The Feminization of the Labour Movement in New Brunswick: Women in the New Brunswick Federation of Labour, 1913-1984 by Kimberley Dunphy B.A. Honours, University of New Brunswick, 2006 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Graduate Academic Unit of History Supervisor: David Frank, PhD, History Examining Board: Linda Kealey, PhD, History Jennie Hornosty, PhD, Sociology Sean Kennedy, PhD, History (Chair) This thesis is accepted by the Dean of Graduate Studies THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK August 2009 © Kimberley Dunphy, 2009 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre r&ference ISBN: 978-0-494-80724-8 Our file Notre r6f6rence ISBN: 978-0-494-80724-8 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1*1 Canada Abstract This is a study of the feminization of the labour movement in New Brunswick. Women's involvement in the labour movement in New Brunswick is a recent phenomenon that has yet to be systematically examined. This study will contribute to understanding this history through a case study of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour (NBFL). The study focuses on the annual conventions of the Federation and the participation of women delegates at these meetings. The questions addressed include: How many women were there as delegates? Who were these women? Where did they live, work and what unions were they from? How were they received at the meetings? Were other women present at the meetings? This thesis also looks beyond the delegates to see what themes pertaining to women were discussed at the meetings. What women's issues were raised, and what resolutions were passed? Were men or women raising these issues? Overall, the NBFL prided itself on championing women's rights. Nonetheless, women and their issues faced obstacles and indifference within the history of the NBFL. By the 1980s, however, the participation of large numbers of women and the formation of a Women's Committee had led to a larger degree of feminization within the Federation. Until recently very little was written about New Brunswick labour history in the 20th century. This study will help fill in some of the blanks regarding the history of women workers in New Brunswick. ii Acknowledgements I am most indebted to my supervisor, David Frank, for his continuous support throughout the writing process. His encouragement and suggestions were instrumental to this thesis. Thanks also to my family and friends that gave unwavering support during this process. Special thanks to my mother Dianne for backing me both emotionally and financially even when it seemed there was no end in sight. Thanks to the staff at the Harriet Irving Library and the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick for their help in locating sources. I am also indebted to the New Brunswick Labour History Project, a Community-University Research Alliance supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, for the financial assistance and support that helped in the fulfillment of this thesis. iii Table of Contents Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii Table of Contents iv List of Tables and Figures v List of Appendices vii Abbreviations viii Introduction 1 Chapter One The Early Women: 1913-1963 15 Chapter Two The Transition Period: 1964-1974 45 Chapter Three Times are Assuredly Changing: 1975-1984 66 Conclusion 86 Appendices 90 Bibliography 142 Curriculum Vitae iv List of Tables and Figures Table One 40 Women Delegates at the New Brunswick Federation of Labour, 1919-1963 Figure One 41 New Brunswick Federation of Labour Meetmgs With and Without Female Delegates in Attendance, 1919-1963 Figure Two 41 Number of Women and Men as Delegates at New Brunswick Federation of Labour Meetings, 1919-1963 Table Two 42 Male and Female Delegates at New Brunswick Federation of Labour Meetings, 1919-1963 Figure Three 43 Male and Female Delegates at New Brunswick Federation of Labour Meetings, 1919-1963 Figure Four 44 Single and Married Women Delegates, 1919-1963 Table Three 62 Male and Female Delegates at New Brunswick Federation of Labour Meetings, 1964-1974 Figure Five 63 Male and Female Delegates at New Brunswick Federation of Labour Meetings, 1964-1973 Table Four 64 Men and Women on New Brunswick Federation of Labour Committees, 1964-1973 Table Five 65 Geographic Representation of Women Delegates, 1964-1973 v Table Six Male and Female Delegates at New Brunswick Federation of Labour Meetings, 1975-1984 Figure Six Male and Female Delegates at New Brunswick Federation of Labour Meetings, 1975-1984 Table Seven Men and Women on New Brunswick Federation of Labour Committees, 1975-1984 Table Eight Geographic Representation of Women Delegates, 1975-1984 vi List of Appendices Appendix One Male and Female Delegates at New Brunswick Federation of Labour Conventions, 1919-1984 Appendix Two Women Delegates at New Brunswick Federation of Labour Conventions, 1919-1984 Appendix Three Locals with Women Delegates at New Brunswick Federation of Labour Conventions, 1919-1984 Appendix Four The Bethel Nursing Home Strike, 1981-1982 vii Abbreviations BCWIUA- Bakery and Confectionery Workers International Union of America CALEA- Canadian Air Line Employees Association CBRT&GW- Canadian Brotherhood of Railway, Transport and General Workers CFAW- Canadian Food and Allied Workers CLC- Canadian Labour Congress CPU- Canadian Paperworkers Union CS & AWU- Canadian Seafood and Allied Workers Union CSWU- Canadian Seafood Workers Union CUPE- Canadian Union of Public Employees CUPW-Canadian Union of Postal Workers H & REIA-Hotel and Restaurant Employees International Association IA of M & A W- International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers IBEW- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers ILA- International Longshoremen's Association ITU- International Typographical Union LWU- Laundry Workers Union NBFL- New Brunswick Federation of Labour OPEIU- Office and Professional Employees International Union PS AC- Public Service Alliance of Canada RWDSU- Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union TWUA- Textile Workers Union of America UAW- United Autoworkers UBCJA- United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America UBE- Union of Bank Employees UFCW- United Food and Commercial Workers UPWA- United Packinghouse Workers of America USWA- United Steelworkers of America UTWA- United Textile Workers of America UTWC- United Textile Workers of Canada viii Introduction This is a study of one theme in the feminization of the labour movement in New Brunswick. Women's involvement in the labour movement in New Brunswick is a recent phenomenon that has yet to be systematically examined. This study will contribute to understanding this history through a case study of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour. Why is it that when the NBFL first began there were few to no women delegates present, but today the numbers of men and women are almost equal? The study focuses on the annual conventions of the Federation and the participation of women delegates at these meetings. The questions addressed include: How many women were there as delegates? Who were these women? Where did they live, work and what unions were they from? How were they received at the meetings? Were other women present at the meetings? This thesis also looks beyond the delegates to see what themes pertaining to women were discussed at the meetings. What women's issues were raised, and what resolutions were passed? Were men or women raising these issues? Overall, the NBFL prided itself on championing women's rights. Nonetheless, women and their issues faced obstacles and indifference within the history of the NBFL. By the 1980s, however, the participation of large numbers of women and the formation of a Women's Committee led to a larger degree of feminization with the Federation. This study shows the "feminization" of the labour movement in New Brunswick primarily in that the number of women delegates in the Federation of Labour increased over time. Another indication of the "feminization" of the labour movement was the change in attitudes and agenda of the Federation over time, which led to the establishment of the Women's Committee within the Federation. 1 How has the place of women in the Canadian labour force changed over the course of the 20th century? The Double Ghetto: Canadian Women and Their Segregated Work is a study of the sex segregation of women in Canada.