The Mine Workers' Union of Canada was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

in the mining sector in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. MWUC was affiliated to the

Workers' Unity League The Workers' Unity League (WUL) was established in January 1930 as a militant industrial union labour central closely related to the Communist Party of Canada on the instructions of the Communist International. This was reflective of the shift in ...

, and lasted for approximately a decade.

Founding

MWUC was founded in 1925, as

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

rank and file unionists broke away from the

United Mine Workers of America The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers and public employees in the Unit ...

District 18. Several of the founders of the union were cadres of the

Communist Party of Canada The Communist Party of Canada is a federal political party in Canada. Founded in 1921 under conditions of illegality, it is the second oldest active political party in Canada, after the Liberal Party of Canada. Although it does not currentl ...

.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 o ...

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 Bienfait is a town in Saskatchewan on Saskatchewan Highway 18, Highway 18 that is east of Estevan. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Coalfields No. 4, RM of Coalfields. For services, Bienfait has one K-8 school, a gas station, a ...

and

Estevan Estevan is the eleventh-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 ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. 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 n ...

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 Workers' Unity League United Mine Workers of America