Tag: general strikes

This Day in Labor History: June 25, 1919

By Erik Loomis

In General

On June 25, 2019

On June 25, 1919, the strike committee leading the Winnipeg General Strike called off the strike, effective the next morning. Perhaps the most famous strike in Canadian history and unquestionably the largest, this event demonstrated the lengths that the Canadian government would go to crush unionism while also laying the groundwork for the nation’s eventual […]

General

General Strikes and the Shutdown

By Erik Loomis

On January 25, 2019

With Sara Nelson, head of the flight attendants union, calling earlier this week for a general strike to end the shutdown, I have a piece in The Atlantic discussing the history of general strikes in t

General

Could Worker Activism End the Government Shutdown?

By Erik Loomis

On January 23, 2019

Association of Flight Attendants president Sara Nelson is calling for a general strike of airline workers to shut down the industry until the government reopens. Our calling is now. There is a humanit

This Day in Labor History: November 12, 1892

By Erik Loomis

In General

On November 12, 2018

On November 12, 1892, the New Orleans General Strike ended with a major victory for workers. One of the few true general strikes in American history, it demonstrated the potential power of workers, even in the face of race-baiting and military opposition in the Gilded Age. In early 1892, New Orleans’ streetcar drivers won a […]

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Strikes Against Trump

By Erik Loomis

On March 4, 2017

As I have stated, I am highly skeptical of (mostly) white radicals calling for a “general strike” against Trump because it feels like a bunch of privileged people asking workers to play th

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A General Strike?

By Erik Loomis

On February 6, 2017

There’s been a lot of talk on the left about a general strike in the last 2 weeks. Color me extremely skeptical. It has seemed to me that this is being pushed by people who want to shut shit dow