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Solidarity
The Dare Strike took place from May 1972 until January 1974. The workers were asking for gender equality, fair pay, and better working conditions in the factory. Two-thirds of the workers were female and were offered a 45-cents-per-hour raise over two years, compared to the 55-cents-per-hour raise for male workers. The union demanded a 40-cent-per-hour raise for every year of service.
In Solidarity (1973), Joyce Wieland creates an amazing record of one of the last demonstrations before Dare Foods’ union-busting campaign was, unfortunately, successful. The heroine of striking itself is the feet, the labourers of our bodies. The film humorously ends on the paws of a dog, prompting the environmental effects of capitalist corporations. The word “SOLIDARITY” superimposed over the image is a radical act in itself, clarifying Wieland’s political position. Her function is to be an activist, not merely to document. Solidarity forever.
Bio Joyce Wieland
Born and raised in Toronto, Joyce Wieland (1930–1998) was one of Canada’s most prominent and prolific twentieth-century artists. She spent the late 1950s and early 1960s drawing and painting, and was increasingly included in exhibitions across the country. Beginning in 1962, she spent a decade in New York City, making assemblages, quilts, and experimental films while continuing to show her work. Wieland explored a wide array of cinematic modes of expression, from short political films to full-length features and documentaries.
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- This film was #78 in the “Greatest” Short Films of All Time 2025