File:Seattle Star, February 5, 1919 (MOHAI 14699).jpg

The Seattle General Strike was a work stoppage by more than 65,000 workers in Seattle from February 6-11, 1919. The strike began in shipyards when workers were refused pay increases after two years of World War I wage controls. Most of the city's 110 local unions, including members of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), joined the walkout in solidarity with the shipyard workers. Although the strike was non-violent and union members continued to meet the city's basic and emergency needs, government officials, the press, and much of the public viewed the strike as a radical attempt to subvert U. S. institutions. This one page editorial on the cover of the Seattle Star dated February 5 was a reprint from the day before. The article, titled "Stop Before It's Too Late" asks members of the union to "avert the tragic results" of the general strike, claiming that public opinion was against it and denouncing labor leaders as "false Bolsheviks."

Caption information source: http://depts.washington.edu/labhist/strike/index.shtml

• Subjects (LCTGM): Boat & ship industry strikes--Washington (State)--Seattle; General Strike, Seattle, Wash., 1919; Labor unions--Washington (State)--Seattle; Newspapers--Washington (State)--Seattle; Strikes--Washington (State)--Seattle