School of Labour

The small, quiet city of Weyburn, Saskatchewan is caught in the middle of a global battle between one of the largest unions and the world's largest corporation--Wal-Mart. Looks at what the local Wal-Mart really means in a small town, and how being chosen as the battleground between two colossal institutions has affected the community and the workers.

In May 1919, 30,000 Winnipeg workers walked off the job and into the history books, launching the largest strike in Canadian history. It lasted six weeks and ended in the violence of Bloody Saturday, a day organized labour has never forgotten or forgiven.

A group of immigrant workers take a stand against the million dollar corporations who employ them.

Documents the tremendous achievements of labour activists around equity and anti-racism work in Toronto over the last three decades.

The United Steelworkers of America set out to challenge Stelco and the government by striking in the summer of 1946. The result was one of the most bitter strikes in Canadian history, with many Hamilton residents supporting the strikers and other unions providing vital help.

El Contrato follows Teodoro Bello Martinez, a poverty-stricken father of four living in Central Mexico, and several of his countrymen as they make an annual migration to southern Ontario to pick tomatoes for conditions and wages no local will accept.

Describes the historic 1984 contract negotiations between the United Auto Workers and General Motors Corporation during which tensions between American and Canadian sectors of the UAW led to formation of the independent Canadian Auto Workers.

Jamaica became an independent country from Great Britain in 1962. It is the land of sea, sand and sun, but it is also a prime example of the complexities of economic globalization on the world's developing countries. Effectively portrays the relationship between Jamaican poverty and the practices of international lending agencies, such as the International Monetary Fund, while driving home the devastating consequences of globalization.

Follows Julia Query, a peepshow stripper, on her journey to help organize the only strippers union in the United States.

HE6659 .P4 M46 1995
This is the story of how local activists transformed two company unions -- the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and the Letter Carriers Union of Canada -- into militant and activist unions.

Three women present the complex issues facing immigrant women who work in job ghettos.

The late 1800s were a time of harsh living and working conditions. This episode reveals how labour unions emerged in Canada and workers began to fight for greater protection in the workplace. Featured are: the 1886 revolt by the Knights of Labour, the 1903 railway workers strike against the CPR, coal miners strikes in Ontario and Vancouver, and the Winnipeg General Strike in 1919.

In 1929, the stock market came crashing down and a long economic depression began. The Canadian labour movement battled for survival while millions of workers faced starvation. The period of time between 1929-1945 marked a transformation for the worker's movement as the fight for legitimacy, recognition and basic labour rights gained a strong presence in Canadian society.

There is an increased militancy particularly with the federal public servants in the 1960's as seen with the postal workers wildcat strikes. The 1960's saw the beginning of automation that threatened jobs. By the 70's the public sector workers were strong unionists as seen in the Quebec "Common Front" strike in 1972. In 1975 trying to fight inflation, Trudeau introduced Wage and Price controls. The 80's brought the battle for Canadian autonomy and the introduction of Free Trade.

This episode examines the international political content of the period and the threats to trade unions posed by the governments of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.