IV
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 416
Recognizing the historical significance of the 20th anniversary of the workers’
strikes in Poland that led to the creation of the independent trade
union Solidarnos´c´, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBER 3, 2000
Mr. BORSKI (for himself, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Ms.
MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. BROWN of
Ohio, Mr. KLECZKA, Mr. DINGELL, Mr. GEJDENSON, Mr. QUINN, Mr.
HOYER, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. KANJORSKI, Mr. SAXTON, Mr.
FROST, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. KLINK, Mr. ENGLISH, Mr. MURTHA,
Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MAS-
CARA, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. LARSON, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. HOEFFEL, Mr.
STUPAK, and Mr. KUCINICH) submitted the following concurrent resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the historical significance of the 20th anniver-
sary of the workers’ strikes in Poland that led to the
creation of the independent trade union Solidarnos´c´, and
for other purposes.
Whereas, in July and August of 1980, Polish workers went
on strike to protest communist oppression and demand
greater political freedom;
Whereas, in the shipyards of Gdansk and Szczecin, workers’
committees coordinated these strikes and ensured that
•HCON 416 IH
the strikes were peaceful and orderly and did not pro-
mote acts of violence;
Whereas workers’ protests against the communist authorities
in Poland were supported by the Polish people and the
international community of democracies;
Whereas, on August 30 and 31 of 1980, the communist gov-
ernment of the People’s Republic of Poland yielded to the
21 demands of the striking workers, including the release
of all political prisoners, including Jacek Kuron and
Adam Michnik, the broadcasting of religious services on
television and radio, and the right to establish inde-
pendent trade unions;
Whereas from these agreements emerged Solidarnos´c´, the
first independent trade union in the communist bloc, led
by Lech Walesa, an electrician from Gdansk;
Whereas Solidarnos´c´ and its 10,000,000 members became a
great social movement in Poland that was committed to
promoting fundamental human rights, democracy, and
Polish independence;
Whereas, during its first congress in 1981, Solidarnos´c´ issued
a proclamation urging workers in Soviet-bloc countries to
resist their communist governments and to struggle for
freedom and democracy;
Whereas the communist government of Poland introduced
martial law in December 1981 in an attempt to block the
growing political and social influence of the Solidarnos´c´
movement;
Whereas Solidarnos´c´ remained a powerful and political force
that resisted the efforts of Poland’s communist govern-
ment to suppress the desire of the Polish people for free-
•HCON 416 IH
dom, democracy, and independence from the Soviet
Union;
Whereas, in February 1989, the communist government of
Poland agreed to conduct roundtable talks with
Solidarnos´c´ that led to elections to the National Assembly
in June of that year, in which nearly all open seats were
won by candidates supported by Solidarnos´c´;
Whereas, on August 19, 1989, Solidarity leader Tadeusz
Mazowiecki was asked to serve as Prime Minister of Po-
land and on September 12, 1989, the Polish Sejm voted
to approve Prime Minister Mazowiecki and his cabinet,
Poland’s first noncommunist government in 4 decades;
Whereas, on December 9, 1990, Lech Walesa was elected
President of Poland;
Whereas the Solidarnos´c´ movement, by its courage and exam-
ple, initiated political transformations in other countries
in Central and Eastern Europe and thereby initiated the
collapse of the Soviet Bloc in 1989; and
Whereas, since the time Poland freed itself from communist
domination, Polish-American relations have transformed
from partnership to alliance, a transition marked by Po-
land’s historic accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Or-
ganization in March 1999: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress—
(1) recognizes the historical significance of the 20th
anniversary of the workers’ strikes in Poland that led to
the creation of the independent trade union Solidarnos´c´;
and