The Supreme Court of Canada has recognized that, “The right to bargain collectively with an
employer enhances the human dignity, liberty and autonomy of workers by giving them the
opportunity to influence the establishment of workplace rules and thereby gain some control
over a major aspect of their lives, namely their work.”
Chief Justice McLachlin wrote those words in 2007, but workers have been asserting their
dignity, liberty and autonomy for generations.
How did we get to a point where workers’ rights are constitutionalized and considered in
terms of human rights? Workers in Canada did not simply respond to historical events. They
made decisions and took action to shape that history.
But we know workers had, and continue to have, vastly different experiences in Canada. The
geography had an impact on the kind of work done in rural or urban communities. Women
have struggled to win equal pay for equal work. Immigrant workers from all over the world
have faced particular challenges of under-employment and racism.
The common thread is the agency and action of workers to improve and control their working
lives.
I hope you find this labour-supportive resource helpful in the classroom and that it will
strengthen and broaden teachers’ and students’ understanding of the extensive priorities
and contributions of the labour movement – past, present and future.
In solidarity,
Sam Hammond, President
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario
President’s Message