For Labour Day: Part one

Commemorating Saskatchewan Workers

In 1975, a 42-day strike by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) resulted in improvements for inside workers by establishing a fairer disciplinary procedure and, most importantly, providing guarantees on employment, classification, pay, and retraining when technological change was introduced. Within months, however, the federal government reneged on its agreement.

And when CUPW members responded by going on a legal strike in October of 1978, the federal government introduced legislation making the strike illegal after one day. This was to be only the first instance of a a growing trend for governments to override the right of workers to strike with back-to-work legislation. Four out of eight rounds of collective bargaining with CUPW have ended with such legislation since 1978.

At Work: Historical images of labour in Saskatchewan