HR0918LRB101 22160 ECR 73187 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, August 31, 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of the
3founding of the Solidarnosc, or Solidarity, trade union in
4Poland; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In the 1970s, Poland's government raised food
6prices while wages were stagnant; this and other stresses led
7to protests and a subsequent government crackdown on dissent;
8on August 7, 1980, tension was further raised when shipyard
9worker Anna Walentynowicz was fired five months before
10retirement from the Gdansk Shipyard for participation in an
11illegal trade union; her firing enraged the shipyard workers,
12who then staged a strike on August 14; on August 31, 1980, the
13communist government in Poland and striking workers signed the
14Gdansk agreements, which allowed the Solidarnosc trade union to
15exist; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The Solidarnosc trade union is recognized around
17the world as a beacon of hope and as a symbol of the nonviolent
18fight for freedom and equality; Solidarity was the first of its
19kind in a Soviet bloc country and played an instrumental role
20in ending communism in Poland and Eastern Europe; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Support from Polish Americans during the strike
22was a significant factor for the workers' victory; American

 

 

HR0918- 2 -LRB101 22160 ECR 73187 r

1support for the workers brought this issue forward in
2international politics and placed significant pressure on the
3Polish government to reach an equitable agreement; therefore,
4be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
6HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7we commend the contributions Polish Americans played in
8supporting Polish solidity during turbulent times in the 1980s.