Today, we think of Labour Day as just a long weekend - the last one before school starts and families resume a busy schedule of soccer, dance and music lessons. Moms and dads are back at work after summer vacations and weekends seem crowded with activities.
But on Monday, let's take a moment to consider how lucky we are to have those weekends as well as workplaces that are safe, fair wages and reasonable working conditions.
It wasn't always so.
Canada's Labour Day had its origins in 1872 with a parade in support of the striking Toronto Typographical Union, whose workers were fighting for a shorter work day of nine hours.
The Toronto Globe pushed police to press conspiracy charges (union activity was a criminal act under Canadian law) and police did press charges against 24 labour leaders.
The arrests sparked more protests and prime minister Sir John A. Macdonald promised to repeal the "barbarous" anti-union laws. Parliament did, in fact, pass the Trade Union Act on June 14, 1872, legalizing unions. Two years later, the federal government made Labour Day a national holiday.
But workers were still struggling, especially with safety issues.
In 1914, Ontario became the first Canadian province to introduce a state social insurance plan with the Workmen's Compensation Act. Before this, injured employees had no protection, other than to sue their employer. As the number of lawsuits increased, workers gave up their right to sue in exchange for compensation.
Another watershed was the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. Following the First World War, high unemployment and inflation led to a call for a general strike. More than 30,000 workers from both the public and private sectors walked off the job, shutting down the city. After "Bloody Saturday," when the RCMP charged a group of strikers - one man died and 30 were injured - the strike was settled.
Here in Coquitlam, brave men also fought for workers' rights.
In the book Coquitlam 100 Years, Roy LaVigne remembers Harold Pritchett, who along with other union leaders, was fired and blacklisted. Men were paid 25 cents an hour and then wages were cut to 20 cents an hour. They worked 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week, with only limited safety equipment. Many workers had to pay bosses to keep their jobs. There were more than 2,000 workers at Fraser Mills at the time of the strike. The company brought in "scabs" and the strike was eventually settled with workers returning to 25 cents an hour. During the strike, a large soup kitchen helped feed the hungry.
Also in Coquitlam 100 Years, Joseph Chabot remembers the strike, which lasted from Sept. 17 to Dec. 1. When it was over, workers got toilets with running water, a lunch room and better wages.
B.C. has played a prominent role in this country's labour history, with the first general strike in Canada staged in 1918 in Vancouver.
If you want to get a first-hand look at memorabilia related to the strikes, this weekend would be a good time to visit Mackin House Museum. You will find a letter addressed to employees by the vice-president and managing director of Fraser Mills, a postcard with a political comic about the strike and a copy of the agreement entered into between International Woodworkers of America and the Canadian Western Lumber Company. There are also tools and others items used by Fraser Mills workers on display in the Boarder's Room and Pare Room.
Your History is a column in which, once a month, representatives of the Tri-Cities' three heritage groups writes about local history. Jill Cook is executive director of the Coquitlam Heritage Society.
