AUGUST 2024 9 one were paid hourly, the workers were paid a weekly sum. For example, for a 16-hour workday—yes, 16 hours—a man could earn $3/week, and a woman even less. After the advent of the shoe sewing machine in 1858, shoemakers were no longer in great demand and were given pay cuts as automation made them less necessary. And, not surprisingly, their strike action did not win them any concessions. We would assume that Canadian shoemakers also faced the introduction of automation into their profession, went on strike, and failed, too. In 1872, the Toronto Printers Strike became the most famous Canadian strike of the 19th century and was part of a campaign to install a ninehour workday. From March 25 to the middle of May 1872, over 100 members of the International Typographical Union were on strike. Back then, unions were illegal. And, despite publisher George Brown (the one the Ontario college is named after) attempting to squash the printers’ rebellion, Prime Minister (and later, Sir) John A. Macdonald (sometimes on the $10 bill) introduced the Trade Union Act on April 18, 1872, legalizing and protecting unions. Macdonald was Canada’s first prime minister, serving from 1867 to 1873 and again from 1878 until he died in 1891. He resigned as PM in 1873 following the Pacific Scandal, involving money being paid to the Conservative Party to cover election expenses in the 1872 federal election. Why is this important? As part of British Columbia’s agreement to join the Canadian federation in 1871, the government of Canada had agreed to build a transcontinental railway that would link the seaboard of British Columbia to the eastern provinces. After the scandal, the railway plan collapsed. However, a different line was eventually built by CPKC’s predecessor, the Canadian Pacific Railway, to the Pacific Ocean, with the last spike driven home on November 7, 1885, at Craigellachie in Eagle Pass, BC. This was Canada’s first transcontinental railway, and it finally fulfilled the federal government’s promise to BC to join. Despite all that, Macdonald’s action to resolve the Toronto Printers Strike became celebrated first by Toronto printers and then expanded to all labourers seeking protection. It’s why we celebrate Labour Day. At least that’s what we are supposed to do. In 1912, over 7,000 immigrant workers—mostly impoverished people from China—on the Canadian Northern Railway and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway went on strike in British Columbia. Led by the Industrial Workers of the World, they demanded better living conditions in their work camps, including sanitation and a minimum wage. And despite the Trade Union Act, we should point out that until the 1940s, many entities intent on breaking strikes or unions would employ less than savoury characters to commit violent acts against the workers to “encourage” them that they were wrong to defy their employers. In 1991, the Federal Workers Strike was the first public-service strike in Canadian history, organized by the members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. This strike affected Canadian national services, including customs and shipping, agriculture, and air travel, delaying grain shipments, public flights, and cross-border travel. In 2020, there were vigorous pipeline and railway protests involving the Wet’suwet’en people in British Columbia, opposing the Coastal GasLink Pipeline project. The pipeline is an approximate 670-kilometre pipeline from the Dawson Creek area to the west coast of BC and is a TC Energy project to provide gas to Asian country customers. These strikes have played a significant role in shaping Canadian labour laws and working conditions. They also highlight the critical role of the railway industry in the country’s economy and infrastructure. What do workers want now? The more things change, the more they remain the same. And so it is for Teamsters Canada Rail Conference membership. We already noted that there was a huge concern by union members about work hours and work conditions, but like most strikes, there’s a financial element. Of course, the union wants better wages for its members. Although CN has indicated it would offer significant wage increases, the unions said they would not approve any pay increase based on an hourly rate. Benefits and pensions are also a major point of contention, and both CN and CPKC have indicated they are willing to agree to some union demands on benefits and work rules. While both of the railroads have indicated there would be no layoffs and would reduce the hours spent away from home, the union wants more guarantees. With regards to work schedules, the union wants predictable hours—a worker would know further in advance what days they are working and, more importantly, what days they have off. There’s also the issue of public safety, which is what the union is saying the public needs to be aware of. The union said that the railways are attempting to strip collective agreements of “safety-critical rest provisions.” Earlier in this article, we highlighted how CN is offering standardized work-rest periods for workers. For the public, a rested and alert worker means safer transport. For now, this strike action is driven by labour disputes over contract wording and safety provisions against the potential consequences for supply chains and transportation networks across Canada. RAIL TRANSPORTATION
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