The Struggle against Wage Controls The Saint John Story, 1975-1976

In October 1976 one million Canadian workers walked off the job to protest the wage controls imposed by Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. In a memorable personal account of this historic general strike, Saint John labour activist George Vair recalls how workers in one New Brunswick city mobilized to defend themselves and their unions and defeat the unpopular program.

Edited and introduced by labour historian David Frank, “a story that needs to be known all across the country” (Bob White, former president, Canadian Labour Congress).

Table of Contents

1. Acknowledgements
2. Foreword by Bob White
3. Introduction by David Frank
4. Chapter 1. Why Us: Trudeau’s Controls
5. Chapter 2. Saint John Under the Controls
6. Chapter 3. Getting Organized
7. Chapter 4. Off to Ottawa – and More Trouble in Saint John
8. Chapter 5. Tough Talk at the Canadian Labour Congress
9. Chapter 6. A Long Hot Summer
10. Chapter 7. Planning the Day of Protest
11. Chapter 8. A Visit from Trudeau
12. Chapter 9. October 1976
13. Chapter 10. The Saint John General Strike
14. Index

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.