Publications

Mourn the dead: fight for the living.

On May 9, 1992, just eight months after opening with federal and provincial government support, an underground methane explosion killed all 26 miners working in the Westray coal mine. An official inquiry into the disaster discovered profound “stupidity and neglect” on the part of the owners, but all attempts to prosecute the company and its officials failed. It took 11…

Unions become legal in canada (but picketing is outlawed).

On April 18, 1872, the federal government of John A. Macdonald introduced the Trade Unions Act, Canada’s first labour law, which gave workers the legal right to associate in trade unions. It was a direct response to the arrest and criminal prosecution of 24 leaders of the Toronto printers strike by Macdonald’s political opponents – aimed at garnering votes but…

Quebec’s working class unites with union members in a “common front” for fairness.

On April 11, 1972, over 200,000 public workers walked off the job in a province-wide general strike to demand an 8% raise to match inflation, a $100-per-week minimum wage, better job security and working conditions, and equal pay for equal work regardless of region, sector or gender. Unions exist to help working people get organized and stand together to win…

Edmonton lab worker fired for being gay wins new charter protections for all canadians.

On April 1, 1998, the Supreme Court of Canada overturned a lower court ruling and ruled that it was illegal for Canadians to face discrimination based on their sexual orientation. It was a landmark ruling that expanded the Charter of Rights and Freedoms into new territory and offered legal protection for Canada’s LBGTQ2SI community. Canada’s unions have a long history…

The “1000-mile picket line”.

On March 27, 1912, more than 8,000 construction workers walked off their jobs to protest the unbearable living conditions in work camps spread over 650 km of territory. Their union, the IWW, organized picket lines across the United States and Canada at employment offices to stop their employer, the Canadian Northern Railway, from recruiting scabs to undermine their strike. By…

The hogg’s hollow disaster killed five workers, galvanized a community, and changed workplace health and safety laws for the better.

On March 17, 1960 five Italian-born workers were killed while building a Toronto water main tunnel under the Don River. The deaths of these five immigrant workers shocked their community, mobilized unions and resulted in badly-needed changes to workplace health and safety laws. Working conditions on today’s construction sites and factory floors, in schools, office buildings, warehouses, restaurants – any…

A day rooted in women’s ongoing struggle for fairness, economic equality and social justice.

March 8, 1975 marked the first declaration of International Women’s Day (IWD) by the United Nations, but its roots trace back to a 1909 protest in support of women garment workers in New York City. Unions have been key to changing the lives of working women – from the bread and roses movement, to bargaining (and striking) to win parental…

Rideau canal workers riot in the streets to protest poor wages and working conditions

On March 2, 1829, hundreds of canal workers threw down their tools and took to the streets of the country’s future capital to protest low wages and brutal working conditions. In an era before workers had unions, the only means available for them to protest unfairness was to riot in the streets. Today, the rights to union membership, collective bargaining…

Workers in the federal public service win the right to collective bargaining, including the right to strike

On February 23, 1967 the Public Service Staff Relations Act (Bill C-170) received royal assent after two long years of making its way through Parliament. The new law gave bargaining rights to workers in the federal public service – including the right to arbitration and the right to strike. Workers in the federal public service were organizing themselves into unions…

The asbestos miners’ strike begins

On midnight February 14, 1949, workers at four Quebec asbestos mines walked off the job and with that action started a major political and cultural shift not only in that province but the history of Canada. It was, as Pierre Trudeau later wrote, “a violent announcement that a new era had begun.” “What I found [at Asbestos]… was a Quebec…