History of Equity and Canadian Trade Unionism in Canada

Terminology in Academic and Historical Contexts

• Evolution of Language: The speaker emphasizes that academic terminology has shifted over time, which affects how literature and historical records are read.

  • Indigenous Representation: Historically, academic texts used terms such as "native" or "aboriginal." However, "indigenous" is the current accepted standard in academia and broader society.

  • Racialized Peoples: While older literature may use the term "visible minority" or similar equivalents, the current preferred academic standard is "racialized."

• Research Caution: Students are advised that when conducting research, they will encounter outdated terms that reflected the societal and academic norms of the period in which the material was written.

Origins of the Canadian Labor Movement ($1820\text{s}$ – $1920\text{s}$)

• Early Founding: The first known unions in Canadian economic history were established in the $1820\text{s}$.

• Central Labor Body: The first central labor organization, the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada (TLC), was founded in $1886$.

• Agricultural Base: Until the turn of the $20\text{th}$ century, Canada was predominantly agricultural.

  • In $1881$, $3/4$ ($75.00000000000001$%) of the population lived in rural areas.

  • In $1921$, the rural population had decreased to approximately $1/2$ ($50.00000000000001$%).

• Union Density: Unions were a minor force in the early $20\text{th}$ century, protecting only $5.000000000000001$% of Canadians in $1911$ and $10.00000000000001$% in $1921$.

The Distinction Between Craft and Industrial Unions

• Craft Unionism (Dominant until early $20\text{th}$ Century):

  • Defined by Skill: Organized around skilled workers within a plant or factory.

  • Bargaining Power through Exclusion: Their power rested on the fact that skilled workers were difficult to replace. They maintained this position by excluding unskilled workers and remaining the sole trainers of new labor.

  • Demographics: Craft unions primarily represented white, male workers who were already among the best paid.

  • Neglect of Unskilled Labor: They ignored the growing population of unskilled workers produced by industrialization, which included high numbers of women and racialized people.

• Industrial Unionism (Rising in late $1930\text{s}$):

  • Wall-to-Wall Organizing: A metaphor for organizing every person in a factory—from cleaners to production staff to skilled technicians—regardless of their specific task.

  • Power in Numbers: Replaced the "difficulty to replace" strategy with the "power of sheer might" and the ability to halt production entirely.

  • Inclusivity: These unions were more likely to welcome women and racialized workers to build solidarity and strength against the employer.

Gender Dynamics and the "Breadwinner Wage"

• ** exclusionary Labor Policies:** The formal policy of the TLC at the turn of the century was the exclusion of women from the workplace.

• The Breadwinner/Family Wage: Unions argued that men should be paid a wage sufficient to support a wife and family at home. This reproduced the Victorian/Christian gender division of labor, viewing women as fragile, emotional, domestic, and inferior to men.

• The Single-Woman Exception: Society tolerated unmarried women in the workforce, but the expectation was that they would resign upon marriage.

• Employment Statistics for Women:

  • In $1911$, approximately $15.00000000000001$% of women worked outside the home.

  • In $1921$, this grew to approximately $20.00000000000001$%.

  • In $1931$, only $3.000000000000001$% of married women were employed for pay.

• Employer Role in Exploitation: Employers viewed women as a source of "cheap labor" or "pin money" earners, using them to depress overall wages and offset industrial expansion costs.

Case Study: Bell Telephone Strike ($1907$)

• Event: $400$ unorganized women operators at Bell Telephone went on strike to protest poor conditions, low wages, and increased working hours.

• Union Response: The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) claimed jurisdiction over the work but refused to represent the strikers.

• Formal Exclusion: In $1893$, the IBEW passed a resolution formally excluding women. Despite the strikers passing two resolutions to join the union, the IBEW rejected them based on gender.

Racialized Workers and Institutionalized Racism

• Systemic Exclusion: Late $19\text{th}$ and early $20\text{th}$ century Canada was an overtly racist society with segregated schools for Black Canadians and the advanced destruction of indigenous cultures.

• Immigration Policy: Focus was on "whites only," primarily from Europe. Asian workers were welcomed for labor (e.g., railways) but denied citizenship rights. Chinese women were explicitly excluded.

• Union Complicity: The labor movement supported exclusionary immigration policies to prevent wage undercutting. Examples include:

  • Working Man’s Protective Association ($1878$): Formed in Victoria to suppress Chinese immigration.

  • TLC Resolution ($1890$): Lobbied the federal government to exclude all workers from "the Orient."

  • Wage Discrimination: In $1892$ on the West Coast, indigenous fishing workers and women were paid significantly less than Europeans.

  • Industry Segregation: Black men were confined to "porter" roles in railway sleeping cars; the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees refused them membership, forcing the creation of a separate union.

The Impact of the World Wars and PC $1003$

• WWII Shifts ($1939$ – $1945$): Men leaving for war created labor shortages, bringing women (including married women) into factories. Government-funded daycare centers were established for the first time.

• PC $1003$ ($1944$): The legislative framework for the Canadian model of industrial relations.

  • Provisions: Guaranteed the right to bargain collectively and established a system for certifying unions with majority support.

  • Exclusions: Initially applied only to the private sector; public sector workers were excluded.

• Post-War Retrenchment: When the war ended, many women were laid off to make room for returning men. Publicly funded daycares were closed. Women were pushed into "women's jobs" like stenography or sales.

• Growth of the Labor Force: Despite setbacks, women's participation in the labor force grew from $20.00000000000001$% to $30.00000000000001$% between the $1940\text{s}$ and $1960\text{s}$.

The Public Sector Boom and the Human Rights Pivot

• Rise of the Keynesian Welfare State: The $1960\text{s}$ saw rapid expansion in health, education, and government employment.

• Legislative Breakthroughs:

  • Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) was formed in $1966$, becoming the $4\text{th}$ largest union.

  • Public Service Staff Relations Act (PSSRA) of $1968$ granted federal workers the right to bargain collectively.

• Human Rights Shift: Post-WWII exposure of Nazi atrocities led to a global and domestic shift against racism.

  • $1947$ CCL Resolution: Fought for equality regardless of race, color, creed, or origin.

  • Fair Employment Practices Act ($1951$): Prohibited discrimination based on race, creed, color, nationality, ancestry, or place of origin.

Feminism and Modern Equity Struggles ($1970\text{s}$ – $2000\text{s}$)

• Second-Wave Bargaining: Shifted from just "formal equality" (entitling women to what men had) to challenging structural inequality.

• Union Demographics: By $1991$, women made up $45.00000000000001$% of the labor force. By $2000$, they composed $50.00000000000001$% of the labor movement.

• Milestones in Gender Equity:

  • CUPE ($1975$): First union to establish a specific women's committee.

  • CUPW ($1981$): Conducted a $6$-week strike specifically for paid maternity leave.

  • CAW ($1983$): Negotiated employer-funded childcare and plant-level affirmative action committees.

• LGBTQ+ Advocacy:

  • The Witch Hunts: In $1948$, the Canadian government established a security panel to investigate and fire queer workers in the public service as perceived "security risks."

  • Benefit Equality: CUPE was the first union to negotiate coverage for same-sex spouses.

  • Representation: In $1992$, CUPE established the Pink Triangle Committee. In $1999$, the CLC established seats for sexual diversity on its executive council.

Current Challenges and Potential Backsliding

• Nationalism and the Alt-Right: The speaker identifies risks from a "pseudo-fascistic alt-right" and a resurgence of white nationalism encoded as "cultural nationalism."

• Economic Tension: Shift toward blaming immigrants and migrant workers for job loss rather than the "capitalist class."

• Structural Barriers: Unions often rely on slow internal succession based on years of loyalty, which can suppress new, younger, and more diverse voices.

• The Equity Agenda: Public sector unions (teachers, nurses) are often at the leading edge, while some private sector unions continue to struggle with erasing the legacy of exclusionary structures.