THE CHRISTIAN LABOUR ASSOCIATION OF CANADA: AN ORGANISATIONAL STUDY OF A SMALL CANADIAN UNION

Abstract

The Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) is a small Canadian union that was founded in the 1950s by Dutch Calvinist immigrants to Canada. Partially because of this unique background the union has developed several distinctive policies and approaches toward labour relations and collective bargaining. These approaches have lead to conflict with other labour unions. This first academic study of the CLAC lays out the history of the union from its foundation until the present. It discusses what its distinct practices are through the interviewing of CLAC staff and the examination of various union documents. The union is then placed in the context of the wider Canadian labour movement. This is the first academic study of the CLAC.