UFCW CANADA
The origins of Canadian workers becoming members of the UFCW can be traced back to the dawn of the 20th century. A group of retail clerks came together at Market Hall in Vancouver, British Columbia, for a meeting that laid the groundwork for the founding of Local 279, the first Canadian local union for retail clerks.
By August of 1899, Local 279 had become formally recognized by the Retail Clerks National Protective Union, which, as a result of Canada's involvement, subsequently changed its name to the Retail Clerks International Union. The local also became a part of the Vancouver Trades and Labour Council.
Long hours were the foremost concern for members of Local 279. At the turn of the century in Canada, retail clerks typically worked 90- to 110-hour weeks, working a minimum of 15 hours per day. For this harsh working schedule, the clerks earned measly wages, usually between six and ten dollars a week.
In 1900, the Shops Regulation Act was passed in Canada. This act ordered that clerks should not be required to work more than 661/2 hours per week, and no more than 11 hours a day. While the act was a step in the right direction, Local 279 continued to fight for more rigorous early closing laws. The local lobbied local merchants to close their stores by 6:00 p.m., as well as civic and provincial politicians demanding early closing laws be put into effect. The local also encouraged shoppers to have their daily shopping completed by early evening. As a result of the persistent and unyielding fight of Local 279, an amendment to the Shops Regulation Act was passed in 1901, allowing municipalities to pass early-closing laws.
Like many young local unions, Local 279 faced strong resistance from shop owners who wanted no part of a union in their stores. In a statement illustrating the local's frustration at the hostility they faced in Vancouver, they argued that employers would experience more commercial success should they allow union workers. In the words of the local, they would be forced to "contend against many pig-headed men who would never recognize that it meant a large increase in their business to have men in their employ who represented favourable working conditions and who came prepared to make their employers interests their own."
In order to eliminate the anti-union sentiment of many Vancouver shop owners, Local 279 began a campaign mobilizing union members. The local asked members to only shop at stores where union clerks were employed, and to refuse to purchase goods from anti-union firms until they allowed their clerks to join the union. With the assistance of the Vancouver Trades and Labour Council, Local 279 also published lists of stores that treated their clerks badly, and asked their members and all citizens for a boycott of these establishments.
While the history of the UFCW in Canada cannot be traced back to one single event, the establishment of Local 279 in Vancouver helped American labor unions realize the vast amount of underpaid, overworked, and unorganized Canadian workers in need of union representation. Today, UFCW Canada represents 230,000 workers in various trades, and is one of the largest and fastest growing unions in Canada.
Biography of Clifford Evans
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