The Mine Workers' Union of Canada was a trade union in the mining sector in Canada. MWUC was affiliated to the Workers' Unity League, and lasted for approximately a decade.

Founding

MWUC was founded in 1925, as Alberta rank and file unionists broke away from the United Mine Workers of America District 18. Several of the founders of the union were cadres of the

Communist Party of Canada The Communist Party of Canada (french: Parti communiste du Canada) is a federal political party in Canada, founded in 1921 under conditions of illegality. Although it does not currently have any parliamentary representation, the party's can ...

.Worley, Matthew.
In Search of Revolution: International Communist Parties in the Third Period
'. London: Tauris, 2004. p. 223 By September 1926 MWUC was the largest miners' union in Alberta, with around 4,000 members in fifteen camps. MWUC was one of the founders of the

All-Canadian Congress of Labour The All-Canadian Congress of Labour (ACCL) was a Canadian national labour confederation, which existed from 1926 to 1940. It was founded in 1926 as a rival to the Trades and Labour Congress. It was headed by Aaron Mosher. It included remnants of t ...

in 1927.

Leadership

James Sloan was the president of MWUC.Abella, Irving M. On Strike; Six Key Labour Struggles in Canada, 1919-1949.
Major strikes in Canadian history, 1
'. Toronto: James Lewis & Samuel Publishers, 1974. p. 44 L. Maurice was the vice president of the union. John Stokaluk was the national secretary of MWUC.

1931 Bienfait-Estevan struggle

In the summer of 1931 MWUC was contacted by miners from Bienfait and

Estevan Estevan is the eighth-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is approximately north of the Canada–United States border. The Souris River runs by the city. This city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Estevan No. 5. History The ...

in Saskatchewan. The Bienfait-Estevan miners lived in miserable conditions, but the

Trades and Labour Congress of Canada The Trades and Labor Congress of Canada was a Canada-wide central federation of trade unions from 1886 to 1956. It was founded at the initiative of the Toronto Trades and Labour Council and the Knights of Labor. It was the third attempt at a nat ...

had paid little attention to them. MWUC sent its organizers to Bienfait-Estevan. MWUC was able to mobilize a large majority of local miners, preparing for a strike. The mine owners rejected negotiations, and the mayor of Estevan prohibited manifestations by MWUC. When the MWUC took to the streets to protest, they were met with police fire. Three people were killed on September 29, 1931. Twelve miners were arrested in the aftermath. Following these events, MWUC lost its foothold in the area.Morton, Desmond.
Working People: an Illustrated History of the Canadian Labour Movement
'. Montreal .a. McGill-Queen's Univ. Press, 1998. pp. 143-144

Registration

MWUC was registered with the Canadian authorities on March 19, 1926. The registration was cancelled by the Department of Secretary of State on August 22, 1935.Abella, Irving M. On Strike; Six Key Labour Struggles in Canada, 1919-1949.
Major strikes in Canadian history, 1
'. Toronto: James Lewis & Samuel Publishers, 1974. p. 74

References

{{Authority control Defunct trade unions in Canada 1925 establishments in Alberta 1935 disestablishments in Canada Mining trade unions Trade unions established in 1925