On the Side of the People - a history of labour in Saskatchewan

New book traces the history of workers from the first strike by fur trade employees up to the present day

Regina (7 March 2006) - The Saskatchewan Centennial Workers Celebration Committee (SCWCC) is pleased to endorse the new book, On the Side of the People, a History of Labour in Saskatchewan, by Jim Warren and Kathleen Carlisle and published by Coteau Books of Regina.

This well researched publication is illustrated with numerous photos of workers, union activists, and labour struggles in Saskatchewan.

This book is created for the working people it celebrates. In a plain-spoken and engaging narrative style, it captures the events, and the personalities, that shaped the working people of Saskatchewan, and the life of the province that those workers built.

The authors tell the fascinating tale of jobs, working conditions, and the attempts to effect meaningful changes in the condition of workers’ lives.

Starting with the Fur Trade period, and moving through the construction of the railways, the emergence of the craft unions, two world wars, modernization, and into the present age, the book outlines the evolution of the work force, and the relationship between that work force and both private and public sector employers.

The story of workers organizing to protect their rights and improve living conditions starts with a strike by fur trade employees of the Hudson’s Bay Company in Cumberland House in July 1777.

The first organized unions in the province were the various railroad brotherhoods, the engineers, firemen, trainmen, and conductors. The railroad brought in a rush of farmers and business establishments and communities to serve the agricultural economy. Labourers were needed for construction to build the infrastructure of the province and to develop the resource industries in Saskatchewan. Working and living conditions, adequate housing, seasonal unemployment, technological change, living wages, medical and educational services for families, were regular struggles for the workers.

Jim Warren has a masters degree in political science from the University of Regina and Kathleen Carlisle has an education degree from the same university. They tell many stories of individuals who led the struggles to form unions and create a political movement that helped workers and of the owners, managers, and politicians that they struggled against.

The National Union of Public and General Employees is pleased to recommend this book and to everyone with an interest in the history and origins of the Canadian labour movement.

Ordering the book:

The price is $39.95 (soft cover) and $59.95 (hard cover), plus $4.75 shipping. Write to: SCWCC, c/o The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, 220 2445 13th Ave, Regina, SK, S4P 0W1 Phone: (306) 525-0197 Fax: (306) 525-8960 Email: sfl@sasktel.net NUPGE