A Brief History of Labour Unions in Canada & The Role of Labour Unions

1. A Brief History of Labour Unions in Canada & The Role of Labour Unions Cooperative Education Pre-Place Orientation Ms. Wilson-Clark

2. Labour in the Early 20th Century • The conditions of employment as well as the age of workers in the early 1900s were significantly different than today • Children were out working jobs such as domestic servants, shoeshine boy, newspaper deliverers and miners • Low wages were standard with many labourious and service type jobs • Employees were severely mistreated as there were no laws or standards to prevent employers from abusing their workers • Most Canadians lacked a formal education required for more higher class jobs

3. Child Workers “[A mistress] considers the servant a price of machinery…The kitchen is…partly underground and poorly lighted, where the servant lives for the twenty-four hours…Where no other servant is employed, she is very lonely…The mistress, once or twice a day, visits to give orders. If a kind-hearted woman, she many give the girl a kind word, compliment her on her neatly ironed clothes, the clean floor, a bright stove. The servant’s daily task ended, she can sit in this kitchen alone (alone also all day) or go to her own room, perchance a cold one at that, and when she gets tired of it [go to bed]. What is such a life but slavery!” –from Pay Cheques and Picket Lines: All About Unions in Canada, page 11

4. Child Workers • Shoeshine boys • Small in stature because they were likely malnourished • Roamed the streets looking for work from morning until dusk • Rarely attended school; perhaps in the winter months

5. Unsafe environments • Garment factories • Long labourious days as workers were paid by the piece • Dimly lit, overcrowded factories with machinery that could be dangerous if not trained properly • Workers were not trained in first aid and if workers were injured they lost pay for the day, lost employment or lost their life from traumatic injuries

6. Immigrant Labourers • https://www.historicacanada.ca/content/heritage-minutes/nitro • Chinese labourers were used to build Canada’s railroad • They worked for lower wages than Canadian labourers ($1/day) • After a full year of work, many Chinese labourers only netted $40 as a result of expenses for clothes, tools, rent, food, taxes, doctors, etc. • Many Chinese labourers died from illness, scurvy or as a result of injuries sustained in their work

7. Early 1800s • 1816: Nova Scotia passes a law prohibiting workers from getting together to ask for better wages and hours and send them to jail for three months if they do • 1848: The Master and Servant Act is passed, forcing servants to stay with their masters, n matter how they are treated, for a stated number of years. Captured runaways are jailed.

8. Late 1800s • 1867 – Confederation as Canada becomes a country • 1872 – The Trades Union Act is passed which makes it legal for workers to organize. But they have little real protection. The Act doesn’t stop employers from firing workers who belong or not hiring those who might belong to a union • 1884 – The Ontario Factory Act, which limits hours of work for women and children, is passed. But it doesn’t apply to places with fewer than twenty workers, there are too few inspectors to enforce it, and the maximum fine of $500 means that employers ignore it.

9. Late 1800s • 1892 – The Truancy and Compulsory School Attendance Act is passed in Ontario. All children younger than fourteen must attend school. • 1894 – Labour Day is made a national holiday (first Monday in September)

10. Early 1900s • 1914 – World War One starts • 1914 - Ontario passes the Workmen’s Compensation Act for injured on the job. A FIRST! • 1919 – Winnipeg General Strike. Up to 30,000 workers go on strike – mailmen to firemen, to factory workers. After 42 days, 2 dead from Mounted Police attacks, hundreds injured, many jailed. The General Strike was crushed.

11. Early 1900s • 1927 – Old Age Pensions are introduced • 1942 – Unemployment insurance begins • 1944 – P.C. 1003 is passed by Prime Minister King and his Cabinet (the Privy Council, hence P.C.). THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT LAW FOR CANADIAN WORKERS. They have the right to a union of their own choice, and employers must bargain with that union. • 1944 – Family allowances begin (‘baby bonuses’) • 1945 – World War Two ends. The end of the war means the beginning of strikes in all major industries. In the next two years, workers win better wages, hours, and working conditions, including vacation pay. A FIRST!

12. Late 1900s • 1966 • Quebec teachers’ strike. The Quebec government forced them to return to work. • Canada Pension Plan starts • The merger of Civil Service Association and Civil Service Federation, to form the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) • 1967 • Canada’s 100th birthday • The Public Service Staff Relations Act is passes. This is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT LAW FOR ALL PUBLIC EMPLOYES. The act gives them the same rights as other workers, including the right to strike (except the Mounties and armed forces). This law was a direct result of the illegal postal strike of 1965.

13. Late 1900s • 1982 • Chrysler Strike. Bob White, president of CAW, takes on the automotive giant and wins • The Canadian Federation of Labour is founded • 1997 • The Ontario teachers’ unions protest the Harris’ governments education initiatives with an illegal strike. The largest in North American history with 126,000 teachers on strike. They are forced back to work after 2 weeks. • Bill 160 is introduced that places control of education policy in the hands of the provincial government Source: BC Teachers Federation. March 1998. Teacher Newsmagazine. http://www.bctf.ca/publications/NewsmagArticle.aspx?id=13804

14. Labour Unions Today • Unions operate on the same basic principles today, bargaining for such items as: • Fair wages that take into account the rising cost of living • Work security • Safe, clean working conditions • Recognition of seniority in relation to promotions, layoffs, rehiring, and choice of working hours and vacation times • Discontinuance of favouritism and similar injustices to employees • Proper grievance procedures to enable employess to present justified complaints to unbiased committees • Agreements that provide extended maternity and sick leaves, and regular yearly vacations • Satisfactory retirement programs

15. BREAK! • Remember to submit your Historical Hierarchies chart to Ms. Wilson-Clark for assessment of your knowledge from today’s lesson • Pick up the handout for the next lesson too!

16. The Role of Labour Unions • Union members account for more than 37% of the non-agricultural, paid labour force. • Non-unionized employees can thank the unions for the general improvement in working conditions and employee benefits (e.g. higher wages)

17. How Unions Operate • Labour Unions are made up of people who work in similar occupations or organizations. • The main function of each unit is collective bargaining, which means that representatives of the employees and of the employer bargain for improved wages, benefits, and working conditions. • The agreement between the two sets of representatives is called a collective agreement, a legal document that lists the items agreed to by both sides during negotiations

18. How a Union is Formed • The following steps are involved in the formation of a union: • 1. Identification of the group of employees that the unions is to represent • 2. An invitation is extended to the identified group of employees by the union organizers • 3. When the union has the support of the majority of qualified employees, an application for certification is made to the appropriate labour relations board • 4. Once certification has been granted, the members of the new union elect their own officers, such as president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer

19. Collective Bargaining • A union can begin collective bargaining when it has the support of the majority of its employees and has received official certification. The most common procedure is for the members to hold a meeting, or series of meetings to decide on the proposals that will be made to management. • Members are selected to act on the bargaining committee. • A negotiator might be provided by the national or international union to provide consultation on wage scales, employee benefits and negotiation strategies • The contract proposal advanced by the union might cover a wide range of issues (e.g. wages, job security, pension plans, benefits). The members of the local union vote on exactly what proposals are to be made. • Bargaining if often a slow process that includes counter-proposals from management, followed by periods of discussion and often concessions made by each side. • Voluntary agreements are usually reached between management and employees. The terms of the agreement are written into a contract. The contract governs the wages, and other terms of employment for a specific period of time.

20. Problems in the Bargaining Process • If the two parties find it impossible to reach an agreement, then government assistance is provided under the provincial labour laws and federal legislation. • A conciliation officer, usually a government official, is appointed. This person meets with union and management representatives to determine the nature and extent of their difference. If possible, the conciliation officer helps the two sides to resolve their difference, and a contract is signed. • If the first step fails, then a conciliation board is established – made up of a union rep, a management rep and a chairperson selected by these two reps. If they cannot agree on a chairperson then the Ministry of Labour will appoint one. The board conducts hearings, listens to both sides, and then prepares a report. If an agreement is not reached, and a contract signed, then the employees are in a legal position to strike.

21. Strike • The final decision as to whether there will be a strike rests with the employees concerned. First the union members vote on what action should be taken, and in many cases an agreement is reached and a contract signed without any strike action. • In about 10% of contract negotiations, strike action is considered necessary • When a strike occurs, employees usually picket their place of employment to draw attention to their problem. • A strike means hardship for employees, management and the public: the employees lose their wages, the company loses money because of discontinued operations. • When a company hires non-union workers to replace the unionized workers during a strike, the replacements are often referred to as scabs.

22. Strike • Some provinces have anti-scab laws that prevent management from hiring non-union labour to fill union positions. • Unions members vote to strike or to end a strike at the local level. Sometimes a strike is ended when management obtains an injunction, a court order that ends the strike. • Any employees who continue to strike could be fined or lose seniority.

23. Grievances • Employment contracts are intended to provide an orderly plan for dealing with most labour-management interactions. • Grievances, are employee complains that their rights are not being respected • Grievances can concern a number of matters: safety of working conditions, appropriate rates of pay, changes in job description, unfair dismissal, etc. • An employee who has a complaint about a matter that’s a violation of the terms of the contract, has the right to file a grievance with the union

24. Grievances • When a grievance is filed, steps are usually taken first to settle it within the department where the worker is employed. Key people in the settlement might be the supervisor and union steward • A union steward (rep) an employee who has been chosen by co-workers, through the union, to represent the interests of those who work in his or her section. • If a settlement is not reached the matter is taken to a higher level involving more senior union officers and company officials. • If no agreement is made then the matter can be placed before an arbitrator or a judge from Human Resources Development Canada. The decision given is the binding on the company and employee.

25. Union Membership Dues • Whether all employees are required to join the union depends on the terms agreed by the employees who are already members of the union. • The term closed shop refers to a company that hires only union members. • In a union shop, all employees are required to join a union after a specific period of time. Even part-time employees such as summer employees are required to pay dues if they work in a union shop, although they might not be required to join the union. • In an open shop, employees are not required to be or become a union member.

26. Activity! • Complete the Crossword activity that you received earlier

27. WORKS CITED Greenwald, Robert (dir). 2005. Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price. New York: Disinformation Co. HistoricaCanada. (n.d.). Nitro. https://www.historicacanada.ca/content/heritage-minutes/nitro The Metropolitan Toronto School Board. 1994. Labour Unions in the Workplace. Willowdale: The Metropolitan Toronto School Board.