March 25, 1872- Toronto Printers Strike
On this day in 1872 the Toronto Printers Strike began. The strike began as apart of a campaign for the 9 hour day. The publishers used Canadian conspiracy laws to try to break the strike, getting 13 union leaders arrested.
Public support for the strikers resulted in changes in the conspiracy laws, and in the legalization of unions in Canada.
Another result of the strike was the creation of the Canadian Labour Union, the first nationwide labor organization. The CLU lasted only a few years, but the stage was set for nationwide solidarity across provincial and national borders and across trades. In the United States, the American Federation of Labor was not founded until 1886
