Trades and Labor Congress of Canada : The Trades and Labor Congress of Canada (TLC) traces its origins to the first national labour organization established in 1873 as the Canadian Labor Union (CLU). The CLU met annually until 1877 when the economic depression of the late 1870s caused its collapse. In 1883, the Toronto Trades and Labor Council called a national convention of union delegates which met as the Canadian Labor Congress. In 1886, these delegates met again under the name of the Canadian Trades and Labor Congress. The TLC continued to meet in convention annually from 1886 until 1956, except for 1945 when war-time travel restrictions prohibited such a meeting. The TLC's membership grew from about 8,300 at the turn of the century to 646,000 at the time of the 1956 merger with the Canadian Congress of Labour (CCL).
The TLC's principle purposes were to promote legislation in the interests of organized labour, to encourage the organization of workers within the craft-based international unions headquartered in the United States, to establish local trades and labour councils, to promote the union label, and otherwise to further the interests of workers. For much of the history of organized labour in Canada, the TLC was the largest and most powerful labour federation, although it was sometimes challenged by federations espousing alternative approaches to labour organization. With close ties to the American Federation of Labor (AF of L), the TLC defended the jurisdiction of its affiliated international craft unions. At the 1902 convention the TLC expelled, on the grounds of dual unionism, all affiliates of the Knights of Labor and national unions whose jurisdiction conflicted with AF of L affiliates; also, the TLC also decided to recognize only one central council in a given city or town (where previously dual councils had existed in some places). The unions expelled in 1902 joined forces as the National Trades and Labor Congress of Canada (subsequently known as the Canadian Federation of Labour and the All-Canadian Congress of Labour; ACCL). In 1921, the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees was also expelled from the TLC on the grounds of dual unionism. After The first World War and into the 1930s, the TLC faced competition from industrial, socialist, and Catholic unions, such as the One Big Union, the Confédération des travailleurs catholiques du Canada, and the Workers Unity League. Competition from industrial unions continued in the late 1930s, and in 1939 the TLC expelled Canadian affiliates of the new Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) from its ranks; these CIO unions merged with the ACCL in 1940 to form a new rival, the Canadian Congress of Labour (CCL).
The TLC Executive Council was composed of a President, Secretary-Treasurer, and a varying number of Vice-Presidents (after 1943, one from each region of the country -- British Columbia, Prairies, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes). A list of these officers is included in the booklet, "The Trades and Labor Congress of Canada, 1873-1956, An Historical Overview" (TLC, 1956). Below the national level, municipal trades and labour councils and (in some provinces) provincial federations of labour affiliated to the TLC sought to promote the interests of organized labour in their communities; provincial executives in provinces with no federation also carried out the TLC's legislative work at the provincial level. The TLC official organ began publication in 1921 as the "Canadian Congress Journal" and in 1944 was renamed the "Trades and Labor Congress Journal". A permanent office staff was not created until late in the organization's history. In 1948, a Director of Public Relations was hired, in 1949 a Research Department was created, in 1952 a Permanent Committee on Government Employees and a Trade Union Label Department were inaugurated, and in 1953 a Director of Organization and Education was appointed, followed by a Director of Political Research in 1954.
The TLC and CCL first struck committees to examine prospects for unity in 1953. Joint meetings of the unity committees were followed by a no-raiding agreement in 1954 and a merger agreement in May 1955. The TLC and CCL formally merged at the founding convention of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) in April 1956.
