On May 15, 1872, a Nine-Hour Movement started in Hamilton to regulate working hours and stop child and convict labour.
On June 14, 1872, the Trades Union Act passed under the leadership of Prime Minister John A. McDonald. In 1873, the Canadian Labour Union (CLU) was formed. In 1878, the CLU dissolved due to economic conditions.
By the 1880s and 1890s, the economy and union membership were expanding again.
In 1883, the Labour congress of Canada (which later became the trade and labour congress of Canada [TLC]) was formed. In 1992, the trade union and labour relations consolidation act passed as law.
According to the trade union and labour relations consolidation act, a trade union:
Consists of workers of a given description
Specializes in relations between workers and employers
Consists of constituent or affiliated organizations and/or their representatives
Employees can strike if their conditions are not being met by their employers. Independent trade unions are not:
Under control of employers or groups of employers
Liable to be under such control
Workers performing a specific trade are in a craft union. Industrial union workers all work in a specific industry.
