
Working People
An Illustrated History of the Canadian Labour Movement, Fourth Edition
Desmond Morton(Author)
McGill-Queen's University Press
4th Edition
Will be published approx. on 13. January 1999
Book
Paperback/Softback
424 pages
978-0-7735-1801-8 (ISBN)
Description
From the dock workers of Saint John in 1812 to teenage "crews" at McDonald's today, Canada's trade union movement has a long, exciting history. Working People tells the story of the men and women in the labour movement in Canada and their struggle for security, dignity, and influence in our society. Desmond Morton highlights the great events of labour history - the 1902 meeting that enabled international unions to dominate Canadian unionism for seventy years, the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, and an obscure 1944 order-in-council that became the labour's charter of rights and freedoms. He describes the romantic idealism of the Knights of Labor in the 1880s and looks at "new model" unions that used their members' dues and savings to fight powerful employers. Working People explores the clash between idealists, who fought for socialism, industrial democracy, and equality for women and men, and the realists who wrestled with the human realities of self-interest, prejudice, and fear. Morton tells us about Canadians who deserve to be better known - Phillips Thompson, Helena Gutteridge, Lynn Williams, Huguette Plamondon, Mabel Marlowe, Madeleine Parent, and a hundred others whose struggle to reconcile idealism and reality shaped Canada more than they could ever know.
Reviews / Votes
"This is the best introductory text on Canadian labour history to date." Bob Rae, The Gazette "No contemporary history is as ambitious in its scope as Working People, or more perceptive in its judgments." Globe and Mail "A captivating ... chronicle on the history of unionism in Canada with all its warts and virtues." The Spectator "Working People is a welcome addition to the shelves of Canadian history." Canadian ReaderMore details
Edition
Fourth edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Montreal
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
New edition
Illustrations
178 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
670 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7735-1801-8 (9780773518018)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
01/1999
5th Edition
De Gruyter
€95.99
Available for download
Person
Desmond Morton (1937-2019) was professor emeritus at Hiram Mills, Department of History, the founding director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, and one of Canada's leading historians.