Unit 6
World War II and the Postwar Years

This unit examines the growth of unionism during and after World War II. It explores the economic expansion that provided a context for union growth and militancy, the role of the state in regulating labour relations, the internal struggle for the control of unions, and the changing gender and ethnic composition of the labour market during the period. The unit should help you to recognize the extent of the gains workers made in the post-World War II years.

Objectives

After completing Unit 6, you should be able to

1. analyze the extent to which workers made gains in the postwar years.
2. explain why the Canadian government established a legal framework for collective bargaining in 1944.
3. describe the dynamics and interplay of events that occurred in the Stelco strike of 1946.
4. describe the transformation of the CTCC that occurred between 1940 and 1960.
5. explain the rise of the “double day,” and describe the effects it had on women workers.
6. analyze the relationship between unionism and the welfare state.