Union Fundamentals

Zoe got me thinking yesterday. That is why I like her so much. I wrote a post about what unions do. Unionism is an ideology. Religion and political affiliation can be as well.

Any ideology can be dangerous. One only needs to read the news to see the issues that religious and other ideologies can cause. Acts of terrorism, shootings at abortion clinics and burning of railway cars are all things that have happened and continue to happen in the name of god, or a political belief. Yes, even unions sometimes go too far, but somebody has to stand up for the ordinary worker. Unions teach workers to stand up for themselves.

I am not a union zealot, but I would like to speak for a moment about the history. I am going to stick to the Canadian history. Unions already had a foothold in parts of Europe and the United States before spreading to Canada.

In 1872 Toronto printers had a strike. The issues around this strike were primarily based on the length of the work day. They wanted a 9 hour maximum day. This became known as the “9 hour movement” and spread to other industries such as the railroads. It was Canada’s first mass labour movement and created the Toronto Typographical Union. In March 1872 they went on strike and there were many arrests. This led the Prime Minister at the time, John A. MacDonald to enact the Trade Union Act on April 18, 1872. The Act legalized and protected union activity. The purpose of this strike was better working hours for all. Sometimes you need to be a little radical to get what you need changed.

The Winnipeg general strike of 1919 is another big moment in Canadian Labour.  The entire city of Winnipeg was reduced to a military occupation. Many people were injured and 2 were killed. Some of the leaders of the labour movement were imprisoned and deported. The strike was to fight the abysmal working conditions and wages from employers who had been made wealthy due to the profits from the First World War. They got some of their demands.

In 1974 Uranium miners in Elliot Lake Ontario, part of the United Steel Workers met with government officials regarding the high rate of cancers and other diseases caused by working in the mines. What was then the Workman’s Compensation Board totally ignored the workers concerns. It should be noted that they were pleading to be heard for over 16 years. Finally they staged a wildcat strike. This lasted 14 days and led to a Royal Commission, commonly known as The Ham Commission. The Ham Commission report had over 100 safety recommendations and was adapted to become the Ontario Health and Safety Act. Perhaps the biggest idea was that of an Internal Responsibility System in all workplaces. Positive change for all workers in Ontario where 377 people still died last year from occupational health issues.

There are so many other things that unions have fought for that benefit every Canadian worker that I would need to write much more. This is the unionism that I believe in. The worker is the underdog. By banding together, we can force change. This is what I try to do in some small way in my daily work as a union local Chairperson. Workers deserve to come home in the same condition that they arrived at work. Workers deserve a fair, living wage. Workers deserve to work in a harassment free workplace with equal treatment for all. This is why I got involved and am a union activist!

Special thanks to the Worker’s Health and Safety Centre. Their printed materials in all the classes I attended, formed the basis for the facts in this posting.