{"id":618,"date":"2023-10-16T15:40:38","date_gmt":"2023-10-16T15:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/all-together-now.com\/?post_type=story&p=618"},"modified":"2024-01-23T19:16:07","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T19:16:07","slug":"the-ilgwu-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/all-together-now.com\/story\/the-ilgwu-in-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"The ILGWU in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The International Ladies\u2019 Garment Workers\u2019 Union (ILGWU) was founded in the United States of America in 1900. Throughout its history, ILGWU was known for its \u201csocial unionism.\u201d Its work extended beyond advocating for better workplace conditions, and into the creation of arts and education, health care, cooperative housing, immigration support, and recreation opportunities for its members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Banner, ILGWU. Mid to late 20th century, screen printing on synthetic fibres. Donation of the UNITE Ontario Council<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Between December 1910 and the end of 1911, the ILGWU<\/a> established six Canadian locals in Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg. Despite early gains, the road to unionizing garment workers in Canada was long and difficult. Between the ILGWU and another garment workers\u2019 union, the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA), only about a quarter of workers in the needle trades had unionized by the 1920s. In contrast, approximately half of the workforce had unionized by 1937. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Eaton\u2019s strike of 1912 in Toronto, was the first major strike action conducted by ILGWU in Canada. In March 1912, 65 men who worked as machine operators sewing coats refused to follow new orders to complete finishing work, which owner Timothy Eaton demanded without offering an increase in pay. Finishing, the process of attaching coat linings, was done by hand, typically by women who were not in the union. After the men refused to take on the finishing work, Eaton locked out the workers and refused to negotiate with their union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Parade of locked out Eaton\u2019s employees. The Toronto World: illustrated section, 31 March 1912, page 5.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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One thousand garment workers walked out in support of the 65 cloak makers. By March 23rd, over 2,000 strike supporters joined a demonstration in Toronto, which included children and elderly community members. The demonstration took the form of a parade which began at the Labour Temple on Church Street, travelling west along Queen Street. The march continued up Spadina Avenue and east along College Street, culminating in a rally at Massey Hall. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Workers at the Eaton\u2019s clothing factory in Montreal went on strike in solidarity, and Hamilton\u2019s garment workers threatened to join the strike if any of their companies attempted to do work for Eaton\u2019s. There was also a call for a nationwide boycott of Eaton\u2019s goods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The boycott was particularly effective in Toronto\u2019s immigrant Jewish community. The Toronto District Labour Council asked for women\u2019s clubs and groups to join the boycott, however support stalled across class lines when women from the leisure class did not support the strike or boycott. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the efforts of strikers and demonstrators, the strike broke after four months without a deal. The ILGWU found itself weakened, and Eaton\u2019s refused to hire Jewish people. Even so, hope remained in the wake of the Eaton strike; it had been a moment of solidarity across gender lines, and had mobilized Toronto\u2019s Jewish working class. One of the slogans of the strike was \u201cMir vellen nisht aroycenemen dem bissle fun broyt fun di mayler fun undzere shvester,\u201d<\/em> which translates into English as \u201cWe will not take the morsel of bread from the mouths of our sisters.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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ILGWU notice of mass meeting marking the 40 hour week\/ 8 hour day, in English and Yiddish, 1935. Reproduction courtesy of the Kheel Center ILGWU Collection, Cornell University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

While the majority of WAHC\u2019s ILGWU banners are thought to be from the 1930s, one appears to be similar to one carried at the Eaton\u2019s parade in 1912. Another exceptional piece in WAHC\u2019s collection is a small bilingual banner, likely from Quebec, illustrating the ILGWU union label. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ILGWU in Ottawa. ILGWU Members at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, at a \u201cLook for the Label\u201d demonstration. Image courtesy of the Kheel Center ILGWU Collection, Cornell University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to a convention report, the inclusion of a label on all ILGWU-made goods was a priority of the union as far back as 1910. By the 1970s and 1980s, the decline of garment manufacturing in North America was accelerating, due to increased importation of goods made overseas. Part of the ILGWU\u2019s response to this trend was a Union Label campaign, which included promotion of its Union Label in print, radio, and on television. Their well known \u201cUnion Label song\u201d in campaign ads appealed to shoppers\u2019 desire for quality, and promoted the benefits of supporting domestic garment workers. The ILGWU even produced and distributed films that highlighted the fashion appeal of garments produced by ILGWU members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n