Patrick Lenihan From Irish Rebel to Founder of Canadian Public Sector Unionism

Patrick Lenihan displayed rare courage and unwavering commitment to social justice, from his childhood in revolutionary Ireland through his leading role in the Communist Party of Canada to the formation of the first national union of public employees. Patrick Lenihan: From Irish Rebel to Founder of Canadian Public Sector Unionism chronicles a lifetime of rebellion, protest, and organizing, aganist the backdrop of the major economic, social, and political struggles of this century.

Lenihan was constantly watched, repeatedly arrested, and often imprisoned, but he emerged time and again as a leader in the cause of the downtrodden, the working poor, and the unemployed. The On-to-Ottawa Trek, the work camps of the 1930’s, the radicalism of the western mine towns, the Cold War — Pat Lenihan was involved in it all, front and center.

Drawn from interviews conducted by Gilbert Levine and written in an unadorned, engaging style, Patrick Lenihan is far more than the story of Canada’s most influential and colorful figures. It makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of western radicalism, Canadian communism, state repression union organizing, and the daily struggles which have shaped 20th-century Canada.

Table of Contents

1. List of Abbreviations
2. Foreword by Gilbert Levine
3. Introduction by Lorne Brown
4. Chapter 1. Growing Up In Ireland
5. Chapter 2. Migration to North America
6. Chapter 3. Sojourn in Vancouver and Organizing in Alberta
7. Chapter 4. The Fort Saskatchewan Jail and Victory in Calgary
8. Chapter 5. Union Organizer, Family Man, and Life in the Crow’s Nest Pass
9. Chapter 6. Living On Relief and the Appeal of Social Credit
10. Chapter 7. 1935: Two Elections and a Trek
11. Chapter 8. The Struggle: Canada, Calgary and the World
12. Chapter 9. Calgary City Council Becomes An Arena of Class Struggle
13. Chapter 10. World War II: Struggle on the Home Front
14. Chapter 11. Civic Employees, Union Activists, and a Parting of the Ways
15. Chapter 12. Organizing Civic Employees
16. Chapter 13. Building a National Union of Public Employees
17. Chapter 14. Organizing Civic Workers on the Prairies and the Formation of CUPE
18. Chapter 15. CUPE, Alberta Labour, a New Party and New Struggles

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CA). It may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes, provided that the original author is credited.