The Winnipeg Police were union men who had voted to strike May 15. Although they stayed on the job at the urging of the Strike Committee, strike opponents felt they were siding with the workers and should be dismissed. Before this could be done, however, a new force had to be recruited. Thus Special Police were sworn in and paid $6.00 per day, wages much higher than those received by the regular police. When over 1,000 had been signed, most of the regular police were dismissed.
