CO-OPERATION AND CONFLICT: THE CCF AND THE CANADIAN CONGRESS OF LABOUR IN SASKATCHEWAN, 1944-1956 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Reasearch in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of History by Robert A. Lindsay Saskatoon, Saskatchewan c 1987 Robert A. Lindsay PERMISSION TO USE POSTGRADUATE THESES The author has agreed that the library, University of Saskatchewan, may make this thesis freely available for inspection. Moreover, the author has agreed that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised the thesis work recorded herein or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which this thesis work was done. It is understood that due recognition will be given the author of this thesis and to the University of Saskatchewan in any use of the material in this thesis. Copying or publication or any other use of this thesis for financial gain without approval by the University of Saskatchewan and the author's written permission is prohibited. Requests for permission to copy or to make any other use of material in this thesis in whole or part should be addressed to: The Head Department of History University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N OWO ii ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to examine CCF-CCL relations in the Saskatchewan public service during the early years of the government of Tommy Douglas. While much has been written about the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Congress of Labour (CCL), both as separate organizations and as political 'allies', little has been said about their relations in Saskatchewan. Yet, the CCF formed the government in Saskatchewan for five consecutive terms between 1944 and 1964, and it was in this agrarian province that the true test of the CCF-CCL relationship occurred. Saskatchewan was the one location where unions that supported the CCF were faced with a social democratic government which was also their employer. The difficulty the two sides encountered while trying to reconcile industrial relations with their political relations forms the subject of this study. iii PREFACE For the past few years I have been supported by funds provided by the College of Graduate Studies and Research, the Department of History, and the Douglas-Coldwell Foundation. I am grateful to those who have read this thesis and who helped in the research and preparation of it. My thanks to the members of my committee: J.R. Miller, Bill Waiser, and Professor Wetzel (and Mary Hallett and Brian Hogan), and especially to my supervisor, Professor T.D. Regehr for his patient guidance, encouragement and support. For their co-operation and assistance in permitting me to see the files and records of their organizations, I would like to thank the officers of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, the Canadian Labour Congress, and the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party. In addition, I am grateful to Dr. Carlyle King and the family of David Lewis for access to their papers. To the staff of the Saskatchewan Archives Board and the Public Archives of Canada, especially Darcy Hande and Peter DeLottinville, my thanks for their unfailing assistance while I examined large amounts of valuable material. I am deeply indebted to Bill Davies, 'Hub' Elkin, and Clarence Lyons for graciously accepting me into their homes while I pestered them for hours about the provincial labour movement. I am equally indebted to Bob Mitchell for arranging these interviews. Departmental Assistant Jackie Fraser deserves kudos for her magic with computers and friendly assistance to graduate students, and Glen Makahonuk of Special Collections at the University of Saskatchewan Archives deserves special mention for his generosity in sharing his time and research into Saskatchewan labour history. As well, my thanks to Robin Wylie and Mike Cottrell for their useful comments on my ideas. Special thanks are extended to Ivo Lambi for his guidance and friendship through the past years. To my brother Ross, who always encouraged me, my thanks for his support; and to my wife Evelle, for putting up with me, my love. iv ABBREVIATIONS AFL - American Federation of Labour CAEU - Canadian Airline Employees Union (CCL) CBRE - Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees (CCL) CCF - 'Co-operative Commonwealth Federation CCL - Canadian Congress of Labour CIO - Congress of Industrial Organizations CLC - Canadian Labour Congress CWA - Communications Workers of America (CCL) EAPB - Economic Advisory and Planning Board EUEU - Electrical utilities Employees Union (CCL) IBEW - International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (TLC) lOlA - Industrial Disputes Investigation Act, 1907 IWA - International Woodworkers of America (CCL) LRB - Labour Relations Board MLA - Member of the Legislative Assembly (Sask.) MPP - Member of the Provincial Parliament (Ont.) OWIU - Oil Workers International Union (CCL) PAC - Political Action Committee (CCL-PAC) PC 1003 - The wartime Labour Relations Regulations RWDSU - Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (CCL) SCSA - Saskatchewan Civil Servants Association (TLC) SFL - Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (CCL) SGA - Saskatchewan Government Airways SGIO - Saskatchewan Government Insurance Office SIEU - Saskatchewan Insurance Employees Union (CCL) SPC - Saskatchewan Power Corporation STC - Saskatchewan Transportation Company TLC - Trades and Labour Congress of Canada (AFL) UCSC - United Civil Servants of America (CCL) UMWA - United Mine Workers of America (CCL) UPWA - United Packinghouse Workers of America (eCL) v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT •.•.••..•.•.....•........•••..•.••.•............ 111 PREFACE •••...•....•..............- a •••••••••••••••••• i v GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS .....•.••.•.•.....•...••.........v CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ...•••••••.....•.•....••..•...•••..••1 II. MACKENZIE KING AND LABOUR IN SASKATCHEWAN •••.•.•10 III. CCF INCOMES POLICY .•..••.•••••••••...•...••.....29 IV. THE SASKATCHEWAN TRADE UNION ACT OF 1944 ••.•.... 40 V. THE TONE IS SET 1944-1948 .•••••.•..••••..••.••.••54 VI. LABOUR UNREST 1948-1952 ••.•.••..••••••••.• u ••••l02 VII. RELATIONS 1952-1956 .••.•••••••••••••••.•.••••••158 VIII. CONCLUSION •••.•..•••••••••••••••.••..•••••••••• 206 APPENDIX I. TRADE UNION MEMBERSHIP IN SASKATCHEWAN 1930-1956 a- •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 211 II. ORGANIZED LABOUR AND THE SASKATCHEWAN LABOUR FORC E •.•.••••.••••.•••.•••••••••••••.•••••212 III. CHANGES IN THE LABOUR FORCE .••••••••••••...•....• 213 IV. STRIKES IN SASKATCHEWAN 1944-1956 ••.•.....•••••.• 214 V. INCOMES IN SASKATCHEWAN 1941-1956 •••••••••••.•.•• 215 VI. AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS IN SASKATCHEWAN 1947-1956 ...................................... •.. 216 VII. UNEMPLOYMENT IN SASKATCHEWAN 1944-1962 .•.•••..•.. 217 VIII. RESULTS FOR SASKATCHEWAN, ONTARIO AND FEDERAL ELECTIONS 1943-1958 ••••.••.•.•••.•••..•••.••••••• 218 BIBLIOGRAPHy ..••••.•••••...••.••.•••••••••.•.••••••.•••• 219 vi For Morn vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This thesis discusses the major developments in the often strained relations between public service unions and the provincial government in Saskatchewan. It is restricted to relations between the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), Saskatchewan Section, and unions in the provincial public service affiliated with the Canadian Congress of Labour (CCL) because the new industrial relations system was created largely for their benefit, and their performance was important to the success of the CCF's industrialization and social welfare policies. In addition, the CCL as a national labour organization had endorsed the CCF as the 'political arm' of labour, and it was hoped that developments in Saskatchewan would inspire increased union support for the party in Ontario. The thesis therefore examines labour relations in Saskatchewan crown corporations from 1944 to 1956 with reference to the role of the CCF as the 'benefactor' and as the employer of labour; and the response of labour as employees and political supporters of the CCF.l Elected to office in June, 1944, the Saskatchewan CCF were well-aware that their 'beach-head' of socialism was extremely important to the fortunes of the party elsewhere, as everywhere but in Saskatchewan the party was dependent upon labour support. The provincial party was dependent, of 2 course, upon rural votes, but it could not resolve the farmers' main grievances, prices and oligopoly exploitation, which fell within the purview of the Dominion Government. The national party, on the other hand, could not act on the farmers' behalf without forming the government in Ottawa, and they needed labour's support in Ontario if they were to _be successful. The Canadian Congress of Labour co-operated with the CCF at the national and provincial levels to develop a broader organizational base, and although these efforts proved unsuccessful in Ontario, the political 'alliance' forged between the CCF and CCL at the national level informed the motives of the leaders of the party and industrial union movement, and help to explain their actions regarding industrial relations in Saskatchewan. 2 The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Saskatchewan Section) was a collection of agrarian reformers, radical trade unionists, and Christian idealists. Its ideology expressed the farmers' traditional demands for farm security, democratic government, and anti-monopoly populism; the Christian tradition of the 'social gospel'; and the