Workers' Unity League
Encyclopedia
The Workers' Unity League (WUL) was created in 1929 as a labour central operated by the Communist Party of Canada
on the instructions of the Communist International.
This was reflective of the shift in Communist theory during the Communist International's "Third Period
". Rather than "Boring from Within" - the policy of the "Second Period" that encouraged Communists to join mainstream labour unions and progressive organizations in order to move them to the revolutionary left - this new philosophy emphasized creating Communist groups to popularly defend the Soviet way.
The WUL was a radical umbrella group, consisting of industrial unions in the mining, clothing, lumber and textile industries of Canada
. Unlike both the TLC (Trades and Labour Congress of Canada
) and the ACCL (All Canadian Congress of Labour), the WUL was an aggressive, militant organization bent not only on organizing unorganized workers, but the unemployed as well. The WUL paralleled similar alternative trade union structures elsewhere: the Trade Union Unity League
in the US, the National Minority Movement
in the UK.
It provided the leadership for the most important labour struggles of the early 1930s. This includes the bloody walkout by Estevan, Saskatchewan miners in which the police killed three strikers, and the strike of furniture workers and chicken pluckers in Stratford, Ontario which was put down by calling in the Canadian army.
By 1935, the WUL had a membership of over 40,000 members, the vast majority of whom were not communists. They were charting a distinct path towards industrial unionism - a path avoided by the more conservative TLC, and American Federation of Labor
.
Yet in 1935, international developments changed the strategy of the Communists. The rise of fascism
in Europe, urged Stalin to call for a Popular Front
of Communists and non-Communists against the extreme right wing. New orders from Moscow led to disbanding the WUL. Many of its members joined the broader Congress of Industrial Organizations
.
Communist Party of Canada
The Communist Party of Canada is a communist political party in Canada. Although is it currently a minor or small political party without representation in the Federal Parliament or in provincial legislatures, historically the Party has elected representatives in Federal Parliament, Ontario...
on the instructions of the Communist International.
This was reflective of the shift in Communist theory during the Communist International's "Third Period
Third Period
The Third Period is a ideological concept adopted by the Communist International at its 6th World Congress, held in Moscow in the summer of 1928....
". Rather than "Boring from Within" - the policy of the "Second Period" that encouraged Communists to join mainstream labour unions and progressive organizations in order to move them to the revolutionary left - this new philosophy emphasized creating Communist groups to popularly defend the Soviet way.
The WUL was a radical umbrella group, consisting of industrial unions in the mining, clothing, lumber and textile industries of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Unlike both the TLC (Trades and Labour Congress of Canada
Trades and Labour Congress of Canada
The Trades and Labour Congress of Canada was a Canada-wide central federation of trade unions from 1883 to 1956. It was founded at the initiative of the Toronto Trades and Labour Council and the Knights of Labor...
) and the ACCL (All Canadian Congress of Labour), the WUL was an aggressive, militant organization bent not only on organizing unorganized workers, but the unemployed as well. The WUL paralleled similar alternative trade union structures elsewhere: the Trade Union Unity League
Trade Union Unity League
The Trade Union Unity League was an industrial union umbrella organization of the Communist Party of the United States between 1929 and 1935...
in the US, the National Minority Movement
National Minority Movement
The National Minority Movement was a British organisation, established in 1924 by the Communist Party of Great Britain, which attempted to organise a radical presence within the existing trade unions...
in the UK.
It provided the leadership for the most important labour struggles of the early 1930s. This includes the bloody walkout by Estevan, Saskatchewan miners in which the police killed three strikers, and the strike of furniture workers and chicken pluckers in Stratford, Ontario which was put down by calling in the Canadian army.
By 1935, the WUL had a membership of over 40,000 members, the vast majority of whom were not communists. They were charting a distinct path towards industrial unionism - a path avoided by the more conservative TLC, and American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
.
Yet in 1935, international developments changed the strategy of the Communists. The rise of fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
in Europe, urged Stalin to call for a Popular Front
Popular front
A popular front is a broad coalition of different political groupings, often made up of leftists and centrists. Being very broad, they can sometimes include centrist and liberal forces as well as socialist and communist groups...
of Communists and non-Communists against the extreme right wing. New orders from Moscow led to disbanding the WUL. Many of its members joined the broader Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
.