On the Line: Exploring the Strikes of 1970s Ontario through the IRHR Library's Collection

Texpack’s Tale of Sexism and Strikebreaking

Author: Romina Campanella, MMSt Candidate

One of the most violent Canadian strikes of the 1970s happened at a textile firm in Brantford, Ontario. Owned by an American corporation, Texpack’s Canadian firm produced hospital supplies and industrial filters. On July 16, 1971, over 200 Texpack workers part of the Canadian Textile and Chemical Union (CTCU) went on strike over various issues. The CTCU was co-founded by renowned Canadian labour rights activist Madeleine Parent, who was instrumental in organizing the Texpack strike.1 About 80% of the Texpack workforce were women and a great many were immigrants.2 Their main concerns were low wages and benefits, as well as the inequal pay given to female workers compared to male, which Texpack justified by using different vocabulary to describe jobs held by female workers.3 Workers were also put off by the “threatening” demeanor of the management and the feeling of being treated as second-class citizens.4

What started off as a seemingly standard strike quickly grew violent when Texpack brought in buses full of strike-breakers to replace their workers. Confrontation erupted as strikers attempted to block these buses and any vehicles bringing materials into the factory. Police were involved as conflict on the Texpack strike line continued daily, with injuries becoming a common occurrence. Riot squads were called in and many strikers claimed that excessive police force was used.5Several strikers were arrested and supporters from other unions and women’s groups joined in the strike on their behalf.6

As the conflict grew, there were demonstrations in Toronto at Queen’s Park and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Public attention was drawn to the conflicts as many viewed the Texpack strike not just as a class struggle, but as a fight against the Americanization of Canadian industries.7 Finally, after months of delayed work, property damage, and bad press, a settlement was reached as Texpack agreed on higher wages, better health coverage, and more vacation pay.8 The Texpack strike is remembered as a significant labour dispute in Ontario, as well as a struggle for the rights of working women and immigrants. Check out some of the resources below for more information on issues surrounding the Texpack strike.

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Endnotes

  1. Joan Sangster, “Historical Legacies,” Labour (Halifax) 70, no. 70 (2012): 193–99. https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/...
  2. Joan Sangster, “Remembering Texpack: Nationalism, Internationalism, and Militancy in Canadian Unions in the 1970s.” Studies in Political Economy 78, no. 1 (2006): 42. https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/...
  3. Sangster, "Remembering Texpack", 42.
  4. Sangster, "Remembering Texpack", 43.
  5. Sangster, "Remembering Texpack", 46.
  6. Sangster, "Remembering Texpack", 47.
  7. Christine Sylvester and Marion Harris, On Strike, (Toronto, Ontario: Institute for Studies in Education, 1973), 6. https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/...
  8. Sylvester and Harris, On Strike, 16.  

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Additional Resources

  • Argys, Laura M., and Susan L. Averett. Women in the Workforce: What Everyone Needs to Know. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2022. https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/...

    • This book examines the experiences of women in the workforce, and how entering the workforce has altered the lives of women as well as the structure of society

  • Blau, Francine D., Anne C. Gielen, and Klaus F. Zimmermann. Gender, Inequality, and Wages. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/...

    • A look at gendered wage gaps and inequality in the labour market, using an intersectional approach 

  • Kelly, Laura and Tony Usher. “International moves in US union courting Texpack scabs.” The Varsity 92 no. 11 (1971): 3. https://archive.org/details/thevarsity92/...

    • The Varsity (a University of Toronto publication) covered the Texpack strike in 1971. This articles discusses how a rival American union aiding strikebreaking at Texpack

  • Mills, Eric. “The Brantford clink – an inside view.” The Varsity 92 no. 1 (1971): 22. https://archive.org/details/thevarsity92/...

    • This Varsity article details a firsthand experience of a student who was arrested on the strike line

  • Podgorski, Edward. “Texpack workers meet no one at Queen’s Park.” The Varsity 92 no. 2 (1971): 1-2. https://archive.org/details/thevarsity92/...

    • Another article from The Varsity, this one covering a protest at Queen’s Park, located right beside the St. George campus

  • “Police arrest U of T students at Texpack picket line.” The Varsity 92 no. 14 (1971): 10. https://archive.org/details/thevarsity92/...

    • This Varsity article discusses the arrest of two University of Toronto students during a violent police encounter at Texpack

  • Sangster, Joan. “Historical Legacies.” Labour (Halifax) 70, no. 70 (2012): 193–99. https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/...

    • Sangster remembers the life and contributions of CTCU co-founder Madeleine Parent, including her involvement in Texpack, after her death in 2012

  • Sangster, Joan. “Remembering Texpack: Nationalism, Internationalism, and Militancy in Canadian Unions in the 1970s.” Studies in Political Economy 78, no. 1 (2006): 41–66. https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/...

    • Sangster’s article offers an in-depth examination of how conflicts at Texpack were bolstered by feminism and New Left ideologies

  • Special to The Globe and Mail. “Non-Union Workers Kept from Bus in Latest Texpack Confrontation.” The Globe and Mail. 1971. https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/...

    • The IRHR Library maintains an archive on strikebreaking with various newspaper articles related to the violent conflict on the Texpack picket line, many of which can be accessed online through UTL. This article from the archive details how the Texpack conflict reached all the way to Hamilton

  • Special to The Globe and Mail. “Police Riot Squad Breaks up Demonstration Near Texpack Plant; 27 Protesters Arrested.” The Globe and Mail. 1971. https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/...

    • This article details a violent encounter between police and protestors, resulting in injury and arrests

  • Sylvester, Christine., and Marion Harris. On Strike. Toronto, Ontario: Institute for Studies in Education, 1973. https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/...

    • This book features a chapter that explores a more detailed account of the issues surrounding the Texpack strike

  • The IRHR Library also maintains a file on the Texpack strike in its archive. To access this file, email the Library with your request.

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