1850-1890: Industrializing Canada: Essay Proposal
1850-1890: Industrializing Canada: Essay Proposal
Thesis:
Between 1850 and 1890, the Canadian labor force experienced numerous changes including the formation of unions. Labor unions were formed for different reasons and between 1850 and 1890, different competing unions were formed to perform different purposes. Child labor also had a great influence on the Canadian industrial economy during the last half of the nineteenth century.
Regulate the work process by bargaining on the number of hours craftspeople should work
Negotiate on issues of wages.
Negotiate on the better working conditions and environment.
Knights of Labor Growth (Kealey, 2015; Rouillard, 2014)
Membership was not limited to sex or race.
Involved even unskilled workers who were denied membership to craft unions
Membership from different professions; therefore, expanded in small towns and villages.
Encouraged unity between skilled and unskilled employees; therefore, attracted many workers.
Opposed blacklists by employers, which attracted many employees working in industries.
Provided workers with a chance to air out political opinions, by providing a common bargaining body
Reason Craft Unions Opposed Knights of Labor (Canadian Museum of History).
Dispute as to which union would represent which employee group.
Knights experienced high organizing success; therefore, got members who were initially in craft unions
Knights of labor represented general employee issues; Craft unions represented the needs of specific employee groups; therefore, members ditched KOL.
Role of Child Labor in Canadian Industrial Economy
Promoted competition as children replaced adults in industries.
Promoted industrial economic development for industries as children received low wages.
Promoted increased apprenticeship; therefore, children gained skills at an early age.
The human right activists formed Craft Unions to serve distinct purposes that regulated and enhanced the labor markets in Canada. The movement and sourcing for work characterized the industrialization period leading to socio-economic development. Conferring to Heron (2014), it was critical to control the number of people participating in skilled activities. It is from that rationale that human rights crusaders spearheaded movements that would regulate the labor markets in Canada. The unions later developed into trade organizations that formulated policies that governed the hiring and recruitment of the skilled labor. The contributions of the craft unions in the development of industrial workers could not be underestimated.
The Craft Unions played a significant role in training and regulating the labor markets of the skilled personnel (Heron, 2014). The rate of industrialization did not match that of empowering the employees with the essential skills and knowledge to work efficiently. Many of the factory workers were unskilled and incompetent hence, necessitating the training of the workforce to enhance productivity. The trade unions were keen on recruiting and empowering the industrial workers to gain the technical knowledge to be competent in their areas of specialization. The organizations offered training programs to factory employees, a practice that contributed enormously to the sourcing of the skilled labor.
Bestowing to Rouillard (2014), the industrialization period in Canada saw the exploitation of the workers hence, the need to regulate the number of hours they worked in a day. It limited the duration of working to enhance effectiveness and quality goods and services. The Canadian Unions played a critical role in creating awareness about the abuse of the factory employees. It further advocated limited working hours for the wellbeing of both the company and the workers. The Crusaders thought it necessary to protect the organizational workers from working long hours yet receiving meager wages.
The poor working conditions and pay issues prompted the formation of trade unions to improve the working standards. The industrialization process led to the high demand for workforce in Canada. However, the recruited individuals worked in horrible circumstances that threatened their lives and health. The factory staffs were exposed to many hazards that put their lives and health on the line. Therefore, it was necessary to protect the health and social well-being of the laborers through trade unions that represented their welfare (Heron, 2014; Correspondingly, it was imperative to bargain for fair remuneration and employee compensation, as many employers took advantage of the unskilled and inadequately skilled labor in the market to make enormous profits. The laborers were at the receiving end and continued leading unhappy and unsatisfying lives, yet they offered essential services to the factory owners. The human right activists played a vital role in negotiating for better-working terms and conditions in an attempt to improve the social wellbeing of the industrial workers (Rouillard, 2014).
The Knights of Labor grew quickly to compete with the trade unions in the representation of the workers’ affairs because its membership was not limited to sex or race (Rouillard, 2014). It appreciated the role played by the Craft Unions in improving the wellbeing of its members. However, such institutions recruited its members based on sex and race. For instance, whereas other unions enlisted the White females or males, others enrolled the Blacks based on their gender. The Knights of Labor never discriminated laborers, thus, gaining popularity fast. Many people who were against the unfairness spearheaded the formation of the Knights to represent the rights and welfare of the factory workers.
Conferring to Kealey (2015), the Craft Unions played an integral role in training skilled workers, it refrained itself from representing the welfare of the unskilled personnel. On the other hand, people began supporting movements that would serve both the qualified and unskilled workforce abstaining from many forms of discrimination. The Knights of Labor garnered the substantive support of the Canadian workers because it acknowledged not only the experts but also those who did manual jobs. The human rights crusaders were keen on promoting human dignity through labor unions that were inclusive of both genders and different races.
It also encouraged membership across the various professions; therefore, expanded in small towns and villages. (Rouillard, 2014). The Knights of Labor had an enormous presence in Canada, a situation that contributed to its fame and a massive following. Most of the Craft Unions represented the interests of workers in a given specialty. For instance, the engineering organizations did not accept healthcare providers to enroll as members. However, the Knights of Labor took members from all backgrounds irrespective of their profession, race, and skills.
The cooperation of the workers regardless of their skills’ level contributes immensely to the fast growing economy. Likewise, the Knights of Labor were keen on enhancing cohesion between the skilled and unskilled labor, a policy that made the organization gain popularity faster than the traditional craft unions. No doubt, many people supported the organization because of its practical and beneficial ideologies that aimed at promoting national cohesion in Canada (Rouillard, 2014).
Kealey (2015) argued that the organization equally grew fast because it opposed blacklisting policy adopted by many employers. That contributed to the presenting of images and characters of the industrial workers making it difficult for them to secure employment elsewhere following resignation or dismissal. Many employees suffered at the hands of their employing firms, particularly when they breached the organizational policies. The Knights protected the welfare of all staff from unfair dismissal and blacklisting to enable them secure employment elsewhere should their services got terminated.
The exceeding offered platforms for workers to air their political opinions, something that the craft unions discouraged (Rouillard, 2014). Whereas politics should not take the center stage in the workers affairs, it was necessary for the Knights of Labor to provide avenues to establish a strong bargaining power for their interests. Although the craft unions did not support political affiliations, the movement did not discourage its members from participating in such and running for public offices. The role played by the Knights of Labor in bargaining for better packages cannot be underestimated.
The dispute over which union would represent which employee group contributed immensely to the increased differences between the Craft unions and Knights of Labor (Museum of History, n.d.). The later was against the former’s position of representing all working groups from different professions, yet it excluded the unskilled personnel. The Knights of Labor represented employees from various fields irrespective of their race and gender. Hence, the members argued it was in the best position to serve the interests of all the Canadian workers than the craft unions. The issue brought increased differences and supremacy battles between the opposing sides, something that disappointed the craft unions. That appreciated the role played by the two organizations in protecting and promoting the welfare of the employees in Canada and the division and disagreement triggered resentment from the craft unions.
The craft unions likewise opposed the Knights of Labor because of its better organization and achievement in the history of Canada and trade unions. It is imperative to note that some Craft Unionists defected to join the Knights of Labor movements because of its practical ideologies. The internal wrangles and poor leadership in the craft unions contributed to its members quitting to accede to the opposing side. The absconded leaders enhanced effectiveness in the representation of the interests of the employees. It is for this reason that the members of craft union opposed the Knights of Labor because it contributed to its members defecting from the organization (Museum of History, n.d.). The political affiliations partly contributed to the division because the Knights of Labor allowed its members to air their views in matters governance, something that made it more attractive than the craft union. The Knights of Labor committed to serving its members diligently thus gaining enormous support from the workers and the public. On the contrary, the craft unions concentrated on serving a section of the employees who were skilled.
The difference sin mandate and commitment to serving the industrial workers also formed the basis for craft unions opposing their counterparts. The Knights of Labor covered most towns and villages hence; its presence was felt at grass root level. Moreover, it gained massive support from a majority of the Canadian workers, unlike its counterpart unions that only represented the skilled labor. Whereas the two opposing ends were committed to protecting and promoting the well-being of its members, they similarly differed in their mandate and representation. The Knights stood for the general issues affecting the industrial workers whereas the craft unions dealt with specific topics that adversely influenced the individual professional groups Canadian (Museum of History, n.d.). Consequently, the unionists felt that the Knights were misleading workers and under-representing their views and concerns. The supremacy battles over which organization attracted a massive support from the workers worsened the situation contributing to the increased animosity between the two.
The skewing of the Canadian working class characterized the labor markets. The culture quickly spread to all regions spontaneously. As a factor of production, labor markets ruptures and migrations contributed to the skewing during the industrial revolution. The fragmentation of the workers partly contributed to inequality and inequity in the hiring of the Canadians in the job market. The working class was characterized by improved living conditions, better housing, accessibility to quality healthcare services, and increased wages (Klassen & Carroll, 2015).
The industrial revolution in Canada saw the creation of a reserve army to offer labor in the fast growing sector. Although the immigrants were allowed to work in Canada, they did not serve for long after they accomplished their missions. For instance, the foreign soldiers who worked in Canada worked at part time to bridge the wide gap experienced in the labor market. Nevertheless, they later quitted the jobs for the Canadians immediately they were called back after the completion of their assignment. The culture was maintained to ensure that the deficit in the workforce to serve in the industries were met. However, it was later dropped following the introduction of the child labor, an aspect that provided a relief and a boost to the industrial development (Klassen & Carroll, 2015).
The discrimination of the laborers based on the lines of race and gender characterized the Canadian labor market. As already mentioned, the craft unions recruited its members based on their sex and racial background. The practice reflects the widespread discrimination in the job markets at that time (Rouillard, 2014). Conversely, the emergence of the Knights of Labor garnered support from the working class, a situation that promoted equal opportunities to all workers in Canada irrespective of their gender and race.
The working class were divided into three distinct social classes namely the upper, middle, and lower. The profiling of the employees contributed to others being the disadvantage in securing employment opportunities. The high-class individuals achieved the skilled labor jobs that offered handsome remuneration (Klassen & Carroll, 2015). Those in the middle class earned much pay than their counterparts in the lower profile. The little class comprised of the individuals who offered unskilled labor. The industrial revolution in Canada was unavoidable. However, its benefits exceeded the disadvantages that accompanied it particularly in creating employment opportunities and growth of the economy.
The role of the child labor in Canadian Industrial Economy cannot be underestimated because it created healthy competition in the job market. It is of the essence to note the composition of the workers who served as employees in the Canadian Industries. Before the introduction of the child labor, the adults dominated the skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled jobs in Canada. The trade unions and the Knights acknowledged and recruited adults to serve as their members and offer labor to the fast growing industrial sector (Pomfret, 2013). However, the inadequate human resource to provide services in the factories contributed to the introduction of child labor to fill the deficit. It encouraged competition between the young and the elderly thus fostering economic development. However, the completion marked the beginning of corruption and ageism when recruiting and promoting the industrial workers. It must be remembered that the child labor spurred economic development more than the adults did.
It also encouraged the industrial economic development as they received lower wages than the adults yet offering high-quality services did (Constant & Zimmermann, 2013). The skilled and unskilled adults demanded huge pay that saw factories limiting their budgets. Many industries did not invest much of their resources and finances in expanding their production but instead, operate within a lean budget. Though, the acceptance of the child labor led to a paradigm shift in investment, a process that led to increased production and fast growth rates in the economy. The children offered cheap labor to industries that enabled them to invest more resources in improving their productions and operations. Besides, many factories sprung up to absorb the readily available cheap labor, a situation that contributed enormously to the improved Canadian Economy. However, child labor saw many adults retrenched following their high demands in remuneration and compensation. Others were replaced by the skilled child labor that contributed significantly to the heightened performance and productivity in Canada.
That increased apprenticeship; therefore, children gained skills at an early age (Museum of History, n.d.). The trade unions promoted the training of the children in various fields to gain expertise to deliver in their future places of work. Many companies hired children and trained them in critical fields to enhance professionalism and skilled labor that later spurred economic development in Canada. Some organizations offered scholarships to children, thus, providing them an opportunity to gain essential skills and competence in working as laborers in the Canadian Industries.
References
Canadian Museum of History. (n.d.). The decline of the Knights. Retrieved from Canadian Museum of History: http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/hist/labour/labh14e.shtml
Constant, A. F., & Zimmermann, K. F. (Eds.). (2013). International handbook on the economics of migration. New York, NY: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Heron, C. (2014). Craft Unionism. Retrieved from Historica Canada: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/craft-unionism/
Kealey, G. S. (2015). Knights of Labor. Retrieved from Historica Canada: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/knights-of-labor/
Klassen, J., & Carroll, W. K. (2015). Transnational class formation? Globalization and the Canadian corporate network. Journal of World-Systems Research, 17(2), 379-402. http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/jwsr/article/view/418
Pomfret, R. (2013). The economic development of Canada. New York, NY: Routledge.
Rouillard, J. (2014). Working Class History and The Rise Of Unions In Canada. Retrieved from West Kootenay Labor Council: https://westkootenaylabourcouncil.wordpress.com/canadian-labour/working-class-history-and-the-rise-of-unions-in-canada/
