• English
    • français
  • English 
    • English
    • français
View Item 
  •   WinnSpace Home
  • University of Winnipeg Theses
  • Graduate Electronic Theses and Dissertations
  • View Item
  •   WinnSpace Home
  • University of Winnipeg Theses
  • Graduate Electronic Theses and Dissertations
  • View Item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Winnipeg Meat Packing Workers' Path to Union Recognition and Collective Bargaining

Thumbnail

View Open

Grover_John_Thesis.pdf (3.869Mb)

Metadata

Show full item record

Author

Grover, John Hanley

Uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10680/28

Date

1996-07

Citation

Grover, John Hanley. Winnipeg Meat Packing Workers' Path to Union Recognition and Collective Bargaining; A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate studies in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts, Department of History, University of Winnipeg. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: University of Winnipeg, 1996.

Abstract

This thesis explains why in the 1940s, Winnipeg meat packing workers secured sustainable industrial unionism. By tracing the development of the Winnipeg meat packing industry and investigating previously unsuccessful organizational drives, it is suggested that success in the 1940s corresponded to thee broad contributing factors. The most significant factor was changing local conditions. With the gradual introduction of mass production techniques to the Winnipeg meat packing industry beginning in the early 1920s, the reorganization of Winnipeg packinghouse work occurred. The large scale introduction of semi-skilled workers changed the face of meat packing, as packinghouse work became deskilled without any significant degree of automation. During this period, craft unionism in the meat packing industry failed on a national pattern. This failure coincided with the 1930s experiment in industrial unionism by Winnipeg workers at Western Packers workers. Western Packing's workers' introduction to industrial unionism also provided the successful 1940s drive with links to the Communist Party. An overall strengthening in North America of the labour movement beginning in the 1930s provided the second broad contributing factor to success in the 1940s. With the birth of the CIO in the United States and Canada, Winnipeg meat packing workers gained at the very minimum inspiration. The impact of World War II accounted for the final contributing factor for success in the 1940s. With a wartime demand creating full employment and the government's desire to maintain production, organized labour found itself in a position of unparalleled power. In combination, a spirit of militancy arose among Canada's labour movement. From these conditions, meat packing workers in Winnipeg chose and pursued industrial unionism with great success. By the end of World War II, workers in Winnipeg possessed an effective union organization and had won union shops and wage increases. Ultimately however, the union's national success created a centralized, bureaucratic union movement which consequently provided a loss of local autonomy.

Collections

  • Graduate Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Report a copyright concern

Contact Us | Send Feedback
 

 

Browse

All of WinnSpaceCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

My Account

LoginRegister

Report a copyright concern

Contact Us | Send Feedback