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One Big Union (Canada)
Encyclopedia
The One Big Union was a Canadian
syndicalist trade union active primarily in the Western part
of the country. It was formally founded in Calgary
on June 4, 1919 but lost most members by 1922. It finally merged into the Canadian Labour Congress
in 1956.
, a wave of radicalism swept the labor movement in Western Canada. This led to disputes with both the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada
(TLC) and the American Federation of Labor
(AFL) on the one hand and the government on the other. Western unions were represented by only 45 of 400 delegates at the September 1918 TLC convention. Their resolutions to condemn Canada's efforts in World War I were therefore easily defeated. Moreover, the socialist TLC president James Watters, who had held this post since 1911, was replaced by the conservative Tom Moore.
This led Western unionists to decide to hold a caucus, which would go into history as the Western Labor Conference, ahead of the 1919 TLC congress. The caucus was dominated by members of the Socialist Party of Canada
, who favored a secession from the TLC. The conference passed a resolution condemning the Canadian government's practices during the war and expressing solidarity with the Bolsheviks in Russia
and the Spartacists
in Germany
. It was also decided to poll Canadian workers on a general strike
scheduled on June 1.
The general strike
that broke out in Winnipeg
on May 15 was organizationally not connected to the OBU. Yet the federal government and conservatives within the labor movement, alike, accused the OBU of having instigated it. Many local leaders including OBU members such as Robert B. Russell
were arrested in conjunction with the strike. The One Big Union organized strikes in support of the events in Winnipeg across Western Canada including Vancouver
, Calgary, and Edmonton
. They all failed, however.
The secession, by what would soon become the OBU, faced resistance from the AFL and the TLC from the very beginning. They were shut out of most local trades councils. Nonetheless, thousands of workers left the AFL and the TLC and joined the OBU. These included logger
s, hard rock miners
, coal miners
, longshoremen, construction worker
s, metalworkers, shop craft workers, etc. The One Big Union organized along industrial rather than trade lines, in response to a breakdown in craftsmanship (Taylorism
) and the burgeoning demand for unskilled labour. The OBU's anti-capitalist stance was evident in its constitution's pre-amble:
By late 1919 the OBU's membership reached 40,000 to 70,000. The members were almost exclusively from the west. Efforts to organize in other parts of Canada or in the United States failed.
On June 4, the union was finally officially founded at a small meeting in Calgary. Although an industrial
form of organization was chosen, many key questions were left unanswered in the constitution passed at this meeting. The way the OBU operated did not differ much from the AFL or the TLC. Often, AFL or TLC union structures were simply incorporated into the OBU without any change, members simply started paying their dues to a different organization.
it ran in its weekly bulletin. At the time lotteries were illegal in Canada, but it took the authorities years to successfully prosecute the union. The paper had a large circulation because of the lottery, even business leaders bought it cutting out the lottery coupons and throwing away the rest.
In the late 1920s the OBU briefly joined the All-Canadian Congress of Labour
and considered joining the Canadian Congress of Labour
during World War II
, but by then its members were almost all employees of the Winnipeg Transit
System. In 1956, the union finally merged into the Canadian Labour Congress
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
syndicalist trade union active primarily in the Western part
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
of the country. It was formally founded in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
on June 4, 1919 but lost most members by 1922. It finally merged into the Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Labour Congress
The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in English Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.- Formation :...
in 1956.
Background
Towards the end of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, a wave of radicalism swept the labor movement in Western Canada. This led to disputes with both the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada
Trades and Labour Congress of Canada
The Trades and Labour Congress of Canada was a Canada-wide central federation of trade unions from 1883 to 1956. It was founded at the initiative of the Toronto Trades and Labour Council and the Knights of Labor...
(TLC) and the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
(AFL) on the one hand and the government on the other. Western unions were represented by only 45 of 400 delegates at the September 1918 TLC convention. Their resolutions to condemn Canada's efforts in World War I were therefore easily defeated. Moreover, the socialist TLC president James Watters, who had held this post since 1911, was replaced by the conservative Tom Moore.
This led Western unionists to decide to hold a caucus, which would go into history as the Western Labor Conference, ahead of the 1919 TLC congress. The caucus was dominated by members of the Socialist Party of Canada
Socialist Party of Canada
There have been two different but related political parties in Canada that called themselves the Socialist Party of Canada . The current Socialist Party is an electorally inactive and unregistered federal political party in Canada...
, who favored a secession from the TLC. The conference passed a resolution condemning the Canadian government's practices during the war and expressing solidarity with the Bolsheviks in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and the Spartacists
Spartacist League
The Spartacus League was a left-wing Marxist revolutionary movement organized in Germany during World War I. The League was named after Spartacus, leader of the largest slave rebellion of the Roman Republic...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was also decided to poll Canadian workers on a general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
scheduled on June 1.
Rise
Winnipeg General Strike of 1919
The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 was one of the most influential strikes in Canadian history, and became the platform for future labour reforms....
that broke out in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
on May 15 was organizationally not connected to the OBU. Yet the federal government and conservatives within the labor movement, alike, accused the OBU of having instigated it. Many local leaders including OBU members such as Robert B. Russell
Robert B. Russell
Robert Boyd Russell was a labour organizer and politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a prominent figure in the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, and was later the leader of Winnipeg's One Big Union....
were arrested in conjunction with the strike. The One Big Union organized strikes in support of the events in Winnipeg across Western Canada including Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Calgary, and Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
. They all failed, however.
The secession, by what would soon become the OBU, faced resistance from the AFL and the TLC from the very beginning. They were shut out of most local trades councils. Nonetheless, thousands of workers left the AFL and the TLC and joined the OBU. These included logger
Lumberjack
A lumberjack is a worker in the logging industry who performs the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to a bygone era when hand tools were used in harvesting trees principally from virgin forest...
s, hard rock miners
Hard rock mining
Underground hard rock mining refers to various underground mining techniques used to excavate hard minerals, mainly those containing metals such as ore containing gold, silver, iron, copper, zinc, nickel and lead, but also involves using the same techniques for excavating ores of gems such as...
, coal miners
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
, longshoremen, construction worker
Construction worker
A construction worker or builder is a professional, tradesman, or labourer who directly participates in the physical construction of infrastructure.-Construction trades:...
s, metalworkers, shop craft workers, etc. The One Big Union organized along industrial rather than trade lines, in response to a breakdown in craftsmanship (Taylorism
Scientific management
Scientific management, also called Taylorism, was a theory of management that analyzed and synthesized workflows. Its main objective was improving economic efficiency, especially labor productivity. It was one of the earliest attempts to apply science to the engineering of processes and to management...
) and the burgeoning demand for unskilled labour. The OBU's anti-capitalist stance was evident in its constitution's pre-amble:
By late 1919 the OBU's membership reached 40,000 to 70,000. The members were almost exclusively from the west. Efforts to organize in other parts of Canada or in the United States failed.
On June 4, the union was finally officially founded at a small meeting in Calgary. Although an industrial
Industrial unionism
Industrial unionism is a labor union organizing method through which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union—regardless of skill or trade—thus giving workers in one industry, or in all industries, more leverage in bargaining and in strike situations...
form of organization was chosen, many key questions were left unanswered in the constitution passed at this meeting. The way the OBU operated did not differ much from the AFL or the TLC. Often, AFL or TLC union structures were simply incorporated into the OBU without any change, members simply started paying their dues to a different organization.
Fall
The union's peak was reached in late 1919 or early 1920. With the persecution by the media, government and other unions the membership fell. Employers refused to bargain with the OBU's representatives. By 1921, it had only approximately 5,000 members, by 1927 only 1,600, almost all in Winnipeg. By 1922, most of the union's income came from a lotteryLottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
it ran in its weekly bulletin. At the time lotteries were illegal in Canada, but it took the authorities years to successfully prosecute the union. The paper had a large circulation because of the lottery, even business leaders bought it cutting out the lottery coupons and throwing away the rest.
In the late 1920s the OBU briefly joined the All-Canadian Congress of Labour
All-Canadian Congress of Labour
The All-Canadian Congress of Labour was a Canadian national labour confederation, which existed from 1926 to 1940.It was founded in 1926 as a rival to the Trades and Labour Congress. It was headed by Aaron Roland Mosher. It included remnants of the One Big Union and had over 40,000 members. The...
and considered joining the Canadian Congress of Labour
Canadian Congress of Labour
The Canadian Congress of Labour was founded in 1940 and merged with Trades and Labour Congress of Canada to form the Canadian Labour Congress in 1956.-Founding:...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but by then its members were almost all employees of the Winnipeg Transit
Winnipeg Transit
Winnipeg Transit is the public transit agency in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is a bus-only operator.The Winnipeg Street Railway operated a horse car operation from 1882 to 1894...
System. In 1956, the union finally merged into the Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Labour Congress
The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in English Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.- Formation :...
.