Seattle's February 1919 general strike lasted five days and involved more than 65,000 workers. Seattle Mayor Hanson had federal troops available and stationed 950 sailors and marines across the city by Feb. 7. He added 600 men to the police force and hired 2,400 special deputies -- students from the University of Washington, for the most part.
Seattle's February 1919 general strike lasted five days and involved more than 65,000 workers. Seattle Mayor Hanson had federal troops available and stationed 950 sailors and marines across the city by Feb. 7. He added 600 men to the police force and hired 2,400 special deputies -- students from the University of Washington, for the most part.
Seattle's February 1919 general strike ended on Feb. 11, excluding shipyard workers, who continued to strike until March.
The shipyard workers were on strike for 42 days, starting in February 1919.
Seattle women have been leading mass movements since before Washington was a state. Take a look back at some of the women-led protests.JOE DYER
Suffragists rallied in Seattle in 1899. Washington's women lost the right to vote two years before after a backroom deal between saloon owners and the supreme court.Seattle Post-Intelligencer photo, preserved by the Museum of History and Industry
Suffrage Day at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, on July 7, 1909, was the highlight of the National American Woman Suffrage Association Convention. About 600 suffragists entered the exposition grounds under enormous banners bearing the slogan "Votes For Women."
On July 30, 1909, Dr. Cora Smith Eaton, accompanied by photographer Asahel Curtis, Major E. S. Ingraham, and other members of The Mountaineers climbed Mount Rainier. At the summit, they planted a smal pennant bearing the motto "Votes For Women"
UniversalImagesGroup/Getty Images
In the campaign that ultimately reestablished women's voting rights in Washington State, suffragists hung "Women Vote" posters with quotes from Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain. Pictured 1910 in an Asahel Curtis photo.
University of Washington Special Collections
In 1911, two women-led temperance groups launched a recall campaign against Seattle Mayor Hiram Gill, who had broken his promise to confine prostitution to the Skid Road area. Instead, he had granted permits to his cronies to build the world's largest brothel on a city street. Their campaign slogan, according to HistoryLink.org -- "Ladies: Get Out and Hustle!"File photos
Woman employees picket Frederick & Nelson department store in Seattle. Pictured in a 1946 Seattle Post-Intelligencer photo.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer photo, preserved by the Museum of History and Industry
Protestors in Seattle march across Spring Street demonstrating against the construction of Interstate 5 in June 1961. Seattle Post-Intelligencer photo.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer photo, preserved by the Museum of History and Industry
Seattle civil rights activists stage a sit-in at the city Municipal Building on July 25, 1963. Photo by Seattle Post-Intelligencer photographer John Vallentyne.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer photo, preserved by the Museum of History and Industry
Seattle youths demand that the voting age be lowered from 21 to 18 during a 1969 demonstration. Photo by Seattle Post-Intelligencer photographer Tom Barlet.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer photo, preserved by the Museum of History and Industry
The caption for this 1970 image describes the event pictured as a "women's liberation rally" at University of Washington.Phil Webber/Copyright MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection
On May 5, 1970, women and men protesting the Vietnam War set the gold standard for civil disobedience in Seattle -- they shut down I-5. Protestors and police blocked the freeway while making their way from the University of Washington to the downtown Seattle federal courthouse. Photo by Seattle Post-Intelligencer photographer Paul Thomas.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer photo, preserved by the Museum of History and Industry
Seattle abortion rights activists demostrate in 1970. Photo by Seattle Post-Intelligencer photographer Timothy Eagan.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer photo, preserved by the Museum of History and Industry
Women protesting what they see as a lack of sufficient public concern over the Green River murders leave the Pike Place Market on a a march to the King County Courthouse. About 400 woman participated. Photo filed March 17, 1984. (Photo by Grant Haller, copyright MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 2000.107)BY GRANT HALLER/MOHAI archive
After Gits singer Mia Zapata was murdered on her way home from a Capitol Hill show in 1993, her friends founded Home Alive. The organization taught women self-defense skills while combating violence against women.Amber Trillo/P-I
The Raging Grannies organized their Seattle chapter in February 1996. Seattle P-I writer M.L. Lyke described them as "a rococo, loco, left-leaning chorus of 18 activist women, aged 49-80."Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.com
Members of "Women in Black" hold their weekly silent vigil to protest the prospect of war in Iraq at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle. Pictured 2002.Dan DeLong/Seattle Post-Intelligencer
PETA activists, from left, Tricia Harris, Meggan Anderson and Amber Tegantvoort are pictured during a PETA protest on November 5, 2010 at Westlake Park in Seattle. Supporters of the animal rights organization regularly strip down to attract attention to their cause.Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.com
Women hold signs and chant as they approach Westlake Center during Seattle SlutWalk 2012 on September 9, 2012. The march, which began in Occidental Park and ended at Westlake, protests blaming the victims of rape and sexual assault due to their appearances.
LINDSEY WASSON
Two local leaders in the Black Lives Matter movement got national attention after interrupting a Bernie Sanders speaking event at Seattle's Westlake Park. Elaine Thompson/AP
Dozens gathered for a #ShoutYourAbortion event celebrating the Supreme Court's ruling on Texas abortion rights on Seattle's Capitol Hill on June 27, 2016.GENNA MARTIN/SEATTLEPI.COM
Women hold up signs depicting women who have had an abortion during a #ShoutYourAbortion event celebrating the Supreme Court's ruling on Texas abortion rights, Monday night in Seattle's Capitol Hill, June 27, 2016.GENNA MARTIN/SEATTLEPI.COM
Women stand at Victor Steinbrueck Park protesting as part of the #GOPHandsOffMe protest taking part in cities around the country, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. The protest asks Republicans to withdraw support of presidential nominee Donald Trump and denounce his attitudes towards women.GRANT HINDSLEY/SEATTLEPI.COM
When calls for a national general strike against President Trump began to rise last week, one Seattle group was already on it.
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General strikes, which call for workers across the board to stop work in protest, are not common in the U.S. – Seattle's workers held their last one in 1919. But organizers opposed to Trump are looking for a way to capitalize on the massive demonstrations that have broken out since Inauguration Day.
One group, Solidarity Strike Seattle, had already been in the process of applying for permits for a local general strike when Feb. 17 was selected as a date for a nationwide strike.
Solidarity Strike Seattle started planning a citywide strike after the Senate GOP introduced its education funding plan. Jason Call, the group's director, wasn’t a fan of some of the “very nasty union-busting clauses” included in the plan.
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Though the protest started with education in mind, Call said he’s glad to see it’s grown.
“We hoped our idea would be catching,” said Call, whose organization started as Solidarity for Justice in Education.
“Really, there was no way it’s not going to turn into a push back against many, many aspects of what’s going on with the Trump administration. It’s very hard to keep it narrowly focused – and to tell you the truth, I don’t know if I want to keep it narrowly focused.”
Call said the alignment with the Feb. 17 strike date (the Friday before President's Day) was a happy coincidence.
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Seattle made history with its 1919 general strike, widely credited as the first city-wide labor action in America.
Organizers hope strikers will rally at Capitol Hill's Volunteer Park and march from there. They expect that not all people are in a position to leave work but hope there can still be a show of solidarity through economic resistance.
“We want people to not go shopping that day; don’t put gas in your car ... if you can just stay as disconnected from the economy as possible,” Call said.
“Our hope is that we get people really striking in the streets. But it’s going to be what it’s going to be.”
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Word of the group’s Facebook page has already spread quickly, attracting more than 7,000 people in only eight days. Some members come from outside Washington – organizers in places like Honolulu, Raleigh, and Detroit whom Call’s group is helping with demonstrations.
But so far, Seattle’s event is poised to be unique among the general strikes taking place across the country.
Call has reserved Volunteer Park, where strikers and supporters will meet and listen to speakers for a few hours before marching through downtown to Myrtle Edwards Park for more speeches and events.
In the week leading up to the event, Call expects some to-be-determined performers and speakers to be formally announced. According to the event’s Facebook page at the time of this writing, a few hundred people plan on going.
