Canadian Labour Congress
The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) is a significant national labor organization formed in 1956 through the merger of the Canadian Congress of Labour and the Trades and Labour Congress. This unification was a response to historical divisions within the Canadian labor movement, largely influenced by American labor politics. The CLC represents a diverse array of unions and labor bodies, advocating for workers' rights and addressing issues of political engagement within organized labor.
The establishment of the CLC marked a pivotal moment in Canadian labor history, as it symbolized the emergence of a unified Canadian labor voice that sought to address both social and economic concerns. Following its formation, the CLC aimed to foster collaboration among various groups, including political parties like the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, which ultimately contributed to the creation of the New Democratic Party in 1961. The CLC continues to play an essential role in promoting workers' interests and navigating the complexities of labor relations in Canada, reflecting the unique challenges and aspirations of the Canadian workforce.
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Canadian Labour Congress
Identification Canada’s largest labor union, formed through the merger of two major unions
Date Formed in April 23, 1956
The creation of the Canadian Labour Congress strengthened the position of Canadian labor and symbolized its growing nationalism.
Historically, American parent unions dominated organized Canadian labor. This domination caused divisions within the Canadian labor movement as the politics of American organized labor spilled over north of the border. In 1939, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) pressured the Trades and Labour Congress (TLC)—a traditional Canadian labor body that dated from the 1870’s and contained a number of distinct unions—into expelling the more radical unions of the Congress of Industrial Organizations. The expelled unions, along with the All-Canadian Congress of Labour (ACCL), merged in 1940 to create the Canadian Congress of Labour (CCL), a more fully national labor body.
The expulsion left a major split in the Canadian labor movement. At the same time, ongoing events helped push the two organizations increasingly closer, and each annually passed motions calling for unification. They worked together during World War II on various measures designed to aid workers, and beginning in 1948, they repeatedly pursued partnerships in common causes. Further momentum toward unity came as workers found themselves in an increasingly strong position because of an economic boom that began after World War II and a favorable court ruling, which recognized the ability of unions to collect dues even from nonmembers in organized bargaining units. Despite all of the energy, divisions within the American labor movement blocked reform in Canada.
Merger and the Birth of the CLC
During the 1950’s, the impetus toward Canadian labor unity became unstoppable. In 1953, the CCL and TLC established a “Unity Committee,” which, in turn, created an agreement not to raid each other’s members. The ratification of the agreement, coupled with the amalgamation in the United States of the AFL and CIO, created a groundswell for a merger. On April 23, 1956, more than fifteen hundred delegates from both bodies, representing more than one million workers, gathered together to create a newly united organization, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). Over the following months, additional unions and labor bodies joined; only Roman Catholic-dominated unions in the province of Quebec remained excluded.
The CLC had to create policies that addressed traditional areas of division within the labor movement, particularly questions surrounding how politically active organized labor should be. As a compromise, the CLC gave its various affiliated members—including not only labor unions but also other bodies at the provincial level—the freedom to decide on their own courses of action. Efforts also were begun to build a broader coalition among those pursuing similar social agendas, including farm organizations and political parties, specifically the social-democratic Cooperative CommonwealthFederation (CCF). These efforts were largely unfruitful before the 1957 election of the Progressive Conservatives under John Diefenbaker, but eventually the hard work of the CLC and CCF led to the creation of the New Democratic Party in 1961.
Impact
The creation of the Canadian Labour Congress symbolized the growing power of a distinctive Canadian labor voice during the 1950’s.
Bibliography
Abella, Irving. Nationalism, Communism, and Canadian Labour: The CIO, the Communist Party, and the Canadian Congress of Labour, 1935-1956. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1973. Definitive historical examination of Canadian labor politics prior to the birth of the CLC.
Morton, Desmond, with Terry Copp. Working People. Ottawa: Deneau, 1984. Traditional history of Canadian labour.
Palmer, Bryan. Working-Class Experience: Rethinking the History of Canadian Labour, 1800-1991. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1992. History of Canadian workers from a Marxist perspective.