Canadian Working ClassA brief history of Canadian Workers

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/culture/proj/tch-cwh/index.aspx

WORKERS PRIOR TO 1850 Main work was fur trade, fishing stations, or timber camps. In towns people were

employed to build items with wood, metal and construction.

Men worked, Women stayed home

Employees usually worked in small groups and had personal contact with their bosses.

An important distinction arose between skilled and unskilled workers. The former (the first group) had a much more tightly knit social network.

Skilled positions were jealously guarded and passed on to apprentices, who often lived in the homes of their masters and who could legitimately look forward to owning their own shops some day.

WORKERS PRIOR TO 1850 East Coast - Fishers, Sailors, Boat Makers, Farmers

Quebec (Lower Canada) - Forestry, Metal Workers, Smith Masons, Stone MasonsOntario (Upper Canada) – Farmers, Metal Workers, Stone Masons

WORKERS PRIOR TO 1850 This period was also set off from the previous one by the appearance of large

public works projects - especially canal construction. Ex. Rideau Canal in Ottawa.

Work prior to 1850’s was rough, impersonal, and rigorous.

Workers came and went and rarely got to know their employers. They sometimes reacted to threats of wage cuts or to ethnic or religious rivalry with riots, demonstrations, and strikes that erupted suddenly.

The labour market was very hostile, and it was not a surprise to work for a week before you moved onto another company or employer.

Working in the late 1800’s As technology started to increase, urban centres such as Montreal, Toronto, Quebec City,

Hamilton and Saint John started to mass produce products that ranged from hardware to textiles, garments, boots and shoes.

Small businesses were being replaced by factories.

The rise of factories meant a change in workplace conditions.

Instead of skilled workers working for their master with the expectation that they could someday own their own shops, workers faced a career in larger, more impersonal workplaces where the interests of owners and workers were clearly distinct. Montreal Factory 1881

Working in the late 1800’s As industrial capitalism developed, owners focused more single-mindedly on

achieving profits, they sought to improve efficiency and decrease labour costs.

The result was a reduced demand for crafts people and increased demand for cheaper labour, including women and children.

As a result of these changes, skilled workers formed unions to protect their interests. Skilled trades like carpenters, steel workers, tailors, ship builders and shoemakers were some of the first unionized workers.

Because of capitalists desire to make money and hire cheap labour, union groups decided to create larger unions to have a more impact when it came to negotiations and thus created the Knights of Labour in the 1880’s.

Working in the late 1800’s Ultimately, the industrialization lead to better

technology, business owners were able to use this technology to create larger profits. To keep higher profits they didn’t need skilled workers and could higher cheap labour (i.e. women and children). As a result workers responded by creating unions to help protect the skilled workers (both their jobs, and theirlives).

1900’s to 1940’s Corporations sought to lower labour costs even further by continuing to

replace skilled workers with machines. Because of this they were able to hire less skilled labours and pay their employees a lower wage = net result was more profits for the owners.

Forced by businesses desire to pay employees less, and hire less skilled workers, traditional skilled workers abandoned the more experimental industrial unions and relied mainly on bigger unions to stand up for their interests.

This created a strong divide amongst the businessmen and the working man.

1900’s to 1940’s During World War One, businessmen made extreme profits and at the same

time employees’ living expenses shot up faster than wages.

This started to create an even bigger divide between the businessmen and workers – most workers (skilled or non-skilled) joined the One Big Union in Canada.

Left-leaning thinkers (professors and elite members of society) started to wonder why businesses were making such a huge profit, and paying very little to the workers.

1900’s to 1940’s In Winnipeg of June, 1919, workers reached a tipping point. With little pay, and

huge expenses, and businessmen rolling in the money, the workers revolted.

Every single worker in Winnipeg took to the streets- the goals of its leaders were moderate – to gain better wage settlements and working conditions for workers.

Everyone from cops, firemen, teachers, nurses, bureaucrats, EVERY worker stopped working and brought the city to a halt.

Bosses were un-sympathetic, and turned to the government for help. The RCMP stepped in to contain the strike, and in doing so two people were killed and 27 were injured.

1900’s to 1940’s The federal and provincial governments

intervened and legislated that it was illegal to strike, and if you did strike you would be thrown in jail.

Not only that, but they created legislation that would make it easy to arrest union leaders.

The goal, to put an end to union’s and to ensure workers could not make demands for better pay and better lifestyle’s without fearof being imprisoned.

Workers in Winnipeg tipped over a street car

1900’s to 1940’sThe 1930’s was even worse for workers.

The stock market crashed in 1929, destroying businesses. As a result, 30% of the working men and women were out of a job by the mid 1930’s.

Even worse, a drought occurred and farmers suffered immensely.

With frustration building, much like in 1919, and with about 30% of people un-able to find work, feed their family and etc…

1900’s to 1940’s The people, frustrated because there was no work, decided to march to Ottawa to tell

the Prime Minister their frustrations – this was known as the “On to Ottawa Trek.”

The “On to Ottawa Trek” saw un-employed people hopping onto trains to make their way to Ottawa.

The trains were stopped by the RCMP in Regina. Workers, not sure what their next step would be, decided to hold a meeting at a local hall.

Police interrupted this meeting by throwing gas grenades into the hall, and then started to beat up the workers.

The goal, was to scare the workers and send them back to their home, or whatever home they had.

1900’s to 1940’s It worked, the RCMP killed one man, injured another hundred or so more.

The trek was stopped, and tougher legislation was brought in to control the un-employed men and women.

Workers now lived on the street, they lost their homes, their farms, everything. They didn’t have a penny to their name.

WWII changed all of this.

THE GROWTH OF 'WHITE COLLAR' WORK, 1940-1975

The influence of the union movement increased dramatically during and after the Second World War. Their numbers vastly increased and more and more unions joined other international unions to increase their size and influence.

The unions worked together with governments to bring changes in labour legislation. After WWII government’s started to recognize the right of workers to organize and for unions to bargain for better wages/lifestyles for their members.

THE GROWTH OF 'WHITE COLLAR' WORK, 1940-1975

Because of this, the workers started to earn better wages and were now part of the middle class.

Manual labourers, who were now making middle class wages, were now known as blue collar worker.

Non-manual labourers, such as professors, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and etc.. started to emerge within the middle class and thus started a growth of white collar workers.

Women in the workforce While the men were off fighting World War II

in Europe, women stepped up to the plate to help fill the void of workers.

They not only were secretaries, nurses and teachers, they ended up making the bullets, and guns that the men would use on the battlefront in WWII.

Women proved to be very good at their jobs, and employer's didn’t want to let them go – mostly because they could pay a woman less money than a man.

Women in the workforce After WWII more and more women entered the workforce. Women started

to work in both the blue collar and white collar jobs.

They also started to become more and more active in unions as well.

As a result of their activities within the union, they started to get a more fair wage. Up till now they were paid substantially less than men.

Sadly, while they did make some gains, women today still get paid significantly less then men