General strike talks are unfortunately no more

Over the last couple of months, Alberta has seen strikes and tentative agreements left and right. The Alberta Teachers’ Association’s (ATA) strike in October, the Association of Academic Staff University of Alberta (AASUA) tentative agreement, and the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) union, which also recently came to a tentative agreement. Throughout all of this, there has been very little progress forward. A general strike, though, would create the much-needed progress. But it’s unlikely to happen.

General strike rumblings began once the teachers’ strike was halted due to a notwithstanding clause employed by the United Conservative Party (UCP). And while it was said that a general strike would happen if necessary, it was later stopped short. Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, explained that it was a long and lengthy process and won’t be coming anytime soon. But even the talks of a general strike are a step in the right direction. 

While a general strike is unlikely to happen, it would go down as one of the most influential. Right alongside strikes of the past. One of the most impactful strikes in Canadian history was in Winnipeg, 1919. The strike, while likely illegal, was a huge statement. Historians have estimated that 35,000 workers went on strike. Showing — for one of the first times — that workers’ rights are important. That same year, Alberta also saw strikes in true Albertan fashion.

In Drumheller 1919, roughly 6,500 miners went on strike. There were disputes about living and working conditions, wages, and cost of living. All of which led to the strike. And even though the strike was entirely legal, co-ordinated by One Big Union (OBU), mining companies throughout the region started sending “strike busters” out. These people would use any means necessary — usually violence — to get miners back to work. Compared to nowadays, it’s the Alberta government doing all the work. 

Instead of the Alberta government using violence, it used the notwithstanding clause. The UCP has used the notwithstanding clause against teachers, and then more recently against transgender individuals. This use of power is being swung around by the UCP like it’s hit one big power-trip. A general strike would hopefully put an end to it all. But it probably won’t happen.

Throughout history, strikes have been a means of sending a message. In terms of workers’ strikes, it’s for better working conditions. But not all strikes work as intended. The Winnipeg strike in 1919 did not produce the results they wanted at the time. The better working conditions didn’t come after the strike. It did, however, raise awareness. It showed the rest of Canada that work should not be the end-all, be-all. That your life is not indebted to someone else. So, hopefully, Alberta can send the same message.

In all honesty, it is highly unlikely that Alberta will see a general strike. With the tentative agreement with the UNA and AASUA, and a hopeful settlement for the teachers, Alberta’s workers have been through a lot. It’s not all bad, of course. The nurses and professors received some of what they wanted, and hopefully the teachers do too. The fact that Alberta was even talking about a general strike in the first place is a step in the right direction. It brings awareness to workers all across Alberta and Canada that their life isn’t, and shouldn’t be, dedicated only to a job.