by Glen Makahonuk
Winnipeg
Manitoba History, Number 4, 1982
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The Alberta Federation of Labour has long felt that it was necessary to tell labour’s story, because the standard histories of Alberta have excluded a discussion of it. And if an aspect of the Alberta labour movement has been mentioned it has usually been as a part of other studies; for example, D. Avery. Dangerous Foreigners (Toronto, 1979), D. J. Bercuson, Fools and Wise Men (Toronto, 1978), and A. R. McCormack, Reformers, Rebels, and Revolutionaries (Toronto, 1977). Alberta Labour is an attempt to meet this need by providing a brief survey of some of the major industrial and political struggles of the labour movement in Alberta from its origin in 1883 to the present.
Caragata’s basic premise is that the Alberta workers joined unions or political parties in order to fight employers and governments when they felt their rights were under attack. The evidence for his argument is based on his descriptive account of the appalling working and living conditions that the workers were subjected to in the railway camps, the coal mines, the lumber camps, the meat packing plants, the hotels and restaurants, and even the white-collar offices. The unsympathetic governments who failed to provide and enforce adequate labour legislation were also a continual source of discontent. Consequently, these conditions and the actions of repressive employers and governments spur-red not only the growth of both business and revolutionary unions, but also explained labour’s involvement with political parties as diverse as the Canadian Labour Party, the United Farmers of Alberta, the Communist Parry, the CCF and even the Social Credit. The labour movement, however, did not follow a straight line of progression which would lead to the emancipation of the working class and the establishment of socialism. Rather the movement seemed to be more concerned with short term palliatives within the capitalist system, and responded to the changing conditions by whatever means were available.
Because the study is not an exhaustive examination of both primary and secondary sources the result is a spotty treatment of events (for example, the rise and fall of the IWW in Alberta) and unsubstantiated conclusions. One example will suffice here. On page 121 without providing any documentary evidence the author comes to the conclusion that “The victory of Social Credit provides further evidence that the militancy and radicalism of the province’s population was not based on any ideology but was, in fact, raw anger waiting to be shaped by leaders who stepped out of the wings offering a way out of the wilderness.” If there are no documents to substantiate such claims, then they should be stated in a more cautious or explanatory manner.
Furthermore, what appears as an interesting story is still somewhat lacking in analysis. His approach to his study raises a number of questions about the content and the methodology. For example, how is the labour movement defined? A definition is required to explain to the reader what contributed to the sectional conflict among the various unions. Did immigrants and the new workers who moved from the agricultural sector to the industrial, delay the development of an effective labour movement? What impact did technological change have on the labour movement? How did the changes in the labour movement correspond with changes in the trade cycles? How significant were changes in labour legislation in promoting the growth of trade unions? What impact did ideologies have on the movement? In his survey of the various strikes and political activities he fails to fully develop answers or explanations to these and other related questions.
Another weakness is the lack of statistical analysis. Statistical information would help clarify general statements about wage rates, inflation rates, the number of organized and unorganized workers, unemployment levels, the use of strike-breakers, and the number of workers joining radical labour organizations such as the One Big Union or revolutionary political parties like the Communist Party. Furthermore readers would find it beneficial to see quantitative data on the number of members and the number and type of unions which were formed or forced to decline because of the changes in conditions. Quantitative history may not provide all the answers, but at least it provides a useful tool in verifying general statements that can be measured.
The outstanding aspect of the book is the illustrations. The text is well illustrated with 100 photographs depicting the members of unions, or the working and living conditions of the Alberta working class from its origin to the present. The value of these photographs is immense when considering that many of them are being published for the first time.
In conclusion, the book cannot be considered a scholarly study for the serious student of labour history. Caragata, nevertheless, has written an informative and readable work for the common person who may be interested in a brief survey of Alberta labour.
Page revised: 1 January 2011
