In Our Union, Jason Russell argues that the union local, as an institution of working-class organization, was a key agent for the Canadian working class as it sought to create a new place for itself in the decades following World War II. Using UAW/CAW Local 27, a composite union in London, Ontario, as a case study, he offers a ground-level look at union membership, including some of the social and political agendas that informed union activities. Drawing on interviews with former members of UAW/CAW Local 27 as well as on archival sources, Russell offers a narrative intended to speak not only to labour historians but to union members themselves.
Table of Contents
List of Tables / vi
List of Illustrations / vii
Acknowledgements / ix
Introduction: Local Unions in the Post–World War II Decades / 3
I Built to Last / 17
2 The National Union / 49
3 Employers and Bargaining Units / 79
4 Collective Bargaining / 103
5 Labour Relations / 141
6 The Social and Community Agenda / 165
7 Community Politics and Activism / 201
8 “It Was All About Families” / 223
Conclusion: Looking Back / 251
Appendix A: Local 27 Bargaining Units / 263
Appendix B: Interviews / 264
Notes / 265
Bibliography / 309
Index / 321