Vanislewobs's Blog

Mission Statement on May Day March 2011.

May Day, International Workers’ Day, has particular meaning to the working class of the world. It is a time for renewal of the struggle for justice, particularly in the workplace. Justice in our world has different meanings but May Day recognizes that the vast majority of the population must take waged work in order to survive. Work, paid and unpaid, is the universal human condition.

May Day recognizes that the power for change is in the hands of the workers. It recognizes that workers themselves, armed with knowledge derived from universal public education, know that the world is in crisis and that only a working class movement can find a new path. The struggle for clean energy, food, drinkable water, safe housing, universal public health care and universal old age security, world peace and an end to racism will only come about when the workers, those who produce all wealth, rise up and find common cause with their fellow workers throughout the world. A healthy, safe and meaningful life for all humanity is possible.

The struggle for justice is ongoing and winnable. On May 1st, 2011 we’ll make that point in a march in the streets of Victoria, BC. Victoria, in unceded Coast Salish territory, is the capital of the Province of British Columbia, one of the wealthiest places on earth. We intend to inspire Canada and the world by reaffirming our solidarity with the working people of our community.

“In our hands is placed a power greater than their hoarded gold.

Greater than the might of armies magnified a thousand fold.”

(Solidarity Forever – Ralph Chaplin 1916)

We ask that you join us in the planning and execution of this event. Contact us at maydayvictoria@gmail.com. We ask that unionized workers call upon their union locals to endorse this march. We ask that all workers and their families join us on May 1st in Victoria.

“¡No pasarán!”

(“they shall not pass”- a keynote slogan in the 1930’s in struggles in Spain, France and England against fascism)

Hasta la victoria, Siempre!

(“onward to victory, forever”- the closing words in Che Guevara’s letter to Fidel as Che left for Bolivia to spread the revolution)

The Victoria May Day Committee

 

Vancouver Island Branch IWW is part of the May Day Committee

The IWW has a lot of short videos on You Tube

Some More Videos

March against wage slavery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLpwZvUjOUE&feature=related

IWW Baristas and Starbucks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm6EtFQ8sP8&feature=related

Edmonton IWW and Housing Rally

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXgp2ia16d0&feature=related

Interview With a Wobbly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU4OKQAaqRU&feature=related

SeaSol Training

BCGEU Hall, Victoria, BC

Saturday, November 6^th, 2010

Seattle Solidarity website: www.seasol.net

youtube.com videos of SeaSol: http://www.youtube.com/user/bakunin888#p/a/u/2/Rnctk3fpx-g

Introductory video link: http://www.youtube.com/user/bakunin888#p/a/u/1/CmIOkvOsgPE

• new organization of actions against the powers that keep us down

• sustained series of actions … keep the hurt on until they give in

• more people are paying attention then this one person.

• key concept: network

Introductions

• Joel. Matt, Carly, Curtis from SeaSol

• Phil, Iris, Pat, Gretchen, Larry, DJ, Manda, Bob, Juniper, June, Art, Smokey, Shane, Carl, Stephen, Jon

Intro of SeaSol, and what we want to build

• History: 5 initial members who were members of Seattle IWW, limited resources, none in position to organize workplaces easily, wanted something new

• based on ideas of OCAP, the IWW and direct action working, started SeaSol.

• Green Lake Motel, first action. Long term tenants because of a lack of money for first and last months rent, thought they had less rights than other tenants. Complied a list of all problems, delivered to the landlords

• Feb 2008, 23 or more fights and won over three quarters of them. One’s not won, there was a partially satisfactory results (such as lost income in a business)

• eg. Forcing landlord to make repairs, return stolen deposits, relocation. Employers, forcing an employer to pay unpaid wages, acknowledge that an injury happened, drop a lawsuit, etc.

• Focus on small scale fights that we can win within a month or two generally. Build confidence, skills and knowledge by winning these small fights. Start moving towards creating committees in workplaces for larger scale action. Start from small fights, win them, and build up from there

• 400 people on email list, most of which who have been . 150 on phone tree, generally active and want people to call them, 72 members from phone tree, committed to participate in meetings/planning, 15 on organizing team. Anyone invited: involves committing to a few hours a week, initial meetings with people who call, putting up posters, etc.

Key principles

• SOLIDARITY not being a social service or charity!

• Aim to create more organizers, more people who can initiate action

• DIRECT ACTION rather than relying on a third party like lawyers, public opinion, politicians, directly cause a problem by costing the employer or landlord

• DIRECT DEMOCRACY no leadership or secret hierarchy

The ‘life’ of the Fight

• • OUTREACH: make yourselves known; get a fight in the first place!
  • First Meeting: find out details of conflict, make sure they know what it means to be part of a SeaSol Fight

    • Research is continuous throughout the process (see below on research methods)

  • Decision Meeting: Who did the first meeting will give a small presentation with information. Ask if we can we win this fight and will there person participate. Vote.
  • Formulate demand: have problem, but need a feasible and clear demand. Create draft letter.
  • Demand delivery: as big a group as possible with the person directly affected by the fight. Two weeks notice is general, and then further action will be taken (ultimatum)
  • Escalating campaign: Don’t start with heaviest tactics first. The fear of what they will do next. Start off slow, hand out fliers, escalate to boycott, then pickets, then more picketers.

  • Victory!

• Major question: Do you know other people in your situation affected and would be willing to participate? Perhaps a weaker point, because it usually involves someone alone, collectivizing the struggle is difficult. Each fight now, ask those questions and involve those people.

• Administrative tribunal? Look for new fights instead. This is to form collective strength through direct action. Not interested in pursuing legislative actions. Sometimes escalates to court battle, often because the perpetrator themselves use those tactics.

• Question: Do you stay away from the image of an organization to avoid lawsuits? Not registered organization, not incorporated, not non-profit, makes it more difficult to be sued.

Meeting with new workers and tenants

• 90% of first contact is a response to posters (with number and email address)

• Ask the right questions, create a secretary duty any organizer takes on. Everyone takes a turn. Check the voice mail which is electronic (look into free service, extension service through Cool-Aid?) Goes out to entire members list who decide they want to take more action. Completely transparent.

• What is the issue you have, most important question. When did this happen? Find out what a clear demand could be. Any additional paperwork or materials. Make sure they understand what SeaSol is, and that their participation is mandatory, participate in their own fight, come to meetings. How committed will they be?

• Worker or tenant for the first time: over the phone, face to face, need to get to know them, “feel them out”.

• Information is better to get in person, 2 to 3 organizers. Again, keep it short and ask the right questions.

• Take information back to the group, make a recommendation and then a vote is taken. Awkward for both parties if the new person there at the first meeting concerning their case. Help person but also build a movement and if the capacity is not there, then it may not be feasible for any party. If the case is taken on, then come to the next meeting.

‘Winniability’ and formulating demands

• How do we know if an action is winnable?

• Reasons why this is important:

  • don’t want to waste out time on a case that is known to be unwinnable. We can use resources and fight the god fight, and they are legitimate, we need to be realistic.

  • As an organization, weekly meetings to hash out ideas and work out next steps for action to happen soon. It is real and immediate and feels great. Necessity in knowing that it is more than symbolic protests and ideologies. On a real basic level, there is impact.

  • Public credence valuable aspect of a business, they have to be able to say they have a reputation: it is worthwhile for them to keep that image up. They can also fear being put out of business (here, research and knowing rights and responsibilities of both parties is key – don’t even need to take legal action)

  • example: Shell and wages owed to an employer over five years. Hard to embarrass, impossible to put out of business…

  • Demand letter: (Include scanned image here)

    • Tone of letter is in third person, name SeaSol well known, know that it is more than one person behind the demand and subsequent action

    • State out the issue

    • The actual demand. Not what we want, but what is necessary to achieve victory. It has to be winnable.

    • Make it clear that if demands are not met, more action will be taken. (Don’t make threats that are not legitimate!)

Action Logistics and Demand Delivery link: http://www.youtube.com/user/bakunin888#p/a/u/2/Rnctk3fpx-g

• Want as big a crowd as possible, first impression is huge, for demand delivery.

• No arguments, no discussions. Hand letter to boss/landlord, and leave. Make it intimidating, not confrontational.

• About the video: too much dialogue. Avoid even verbal confrontation, make sure that you are doing nothing wrong. There are cameras, great tool to intimidate (notice the fear!)

• How do we make an action happen?

  • Someone needs to take a leading role: “bottom line”. No one take sit more often than anyone else. To bottom line is to be granted temporary responsibility, NOT authority! You learn bottom-lining: volunteer.

    • Bottom line: logistics and various responsibilities not all yours, but make sure someone is doing them, that it’s been taken care of. (see appendix 1)

  • Location location location! Make sure you know where the boss/landlord ACTUALLY is.
  • Mobilization: how many people do we want? Full mobilization or members only movement?
  • Pre-action logistics: make sure everyone knows what’s going on
  • Day-of-action: liaison with cops, public can’t get away, etc.

• In office for initial Demand Delivery. Save the more humiliating things for the escalation!

 

Gathering info about employers and landlords

• Research! When you talk to the person for the first time, etc. Research methods to help know what to do and how to build a fight:

• Example here, unpaid wages of a worker:

 

INFO NEEDED

SOURCES

- Name of manager, who does payroll? - Owner? - Personality, what makes this person tick - Name of company, industry they are in, what other businesses do they have? - Company holdings/size of company - Employment contract? - Boss’s affiliation to clubs, social networks, etc. - Daily routine - Other people with grievances - Legal problems - Financial viability of the company (can they pay you?) - Suppliers/customers - Other union and/or solidarity support - Geography (where to meet before hand)

- Corporate registration - Court documents (public record searches) - Land titles - Facebook (etc) - Employee with grievance and others - Get all paper work at First Meeting - BBB - Business publications - Stake out (such as suppliers, customers, etc) - Physical investigation - Social engineering (phone calls, make an appointment?) - Google (using information to find other information) - Google alerts! (RSS feeds) - Putting out requests

• Local tools:

  • vancouver.ca/vanmap

  • bcassessment.bc.ca/

  • start building up a network of good tools!

 

Strategy and tactics for winning our demands

• Basis of tactic operations is to create an:

• escalating campaign: Increase momentum (size, range, frequency) to make it worse for the target and part of the psychological impact is not just that things are worse, but that things are going to become worse. Anticipation of things getting more out of hand that will cause them to give in even more.
• Sustainability: Don’t go all out in the first week. The next week, not enough people to come out the following week. Sustain a campaign effectively.

• Escalating Campaign (after Demand Delivery, before escalation)

  • Plan out time line and strategy session (numbered for priority, but remain fluid so you can respond to the reactions you are getting from each successive action)

  • YouTube video (email the target)

  • 1. Make leaflet and posters for distribution (information)

  • 2. Boycott posters/leaflets

  • 4. Fake customers first thing in the morning (know when a manager is working on til, for example)

  • Occupy space/space

  • 4. Take up tables (support workers, screw over the boss)

  • 2. Info line

  • Social embarrassment (clubs, neighbourhood, church, etc)

  • Warning shot before embarrassment (using the anticipation of things getting worse to your advantage)

  • 3. Bad internet reviews (great thing for involving other members who may not be able to be present for physical actions)

  • 5. Phone/fax/email campaigns

• Calender (begins directly after the Demand has not been met within specified time)

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Week 1	Leafleting
Week 2						Picketing
Week 3			Picketing			Picketing
Week 4		Phone-in	Picketing		Phone-in	Picketing

• Note: adjust times for when it will be most effective (eg. How many people will be present, sustainability)

• IDEA: red, yellow, green. Members at a level of what risk they’re willing to take

Mobilizing for actions

• Weekly meetings, phone tree, email list, members list, email list

• Bottom-liner will keep track of who can be where when

• Partial mobilization/ full mobilization changes how many and who will be contacted for actions

• Victory parties! Help mobilize interest in continued involvement and get to know others who you are in solidarity with!

 

Outreach

• All possible ways of reaching people. Could mean reaching out to the general public about there being an organization, reach potential organizers. But the bulk is to reach workers and tenants

• Outreach can be focused at any group (such as a specific neighbourhood, industry, all workers, all tenants, etc.)

• Billeting is key for SeaSol. Handbills, t-shirts, bumper stickers, buttons, be creative!

• Go to political events looking for like-minded individuals

• Talk to people!

• Columns in local zines, community newspapers, etc. (Consider a regular column in a paper)

• Recognize different types of outreach is going to use different kinds of tactics. Good to get the word out in the general public, but make sure you are looking towards workers and tenants.

  • Example: reaching restaurant workers. Would be great if something grew out of that. Fliers specific to restaurant workers, both with issues and searching for individuals who may want to start organizing.

  • Food handler’s permit classes, flier with your tip, poster dumpsters and alleyways, etc.

 

Designing Fliers

http://www.seattlesolidarity.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=29

(see link for examples)

• Use an image of the person if possible for targeting!

• Detachable email and phone number posters for high traffic areas

• Billets should have very limited text. Make it easy for people to read it.

• Posters should be very limited in text.

• Make sure all relevant information and an action is make clear on a poster.

  • What and who it is about

  • Why this is a problem

  • What you ought to do about it

  • Contact info

 

Starting a New Group

• Need a core group of a few people who are willing to put the time in, can put enough time in to make sure initial steps are taken and follow up on people.

• Having the points of contact, email, voice mail, initial posters, enough supporters, a website

• Funding: it is extremely low budget. Time is the biggest thing. Rent out space for meetings, trying to find a new office now. But with a larger membership, can collect donations. Biggest cost is printing. Pass the hat at meetings. Benefit show for legal fees but very unusual.

• It is up to us now to get a few people who have the time and are motivated, to get going and active!

 

Question and Answer

• Organization: chair/facilitator each week, secretary, everyone can create the agenda, vote in organizers, bottom-liner per action.

  • Very important that everyone has a chance to take on responsibilities,

 

 

Appendix 1: Role of Bottom-Liner

 

Bottom-lining is a role with a lot of responsibility but no authority. It’s an important leadership role that was can all take on from time to time. This is the list of things to remember if you are bottom-lining an action. You don’t have to do them all yourself, but as a bottom-liner it will be your job yo make sure all these things are getting done and being considered. It’s a great idea to get help with everything on this list, early and often.

 

Action Location, Date and Time

Make sure action details are set.

 

1. location may need yo be scouted before finalizing. Google Street View sometimes does wonders, although there’s nothing like checking it out in person.

2. Consider: parking, separate meet up spot, transportation needs (e.g. Carpooling). Do not assume we can park in the parking lot of the company we are in a conflict with.

 

Mobilization

Help make sure we get people out!

 

1. make sure there is a timeline for mobilization (“organizers should get their call done by…”)

2. follow up by phone with organizers who have not reported to the group the day after mobilization deadline.

3. See if people need any help with mobilization, get them help if so (you don’t have to do the calls, you just need to find someone to help)

4. make sure two main emails go out: info to action announcement list, and mobilizing info to organizers

 

Pre-Action Logisitics

Help make sure any printed materials are being created, and not at the last second. Make sure there is a plan for what we’ll be asking people to do at the action.

 

1. fliers – we often get these printed by Katie @ C.K. Graphics which is half the price of FedEx Office.

2. Picket signs – many of these live at the Waite Street House. You may need to print out new messages and tape them on. Beware: this is time consuming!

3. Printed directions to action/parking location (if meet-up spot is far away)

4. make a rough plan of what the action will be (picket? Fliering? Knocking on doors? Boarding a bus?)

 

Day-of-Action Logistics

Help make sure people know what we’re doing. Help make the action welcoming for newcomers/fun for all, and help us make sure we learn from each action.

 

1. supplies – signup sheet, camera, directions, gas money

2. role s- signup sheet person, camera person, cop talker

3. coordinate the pre-action huddle – introductions, story (have workers/tenants affected be prepared to tell short version of their story), what people will do, short role play if possible (“what will you say to church-goers as you hand them a flier?”)

4. possibly do last minute scout of action location

5. keep an eye on everything – e.g. Help people be active picketers/flier-ers, make sure there are no escape routes where “the public” can avoid us

6. coordinate post-action huddle – go around, “how do you think this event went?”, “what’s next?”

Fellow Workers!

Thank you for your fine supportive article about the IWW’s attempts to organize Jimmy Johns. However. I do disagree with one point you raise:

...when the mass of the working class began organizing itself along industrial lines in the 1930s into the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), this, along with the Wobblies’ anarcho-syndicalist political abstentionism, sealed the fate of the IWW, which effectively went into terminal decline.

Now I have read a lot of labour history, but never heard this take on the IWW eclipse before. It is generally agreed that long before the CIO drive the IWW was in trouble. The reasons for this were 1. state and vigilante terror during and immediately after WW1. 2. Losing many of the best organizers to the Communist Party, which then following Zinoviev’s mistaken “one size fits all” policy of rejoining the conservative unions, tried to destroy the IWW. 3. A major self-inflicted wound as an ultra left faction broke away claiming the IWW was “too centralized.” 4. In the mid-1920′s the CP unionists were driven out of the AFL unions (just like we said they would be) and started organizing new unions. These CP-lead unions were soon far more powerful than the IWW and thus formed a strong base for the future CIO organizing. 5. The social democrats re-grouped and became an important force again. They too threw their weight behind the CIO.

Furthermore, the IWW is not an anarcho-syndicalist organization, nor do we tell our membership not to vote. Our members know our program and it is up to them to decide who to vote for or not to vote. We are in the tradition of revolutionary syndicalism of which there have been two kinds. One such is the Australian and Canadian OBU and the Deleonist (Detroit) IWW which endorsed labour or socialist parties. The others are the old (pre-CP) French CGT and the Chicago IWW which neither endorsed a party nor had an anti-electoral campaign, but let the members do what they thought fit. (In actual fact most CGT and IWW members supported the Socialist Parties)

There is a reason for the IWW’s party neutrality, though you might disagree with it. This position is taken to minimize internal disputes – an attempt to unite workers on as broad a basis as possible around key class issues and not get caught up in questions of politics, creed or religion. The second is the danger to the union when it gets tied to a party – as we have seen so well with US labour and the Democratic Party.

In Solidarity,

Larry Gambone Branch Secty, Van Isle IWW

Dear Friends,

The incredible brothers and sisters from the Seattle Solidarity Network have agreed to come up to Victoria to put on a workshop about their mission, tactics, and how to set up a Victoria/Vancouver island solidarity network, using the Sea Sol model.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with  Seal Sol i have added their website for you to review.  However, to summarize, the Seattle Solidarity Network i picked this statement right off their website.  It reads:

The Seattle Solidarity Network works with renters and workers to take the fight directly to their scum bosses and landlords who seek to deprive us of our homes, our salaries, and our dignity.  This is a model that can work anywhere, and in a place like Victoria, with rents as astronomical and ridiculous as they are, and cheating bosses as plentiful as` tourists, we will have not lack of appropriate targets to choose from.  Lets take the fight to the Boss and Landlord now!!!

The success of Sea Sol has been spread to new chapters in Portland, Olympia, Tacoma, and now Vancouver.  It is time for us to join the struggle and learn what we can from this dedicated sisters and brothers.

Please come out to this important workshop at the B.C.G.E.U hall (2994 Douglas st) from 1:00pm-6:00pm on Saturday November 6th.  Lunch provided.

We are asking for a $10-$20 donation to help cover our costs, but NO ONE WILL BE TURNED AWAY!!

Space is limited so please RSVP to this email ASAP at iwwvi@telus.net

Also, starting at 7pm, please join us for the “Solidarity Social” with incredible folks act, food and refreshments.  Couldn’t make the workshop?  Come on down and chat with the Sea Sol folks, and have a good time!

Brought to you by the Vancouver Island General membership Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World.

Yea! We got our charter. Van Isle is now an official IWW branch.

Things are moving ahead. Looks like the Seasol meeting is coming off in Victoria Nov 6. If you don’t know what Seasol is and does check out the links to the right. Keep looking here for updates on that meeting.

The Canadian labour martyrs  pamphlet is coming along nicely. We are at rough draft stage and found a total of 22 workers who were killed by police, scabs or company goons in the last 110 years of union organizing.

THE IWW IN CANADA, the only history of our movement, has been reprinted by the Vanislewobs Lit Dept. An attractive 28 page pamphlet, it is a reprint of the original 1975 edition with a bit of up-date. Contact us for copies…

Dr. Harvey Brenner is a longtime student of the correlations between economic fluctuations and mental and physical health. According to Brenner, who is a sociologist and public-health expert at Johns Hopkins University and the University of North Texas Health Science Center, for every 1 percent rise in the unemployment rate (about 1.5 million more people out of work), society can anticipate 47,000 more deaths, including 26,000 from fatal heart attacks, 1,200 from suicide, 831 from murders, and 635 related to alcohol consumption.

See full article on why unions are beneficial to the economy in “The Path to a High Wage Society” Peter Dreier, American Prospect Sept 3 2010

Our little Van Isle Branch has kept busy this last month.

On Sept. 11 and 12 we were at the Victoria Anarchist Book Fair.  Talked to a lot of people and distributed a fair amount of our literature.  For info on the book fair see

http://www.victoriaanarchistbookfair.ca/

August 22 saw us at the Pandora Green Festival

in Victoria as well.

And on August 15 some of us were at the Vancouver Seasol Meeting. ( Seasol is Seattle Solidarity) Around 15 people showed for the secession, which was very informative and inspiring. Folks in  Vancouver and Victoria are interested in creating a  Seasol type organization.

Some people think Labour Day was set up as a capitalistic counter-measure to May 1, but this was not the case with the original Labour Day holiday. It grew out of working class struggle. And the head of the Carpenters Union Peter McGuire, who introduced this Canadian day to US workers was, at that time, an anarchist, a friend of Joe Labadie, not some right-wing AFL pork chopper. The following is the text of a leaflet to be handed out on Labour Day by Van Isle IWW:

Labour Day was not given to us. It grew out of Labour’s own action in the 1870′s. Read on…

The Canadian labour movement can justly claim the title of originator of Labour Day. Peter J. McGuire, one of the founders of the American Federation of Labour has traditionally been known as the ‘Father of Labour Day’. Historical evidence indicates that McGuire obtained his idea for the establishment of an annual demonstration and public holiday from the Canadian trade unionist.

Earliest records show that the Toronto Trades Assembly, perhaps the original central labour body in Canada, organized the first North American ‘workingman’s demonstration’ of any significance for April 15,1872. The beribboned parade marched smartly in martial tread accompanied by four bands. About 10,000 Torontonians turned out to see the parade and listen to the speeches calling for abolition of the law which decreed that trade unions were criminal conspiracies in restraint of trade.

The freedom of 24 imprisoned leaders of the Toronto Typographical Union, on strike to secure the nine-hour working day, was the immediate purpose of the parade, on what was then Thanksgiving Day It was still a crime to be a member of a union in Canada although the law of criminal conspiracy in restraint of trade had been repealed by the United Kingdom parliament in 1871.

Toronto was not the only city to witness a labour parade in 1872. On September 3, members of seven unions in Ottawa organized a parade more than a mile long, headed by the Garrison Artillery band and flanked by city fireman carrying torches.

The Ottawa parade wound its way to the home of Prime Minister Sir John A. MacDonald where the marchers hoisted him into a carriage and drew him to Ottawa City Hall by torchlight. ‘The Old Chieftain’, aware of the discontent of workers with the laws which made unions illegal, in a ringing declaration from the steps of the City Hall, promised the marchers that his party would ‘sweep away all such barbarous laws from the statute books’.

The offending conspiracy laws were repealed by the Canadian government in 1872. The tradition established by the Toronto Trades Assembly was continued through the seventies and into the early 1880′s.

In 1882, the Toronto Trades and Labour Council, successor to the TTA, decided to organize the annual demonstration and picnic for July 22. The council sent an invitation to Peter J. McGuire of New York requesting his services of as a speaker for the occasion. McGuire was the founder and general secretary of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters which had organized the previous year.

It was in the same year, that McGuire proposed at a meeting of the New York Central Labour Union that a festive day be set aside for a demonstration and picnic. Labour Day was first celebrated in New York on September 5,1882. It is apparent, however, that the custom had developed in Canada and the invitation sent to McGuire prompted his suggestion to the New York labour body.

Soon pressure for legislation to declare a national holiday for Labour Day was exerted in both Canada and the United States. In 1894 the government of Sir John Thompson enacted such legislation on July 23, with the Prime Minister piloting the bill through Parliament against the opposition of some of his Conservative followers.

Canadian trade unionists have celebrated this day set aside to honor those who labour’ from the 1870′s on. The first Labour Day parade in Winnipeg, in 1894, was two miles long.

There can be little doubt that the annual demonstrations of worker’s solidarity each Labour Day in North America owe their inspiration to small group of ‘illegal’ members of the Toronto Trades Assembly.

The above is an edited version of an article written in September, 1961 byClifford A Scotton, editor of the former CLC flagship publication, “Canadian Labour

This may be old, but back on June 25 we were out in force in Cumberland at Ginger Goodwin’s grave site for the annual Miners Memorial Day.