Chapter 3 Flashcards
what are the 4 distinct Characteristics of Canada
- Geography - size, and land conditions
- Cultural Mix - immigration, first nations,
- Economic System - Primary (resource), Secondary (Industries), Tertiary (service industfies)
- Political Structure
Early Unionism - 1800's '20, '30 '50 '70
1820 - Informal groups - striking action, public work projects, protesting poor wages and working conditions on large public works projects
1830 - Quebec, first local printers/tailors/ shoemakers union.
1850 - International / Continental movement
1870 - Union cooperation - Nine hour movement
British Trade union Act - o 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. … They could do this because it was not legal for workers to use their collective action as union members to strike their employers.
What is the Nine Hour Movement
- started in Hamilton
- between January and June 1872. The movement’s goal was to standardize shorter working days
- For the first time, Canadian labour organized what might be considered the beginnings of a unified protest movement.
What is the Conciliation Act
- Labour Canada, established 1900 as the Department of Labour under the Conciliation Act to “aid in the prevention and settlement of trade disputes.”
- promote fair wages and proper conditions for workers
- gave the federal department of labor to appoint a neutral thrid party to assist in negotiations.
What Wartime Factors Contributed to Unionism (3)
- Need for Increased Production
- Mechanization of Production
- Expansion of the Scope of Industrial Disputes Investigation Act
Wagner Act
- Enshrined 3 Key labor rights - organize, bargin, strike
- Led to provincial labor codes
- The modern version of Canadian labour law is based on the Wagner Act. Wagner was a law adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1933 which, among other things, gave workers the right to organize into unions, forced employers to recognize unions and bargain collectively
What is the “One Big Union”
o many workers felt that the unions had already established in Canada both international and domestic were not adequately addressing workers concerns central focus for this discontent was the issue of conscription or forced enrollment into the military
Describe the events(6) that lead to and what is the Winnipeg General Strike
.The Winnipeg General Strike was the culmination of labour unrest that had been building across Canada since the introduction of the Industrial Disputes and Investigation Act. Causes included:
- changing labor conditions and practices as a result of the War;
- sympathy with the Russian revolution that occurred in 1905;
- unions still having no rights of recognition by employers;
- In influx of immigrants to Canada from Europe;
many immigrants coming from countries where they had fought or been fighting capitalists and landlords and bringing their ideas and enthusiasms with them to Canada; and - soldiers returning from the war causing a shortage of jobs.
- Further, the cost of living had gone up but employers were still making large profits. Socialist ideas were discussed widely at labor meetings.
Impact of the Great Depression
o During times of depression, there is often high unemployment. This leads to lower rates of union membership. This was the situation in Canada in the 1930s Depression
o Many young men “tramped” back and forth across the country, riding the rails in search of work. It was the decade of the hobo jungles about which so much is written
o first skilled workers were still need and many production functions in the factories and workplaces and many of these groups of workers were able to maintain their unionization’s craftsperson their ability to organize powerful unions was limited by the relatively small numbers in the workplace but they did at least we’re able to maintain unions that represent their own interests
o 3rd communities of ethnic immigrants within occupation such as Ukraine and minoring in Jews and clothing and fabric industries created support and information networks that could be built upon for unionized efforts
Wagner Act
- Enshrined 3 Key labor rights - organize, bargin, strike
- once a union was recognized the employer was majorly support among the workers once a union was recognized the employer was compelled to bargain with the union and could not reuse refused to meet or simply ignore the demands - Led to provincial labor codes
Events of Post-War Period (1945 -1956)
- Ford Motor Company Workers go on strike
- Pervalance of the Rand Formula
- US wagner act principals (industrial relations and disputes act
- CLC formed - single national labor federation.
Events of the Ford Motor Company
- Ford Motor Company workers go on strike – 1945
- Canadian post war strike in the 1945 workers at the Ford Motor Company plant in Windsor went on strike over the issue of job security motivated by concerns about post war downsizing and demanded a clothes shop wear union membership was a condition of the employment that is workers would have to join the union if they wanted to work in this plant
- Lead to the rand formula
Rand Formula
- Justice Ivan Rand was chosen to make the decision rans decision was that union dues would be automatically deducted from every workers paycheck in exchange the union would allow individuals to formally opt out of union membership if they so desired the automatic detection of the union dude was awarded in recognition of the union’s activities in representing the interest of all workers to the management so-called ran formula has been used in 90% of Canadian unions by 1950
Events of Post-War Period (1970 -1992)
- gradual decline in unionization
- provincial and territorial labor relations
- charter of Rights and Freedoms was Inacted
- NAFTA``
- NDP
What is the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• Charter Of Rights And Freedoms enacted – 1982 – association, assembly
o The passage of the federal charter of rights and freedoms in 1982 provided the new sub guidelines for Canadian distro relations as the chartered include guarantees of saturates as the freedom of Association
