Standing Up, Fighting Back: Fostering Collective Action in CUPE New Brunswick, 1963-1993 by William Vinh-Doyle M.A. History, Lakehead University, 2006 Honours Bachelor of Arts, History, Lakehead University, 2004 Bachelor of Education, History, Lakehead University, 2003 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the Graduate Academic Unit of History Supervisor: Gregory Kealey, PhD, History, UNB Examining Board: David Frank, PhD, History, UNB Linda Kealey, PhD, History, UNB Thom Workman, PhD, Political Science External Examiner: Alvin Finkel, PhD, History, Athabasca University This dissertation is accepted by the Dean of Graduate Studies THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK March, 2015 Copyright: William Vinh-Doyle, 2015 11 Abstract The emergence of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in the 1970s as the largest union in Canada was a major development in Canadian labour history and the result of extensive efforts to organize unorganized civil servants and public employees. Public sector union growth has often been thought to have differed fundamentally from the experience of private sector unions, on the grounds that union rights were extended to public sector workers without struggle. The history of CUPE New Brunswick, established in 1963, and its predecessor unions in the 1950s demonstrates the complex struggles of civil servants and public employees to acquire and then to apply collective bargaining rights in the province of New Brunswick. While the enactment of the Public Service Labour Relations Act (PSLRA) in 1968 provided a legal means for civil servants to join a union and bargain collectively, public sector workers continued to struggle for improved wages and working conditions throughout the 1970s and 1980s. These conflicts, which drew on both membership mobilization and legal strategies, are shown in detail in the experience of CUPE members in Local 963, New Brunswick Liquor Store Workers, and Local 1252, New Brunswick Council of Hospital Unions, the umbrella organization representing hospital support workers. While locals within CUPE New Brunswick worked independently of one another, the more than 200 CUPE locals in the province joined together in 1992 to resist measures introduced by the provincial Liberal government. While this was essentially a defensive struggle to protect existing rights, it also represented a challenge to the emerging policies of neo-liberalism and a culmination of a tradition of collective action within the union. 111 Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the faculty in the Department of History of the University of New Brunswick for providing instruction and guidance over the years. Special thanks to Greg Kealey, David Frank, and Linda Kealey for taking an active role in mentoring me as I sought to balance school, life, and work. Thanks also to Raymond Leger, CUPE New Brunswick, for supporting my research and answering questions relating to CUPE. This connection was made easier by the SSHRC-funded LHTNB project, which sought to connect and extend the knowledge of labour history in the province. This thesis could not have been accomplished without the remarkable staff at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. Their dedication and service over the years has been appreciated. Thank you to Robbie Gilmore for directing me to new sources of information; to Diana Moore and Tom McCaffrey for reviewing the numerous government records I requested; to Twilla Buttimer for helping me get started with the CUPE records and other private records. Special thanks to Crystal Claybourn who had the unfortunate circumstance of retrieving containers for me. Thanks to the many other staff who have taken the time to listen and encourage me over the years. I had the fortunate experience of joining the Provincial Archives in a part-time capacity during my second year at UNB, eventually accepting a full-time permanent position in 2008. I am very thankful to Marion Beyea, former Director of the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, for encouraging me during these last few years to continue lV my studies. I also owe a special thank you to Allen Doiron for supporting me and mentoring me during this time. Without the support of my senior management, I could not have achieved this. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my family. My son Max always has the ability to put a smile on my face and make me laugh. The time we spend together is always a welcome break from work and school. I cannot express how much I am thankful for my wife, Bolpar Vinh-Doyle, for being my support during these years. I could not have accomplished any of this without her. V Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ v List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii List of Abbreviations ......................................................................................................... ix Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One: Organizing Public Sector Workers in the Early Years (1953-1967) .......... 23 Chapter Two: Establishing a Collective Bargaining System for Public Sector Employees (1963-1967) ....................................................................................................................... 72 Chapter Three: Labour and the Law: A Case Study of New Brunswick Liquor Store Workers (CUPE Local 963) ............................................................................................ 116 Chapter Four: Catching Up and Fighting Back: A Case Study of the New Brunswick Council of Hospital Unions (CUPE Local 1252) ........................................................... 193 Chapter Five: Fighting For Our Future: The CUPE Provincial Strike, 1992 ................. 229 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 268 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 283 Appendix 1 :Membership Survey Results, Fight for Your Future, March 1992 ............ 288 Curriculum Vitae VI List of Tables Table 1: Total NUPE Membership and Locals in Canada, and Atlantic Provinces (1955- 1963) ..............................................................................................30 Table 2: Total CUPE Membership and Locals in Canada, and Locals in New Brunswick ( 1964-1967) .................................................................................... 3 2 Table 3: New Brunswick Federation of Labour List of Public Sector Unions who Received Certification, but were Excluded by the Labour Relations Act (1949) ........................................................................................... 37 Table 4: Total CUPE Membership and Locals in Canada, and Locals in New Brunswick (1967-1971) ................................................................................... 117 Table 5: Classification Rates of Government Stores Group (1970) ......................... 118 Table 6: Recommended Classification for Government Stores (Step E), by Conciliation Board ........................................................................................... 119 Table 7: Increase in Classification Rates for Government Stores Group (1970) .......... 124 Table 8: Rates of Pay for Liquor Store Workers, 1976 ...................................... .128 Table 9: Wage Differential between NB Liquor Employees and Outside Liquor Workers in Atlantic Provinces, and Inside New Brunswick Retail Wholesale Average Workers ....................................................................................... 129 Table 10: Allowable Increases for Corporate Services Group per the Anti-Inflation Regulations .................................................................................... 130 Table 11: Employee Wage Rate Adjustments Submitted to the AIB, 1978 ............... 161 Table 12: Wage Comparison of Liquor Store Clerks in Nova Scotia, PEI, and New Brunswick, 197 6 .............................................................................. 172 Table 13: Wage Comparison of Liquor Store Clerks in Nova Scotia, PEI, and New Brunswick, 1978 .............................................................................. 172 Table 14: Wage comparison of Liquor Store Senior Clerks in Nova Scotia, PEI, and New Brunswick, 1978 .............................................................................. 173 Table 15: Wage Comparison of Liquor Store Assistant Managers in Nova Scotia, PEI, and New Brunswick, 1978 .................................................................. 173 vu Table 16: Wage Classification of Liquor Store Workers (1978-1980) ..................... 173 Table 17: Wage Comparison of Hospital Support Workers, Institutional Services (1974 and 1978) ......................................................................................213