The Canadian Labour Union (1872 – 1878) was the short-lived first attempt at a national central organization to represent
labour union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...
s in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
. It was founded in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
on September 23, 1873, by 46 local unions. It could not be called a national body as only Ontario-based unions participated. The Union was a political organization with the aim "to agitate such questions as may be for the benefit of the working classes, in order that we may obtain the enactment of such measures by the Dominion and local legislatures as will be beneficial to us, and the repeal of all oppressive laws which now exist".
The CLU platform called for shorter hours, an end to the use of convict labour by private employers, the end of employment of children under ten years of age, immigration of ill-paid workers, a mechanics' lien act to allow workers a
lien
A lien ( or ) is a form of security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation. The owner of the property, who grants the lien, is referred to as the ''lienee'' and the per ...
on bankrupt employers for unpaid wages, the enforcement of minimum standards of factory sanitation and ventilation, and a government bureau of statistics to provide information on wages and working conditions.
[French, Doris, "Faith, Sweat, and Politics: The Early Trade Union Years in Canada Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Ltd 1962] It called for publicly funded education, opposition to the growing monopolies, and direct labour representation in legislatures and city governments. By no means a radical organization it urged the use of arbitration rather than strikes.
In 1873 a worldwide economic depression had a devastating effect on the fledgling Canadian labour movement. Of the 126 known unions at the start of the decade, only a few remained by the end bringing about the demise of the Canadian Labour Union.
See also
*
Nine-Hour Movement The Nine-Hour Movement started in Canada in 1872, based out of Hamilton, Ontario. This marked Canada's first national attempt at a labour movement, pushing for the nine-hour work day which united both unionized and non-unionized workers alike. Th ...
*
Trades and Labour Congress of Canada
The Trades and Labor Congress of Canada was a Canada-wide central federation of trade unions from 1886 to 1956. It was founded at the initiative of the Toronto Trades and Labour Council and the Knights of Labor. It was the third attempt at a nat ...
References
Sources
* {{Cite journal, last=Williams, first=C. Brian, date=1965, title=Development of Relations between Canadian and American National Trade Union Centers — 1886-1925, url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23068987, journal=Relations Industrielles / Industrial Relations, volume=20, issue=2, pages=340–371, issn=0034-379X
Trade unions in Canada
Trade unions established in 1872
Defunct trade unions in Canada
Trade unions disestablished in the 1870s