobedience, non-payment of taxes, and other forms of direct or indirect action. Additionally, general strikes might exclude care workers, such as teachers, doctors, and nurses.
The goal of the Seattle General Strike was to support shipyard workers in several unions who were locked out of their jobs when they tried to strike for higher wages. Most other local unions joined the walk-out, including members of the AFL and the IWW. The national offices of the AFL unions were opposed to the shutdown. Local, State and federal government officials, the press, and much of the public viewed the strike as a radical attempt to subvert American institutions.
The strike's demand for higher wages came within months of the end of World War I, the original justification for the wage controls. From 1915 to 1918, Seattle had seen a big increase in union membership, and some union leaders were inspired by the Russian Revolution of 1917. Some commentators blamed the strike on Bolsheviks and other radicals, inspired by "un-American" ideologies, making it the first expression of the anti-left sentiment that characterized the Red Scare of 1919 and 1920.
Later in the year, in Canada, the Winnipeg General Strike lasted from May 15 to June 26, and, as with Seattle, won little in the short term, but led to later achievements. In light of the events of Seattle and Winnipeg, the AFL's subsequent convention passed resolutions opposed to general strikes.
As a result, the Seattle General Strike remains the only major general strike in American history. There was one in Britain from May 4 to 12, 1926. An attempt was made in Oakland, California on December 3, 1946, but it lasted only 2 days. The next year, Congress passed the Taft-Hartley Act, whose provisions included the prohibition of one union going on strike in support of another.
Ole Hanson, a son of Norwegian immigrants, only served as Mayor for a year and a half. He resigned on August 28, 1919, saying, "I am tired out, and am going fishing." He didn't fish for long, if at all: He wrote a book titled Americanism versus Bolshevism, and spent much of 1920 on the lecture circuit. He earned $38,000 in 7 months, 5 times his annual salary as Mayor.
He moved to Southern California. In 1925, he founded the City of San Clemente, later to be the post-Presidential home of Richard Nixon. He died in 1940.
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February 11, 1919 was a Tuesday. Baseball and football were out of season. Professional basketball barely existed. There was 1 game played in the NHL: The Toronto Arenas beat the Montreal Canadiens, 6-4 at the Mutual Street Arena in Toronto. The Arenas became the Toronto St. Patricks the next season, and the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1927, moving to Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931.
